Don’t get a gun in some obscure caliber. Get a pistol in 9mm or a riffle in 223 (even better get a 5.56x45 NATO) or 308 win, that way ammo will be cheaper and you can better afford training with it. Shooting a few hundred rounds is not really enough. You’ll need to train regularly.
Learn how to maintain your gun. As in how to clean it, what parts need lubrication, adjusting the sights, etc.
Speaking as an electronic engineer, get passive ear protection. Active noise cancelling is cool and all, but what about when the batteries run out and you have no protection? Or what the electronics fail? Protect your ears, but when you can get +100 rounds of ammo for the price difference, then I would prioritize the ammo budget.
Don’t ear protection like the Razor Slims function both with active noise cancelling and without electricity? Active noise cancelling is useful for hearing the range instructor, but I’d imagine the seal and cushioning would also provide adequate hearing protection.
Razor slims have shitty protection if the battery dies, only 22db, which is not enough without also using foamies. Also their sound quality is dogshit compared to the equally cheap Impact Sport electronic muffs, which also sacrifice passive protection for slimmer dimensions. Proper passive muffs are 30-33db reduction.
Huh, TIL. I do have a pair of purely passive muffs (from my father, presumably acquired in the 90s/00s) that I could use if need be. I got the Razor slims a bit back because of a clearance discount at a sporting good store, glad to hear there are other options in their price range though.
Pretty sure mine are passive with a little speaker that selectively transmits low decibel sounds. If the batteries die, it’s still passive protection, I just don’t get to hear people talking.
Whenever this comes up I like to add:
And don’t forget cardio
People should also be aware that shooting guns causes physical brain damage, so they should take that into consideration.
I wonder if active noise canceling doesn’t have a delay that pretty much nullifies said protection in the case of quick loud bangs.
Don’t ear protection like the Razor Slims function both with active noise cancelling and without electricity? Active noise cancelling is useful for hearing the range instructor, but I’d imagine the seal and cushioning would also provide adequate hearing protection.
Razor slims have shitty protection if the battery dies, only 22db, which is not enough without also using foamies. Also their sound quality is dogshit compared to the equally cheap Impact Sport electronic muffs, which also sacrifice passive protection for slimmer dimensions. Proper passive muffs are 30-33db reduction.
Huh, TIL. I do have a pair of purely passive muffs (from my father, presumably acquired in the 90s/00s) that I could use if need be. I got the Razor slims a bit back because of a clearance discount at a sporting good store, glad to hear there are other options in their price range though.
Pretty sure mine are passive with a little speaker that selectively transmits low decibel sounds. If the batteries die, it’s still passive protection, I just don’t get to hear people talking.
I use passive but my wife uses active ones from Walker. Their passive isn’t quite as good, but plenty for range use in case the batteries die.