Best Ear Protection For Shooting

The Act Fire Hearing Protection For Shooting Gun Range would be a superb option for shooters looking for something simple and easy to use yet functional and reliable. 

These earmuffs have an NRR of 23, enough to give your ears excellent protection for outdoor shooting. For indoor range, you can amp up the protection using the included orange in-ear plugs.  

They’re very comfortable to wear. The padded headband is adjustable for various head sizes, and the ear cups don’t get in the way when we’re resting our cheeks on the cheek rest of our long rifles. They also have a slim profile, making it easy to move around the range without something bulky over our ears. 

On top of that… 

We were very impressed when we found out this is the only device on the market that uses stereo digital noise reduction technology, and the noise reduction is indeed great. It muffles the sounds of gunshots, and other high-decibel sounds, down to a whisper level. Impressive.  

At the same time… 

It uses an internal chip to amplify the sounds around the range, even quiet ones, giving you clear stereo sound. The dual omnidirectional microphones pick up ambient noise greatly. Even better, they enable you to identify the direction where the sounds are coming from! 

Pretty cool, right? 

This is great, as you can hear range commands from your instructor when you’re in a firearm training course or the voice of your shooting buddy talking to you. We used this while talking to one another from different parts of the range, and we could hear each other’s voices just fine, even when using normal talking voices. The volume is easy to adjust using the vertically designed volume control knob.

Aesthetic-wise, our Editor’s Choice has a cool-looking appearance and a tactical feel to it. The Japanese paint job looks nice and protects the surface from UV radiation and the color from fading. The American flag patch on one side is a nice touch, which American shooting enthusiasts, especially servicemen, will surely appreciate.  

It doesn’t come with batteries, though. The good news is it uses two triple-A batteries, which should be easy to find anywhere. Also, we’ve been using ours for about three months, and the batteries still haven’t run out.

For those of you on the market for something budget-friendly but still very effective, you can’t go wrong with the Ear Buddy Foam Earplugs. 

First off… 

It boasts 33 dB NRR, so you’re getting a very high level of hearing protection, whether on an outdoor or indoor shooting range. 

For an affordable price, you’ll get a jar of 50 foam earplugs in a bright orange color for visibility. Each one is very soft and bell-shaped, making them comfortable to wear all day. They’re also made from non-abrasive material— great if you have sensitive ears. 

These earplugs couldn’t be easier to use. We simply give it a little squish using our thumbs and index fingers until they get very small and narrow, then place them inside our ear canals, with one hand pulling the ear up and back. The plug then expands inside and starts working to block out loud noises. 

Unlike other earplugs we’ve tried, these go back to their original shape within seconds after being squished, so we never had to wait a long time before they make a complete seal. Once fully settled inside the ears, they don’t budge even when running or moving around the range. 

Furthermore… 

We find these earplugs super useful not just for shooting but also for traveling on planes, mowing our lawns, and, most especially, for sleeping. Our house is full of people, a lot of them loud snorers, and these earplugs help us get a good night’s sleep.

Also, it comes with a 60-day 100% money-back guarantee! That’s when you know the company is confident that its product does work. Considering the price and effectiveness of this product, it gets our Best Value award. 

We just wish these came with a case for traveling, but for the price, it’s not something we were expecting anyway.

If comfort is your top priority when looking for an HPD, you should check out the 3M H10A Peltor Optime 105 Over-The-Head Earmuff. 

Our first impression upon trying this on for the first time is that it fits nice and snug yet super comfortable at the same time. The foam padding inside the earmuffs creates a good seal and provides soft cushioning around the ears, so they don’t hurt even when wearing our protective shooting glasses, and we don’t feel any pressure, either. 

Some of us have large heads and ears, and this device fits perfectly. It’s lightweight and waterproof, so even when we’re moving around and sweating, it doesn’t get sticky or slide around. 

We immediately noticed a difference in performance when we started using these earmuffs. They have 105 dBA and 30 dB NRR, so you’re getting a high level of noise suppression with these. The double-shell technology enhances their noise-blocking ability.

