Clay Target Q&A
With Russell Mark, Olympic gold and silver medallist
Questions: russell@corporateshootingstars.com.au
Q Do you recommend earplugs or earmuffs when you are shooting? I have had a set of earmuffs given to me for my birthday, but when I mount my gun to my shoulder, I often knock the earmuffs from my head. Are earplugs sufficient?
Robert Pyke, Vic
A It is not an uncommon problem you are describing, Robert. This is usually caused by a very high gun mount where the butt of the gun is positioned too high up on the shoulder. In Trap shooting, many people who shoot what is called a Monte Carlo stock (a stock where the comb is parallel to the barrel of the shotgun) suffer from this due to the angle of the comb and therefore the butt or pad of the stock colliding with the earmuff.
Many earmuff manufacturers make a ‘low-profile’ earmuff, which is specifically designed to overcome this problem. By lower profile, I mean the actual shell part of the muff covering the ear is thinner and often cut away to provide more room for a high gun mount.
I also know many shooters who wear custom-fitted earplugs and when worn with earmuffs, they will provide the best ear protection by far on any range, be it Rifle, Pistol or Shotgun, or anywhere where you have other shooters competing right beside you and you might suffer their muzzle blast, as well as your own.