This device reduces any ear-damaging noise substantially, so we’ve been able to concentrate better during target shooting, like we’re in our own world. Also, it maintains its noise reduction with different head movements, which is nice. 

Still… 

This won’t tune out the normal talking voices of the people around you… like your friend asking why you have large earmuffs on.

As for durability, we like that its band is made of metal, helping it last longer than the plastic ones we’ve used in the past. It holds up to daily use and rough handling. 

It also probably has the best combination of superior comfortability and high hearing protection out of all the ones we’ve tried, which makes it our Top Pick.  

Admittedly… 

The lack of color options isn’t great, but it’s not enough of a deal-breaker when it comes to this awesome product.

Designed for handgun shooters, the Howard Leight by Honeywell Impact Pro Shooting Earmuff offers superior hearing protection, especially in indoor ranges and other loud shooting environments. 

These earmuffs use the patented Air Flow technology that blocks extremely loud, hazardous noises. 

We often would feel some shock waves and the floor shaking when we’re around people firing high-caliber guns, but we can’t hear a thing; it’s absolutely incredible to experience, and we know for sure that our ears are well-protected. 

Despite that… 

We can still hold conversations with our mates in the range, even in the middle of gunshot noises.

The way it works is that the built-in directional microphones pick up the sounds around you and amplify them up to four times louder. When those sounds get higher than the safe level of 82 dB, the earmuffs automatically shut off the amplification function, which is very cool. It also has a volume control knob you can play around with to find the perfect volume level when conversing with a friend or listening to range commands. 

Another good thing is… 

If you’re like us, who often forget that our electronics are on, you’ll like the automatic shut-off feature, which automatically shuts off the device when left on for four hours. 

The design is worth mentioning, too. The headband is well-padded and features a telescoping height adjustment for a comfortable, custom fit. Battery replacement is easy with the snap-on lid, and the pressure points are rubberized to prevent scratching the gunstock. 

But the drawback is… 

These earmuffs have quite a bulky profile, so they’re not ideal to use with rifles. The bulkiness improves their hearing protection ability, though, so we don’t mind it.

If you like taking your kids to the range or hunting trips, it’s important to give them a good-quality HPD, too. For this purpose, we highly recommend the Peltor Sport Tactical 500 Hearing Protection.

This electronic ear protection device features an adjustable and vented headband with soft cushions and low-profile ear cups for comfortable all-day wear. You can wear hats with it, and it’s lightweight, so it won’t weigh heavily on your kid’s little head.

What’s unique about these earmuffs is that they use the 3M’s SMART noise suppression technology, which adapts to the ambiance to provide appropriate hearing protection, with various features such as Dynamic Suppression Time and Clear Voice Tracking features. 

The Dynamic Suppression Time feature measures the gunshot energy, then adjusts accordingly for the suitable suppression time depending on different firearm calibers. Meanwhile, the Clear Voice Tracking feature detects voices and filters out excess noise, so your kid can have clear communications with you or their teammates if they’re going to use this for shooting games like airsoft. 

In addition to that… 

These earmuffs have directional microphones to help your kids be aware of their surroundings. We’ve tested this device indoors and outdoors, and it works flawlessly in both. Also, our kids being kids, they accidentally dropped theirs many times, but they’re still working fine.  

Sometimes, our kids would get bored waiting for us to finish our shooting session, so we’re thankful that this device has a Bluetooth connection. You can connect it to any Bluetooth-enabled device and give your kids some entertainment. 

Now… 

Would the sound quality please most audiophiles? Probably not, but it’s good enough for listening to some music, audiobooks, or watching YouTube videos.  

Just keep in mind… 

This might not be the best option if your kid’s head is on the larger side. Also, considering the price, we wish it came with a hard case, and the batteries were rechargeable. Those are minor gripes only, but we think they’re worth mentioning.

Next on our list is another product from Howard Leight, the Howard Leight Impact Sport Bolt Digital Electronic Ear Muffs. If you’ve enjoyed using their Impact Pro model, this one has even better technology. 

Like the Impact Pro, this also has an easy-to-use control knob, adjustable headband, directional microphones, and a 4-hour automatic shut-off feature. However, the difference is that this one has a low profile, making it great to use with rifles, and it offers a .5 millisecond attack time, much faster than both the Impact Pro and the classic Sport models. 

This model also uses Digital compression circuitry, which compresses 82 dB and above noises and digitally enhances the sounds the microphones pick up to provide a more precise sound processing. The microphones have a foam layer, which helps in windy conditions.

Indeed… 

When we have this on, we can hear every little sound, from twigs and animal noises to range commands and even faint talking voices, while the gunshots and wind noises get reduced— fantastic for both hunting and outdoor range shooting. 

These earmuffs also have thick ear cups and are water-resistant. Ours have been rained on several times when hunting, and they’re still in perfect condition!

Moreover… 

The folding design makes these earmuffs easy to store in our range bag. They also come with plenty of accessories: extra ear cup cushions, a very handy belt clip, a 3.5mm connection cord, and two triple-A batteries— another edge it has over the Impact Pro.  

However… 

While this model has better sound amplification, the Impact Pro has a higher NRR. These earmuffs have an NRR of 22 dB— not bad, but if you need a higher level of protection for indoor shooting or very loud environments, then the Impact Pro would be the better option. On the other hand, go for this if you prefer better sound amplification and technology, a lower profile, and more features.

Looking to invest in a premium ear protection device? The Otto Engineering NoizeBarrier Micro is one of the best ones on the market today. 

These earplugs come in a durable hard case with a USB charging cable and an instruction manual. Both the device and the case have an IP67 water-resistant rating; we’ve used them in the winter and rainy days and never had issues. They’re actually perfect for wet weather, as you can wear a hat over them. 

They’re easy to operate; simply stick them in your ears, then press and hold the button on the side for about two seconds until you hear the “powering on” sound. You can switch between Low and High modes without taking the plugs out by pressing the button once— really convenient, especially when hunting or shooting where every second counts. 

With Accu-Technology built into them, these ear plugs provide 5x sound amplification. We’ve hunted using both Low and High modes to test them out, and the Low mode alone gives excellent amplification. But the High mode is incredible; you can hear everything around you, even the little movements of your game, and the sounds are high-definition. 

By the way… 

You can choose between foam and triple-flange ear tips for the plugs. Both are very soft and offer different levels of protection: foam tips have an NRR of 28 dB, while the triple-flange ones have 23 dB NRR. The noise filtration is impressive either way, and we still have situational awareness. 

Another cool thing is… 

You can charge the earplugs while they’re stored inside the case! There’s also a display that shows the battery percentage for easy monitoring. In our experience, the case’s battery life lasts for days, even with constant use, and you can charge the plugs up to twenty times before the case runs out of battery. 

Also, there’s a magnet inside so your earplugs stay put and won’t fall out. This is our first time seeing this kind of design, and we really love the convenience and handiness.  

But if we’re going to nitpick… 

We wish this device had a Bluetooth connection and a medium-volume setting. These earplugs are also not cheap, but considering the level of technology used in them, their durability and longevity, we’d say the price is reasonable. 

The Gloryfire Ear Noise Canceling Earmuffs is another pocket-friendly option for a unit that completely shuts off loud noises. 

Upon getting this, we noticed right away that it looks pretty similar to the Howard Leight Impact Sport Earmuffs, but the ear pads in this are thicker, which we think contributes to the higher NRR. They’re also made from PU leather with inner sponge material. 

Another thing we like about the design is the vertical volume switch, which is easy to locate and use even with gloves on. The headband has a good amount of padding, making it comfortable to wear for more than ten hours. 

Additionally… 

The noise reduction ability of these earmuffs is top-notch! Featuring a 0.02-second amplification and noise reduction speed, this device quickly responds to loud noises, instantly muting them once they go up 82 dB and above.  

Meanwhile… 

It also uses omnidirectional microphones to turn up sounds below 500hZ, amplifying them up to 6x. When we use this for camping and hunting, we can hear when deers walk in or even the leaves rustling, and it’s also easy to pick out the location of the sounds! During shooting sessions, we can communicate with our fellow shooters without being interrupted by loud gunshots, which is awesome. 

If you need extra ear protection for indoor shooting, this also comes with a pair of earplugs that increases the noise cancellation even more. The catch is it can be a bit harder to have conversations with them on, but we just turn up the volume, and the problem is solved. 

There’s a 3.5 mm AUX input port, as well, for music and audio listening. And we’re telling you, this device has one of the best sound quality we’ve experienced as far as HPDs go. It’s equipped with high-quality microchips, resulting in crisp sound quality— great for audiophiles.  

Here’s the kicker… 

We noticed little static noises when turning the volume up, which eventually went away and aren’t a big deal, but we’re not fans. We wish they included batteries, too. 

If you like wearing helmets with your HPD, you’ll like the MSA 10061272 SoundControl HPE Cap Mounted Hearing Protection. 

These earmuffs are designed to be attached to helmets and hard hats— great if you wear headgear while shooting or hunting. Another benefit to this design is that it prevents us from accidentally leaving our earmuffs at home or anywhere else, as they’re now affixed to our helmets! 

With an NRR of 27 dB, this unit has one of the highest noise protection out of the earmuffs we’ve tried for this review. This is also made with very high noise-level types of environments in mind, such as construction sites and airports, so you can be sure of its ability to block out excessive noises.  

Truly… 

It has become one of our go-to pairs for indoor shooting, as they totally eliminate any noise. We can have a shooter next to us fire a high-caliber rifle, and we still won’t hear anything (though we can feel the impact). We also like the option to move one ear muff up if you want to talk to others or hear what’s around you and fold them up on the helmet when not in use. 

As far as durability goes, these are sturdy earmuffs. We’ve used them outdoors, and they hold up to rough environments very well. The attachment system is also durable and not easily breakable.  

But here’s the thing… 

As we’ve said, these earmuffs do cancel out all the noise, but maybe a little too well. They aren’t the kind of earmuffs where you can still hear a little of your surroundings. This can be good or bad, depending on whether you want to have conversations while shooting. But if you really need something to protect your hearing from very noisy environments, these earmuffs got you covered.

And lastly, we have the Axil GS Extreme 2.0 Shooting Ear Protection Ear Buds, another good electronic protection device option for those who prefer in-ear protection. 

This device has an interesting design, for sure. 

Unlike other earbuds, these have ear hooks that wrap around your ears for a secure fit; we never had to worry about them falling off, even when doing intense activities. They also don’t get in the way of hats, protective eyewear, or gun stocks, which we always appreciate in HPDs. 

But wait, there’s more… 

What makes these earbuds a standout is that you’re basically getting shooting electronic earmuffs, noise isolation headphones, and Bluetooth earbuds all in one sleek-looking unit. Talk about good value for your money! 

They provide maximum hearing protection, with an impressive NRR of 29 dB. The Noise Isolation feature compresses any sound above 85 dB while allowing you to hear anything below that— this prevents harmful sounds from entering your ear. The sounds it does pick up get enhanced up to 6x by the digital mic.

We like that the noise suppression and amplification controls are separate from the Bluetooth settings. 

The intuitive control pads are so convenient: the hearing enhancement and protection on/off switch and volume controls are on the left, while the controls for the Bluetooth, audio, and phone calls are on the left. These settings allow you to easily switch between hearing enhancement/protection mode to Bluetooth/audio mode— or use both simultaneously! 

The 5.0 Bluetooth offers studio-quality audio and enables hands-free communication. We also have an easy time connecting it to our cars and electronic devices. 

What’s more… 

The battery life is great. On the first day we got this, we used it for about twelve hours, yet the battery didn’t run out even without charging! It also comes with useful additional accessories, making this product really worth the cost.

Having said all that… 

The wires in these earbuds could be a bit longer. Also, the instructions are quite lacking; for one thing, it didn’t mention that your ears need to be pulled up and the plugs compressed before you put them in the ear canal. Longtime users of earplugs would’ve known this, but if you’re. We wish the instructions were clearer.