Best Shooting Hearing Protection [2023]

Hearing protection for shooting is important.  As you’ll see, most firearms produce a decibel (dB) level that will cause permanent hearing damage.  However, there are many types of shooting hearing protection, as well as different levels of protection to choose from.  So, what is the best shooting ear protection?

That’s what we’ll cover, including the best shooting ear protection for each of the three categories: electronic hearing protection, earplugs, and earmuffs.

Types of Hearing Protection

There are three general types of shooting ear protection that you should know about:

Earplugs: These fit in your ear, are typically made of foam, and are the least expensive option. The cheapest earplugs are disposable, and although they don’t cost much, they aren’t intended to be used again.

Earmuffs: They fit over your ear to block out the sound and are a little more expensive, but they can be used over and over again. 

Electronic Hearing Protection: Using electronics, these earmuffs will reduce the sound of the shot, while amplifying your conversation and voice. This is exceptionally beneficial for shooting because it allows the wearer to hear conversations, but still protects them from gunshot noises.

Required Hearing Protection Rating

Exposure to intensive noise greater than 140 dB can permanently cause hearing damage.  This is extremely important to shooters, since most firearms fire at 140+ db.

Therefore, in order to bring down the sound of gunshots to a safe level, you need adequate hearing protection. To do this requires hearing protection that has an NRR rating of 22 or greater. We have made sure that all recommended shooting hearing protection has at least that level.

Best Shooting Ear Protection:

As we discussed above, when it comes to shooting hearing protection, there are three types. Each type has its situation where it would be best. Therefore, to list the best shooting ear protection, we discussed listing the best of each class. If, however, you’d like to dig deeper into a type of hearing protection, you can scroll further as we compare the rest of them in their class.

The best shooting ear protection is:

1. Howard Leight Impact Sport Bolt (Best Overall)
2. Decibullz Custom Ear Plugs (Best In-Ear)
3. 3M Peltor Sport Earmuffs (Best Ear Muff)
4. Dr. Meter Kids Earmuffs (Best for Kids)
5. Peltor Sport Tactical 500 (Premium)

Hearing Protection – Editor’s Choice

Best Electronic Howard Leight: Impact Sport Bolt		Editor’s Choice & Best ROI Affordable Electronic Option NRR: 22	See Amazon Price
Best Ear Plugs Decibullz Custom Molded		Best In-Ear option Custom molded – super easy and comfortable NRR: 31	See Amazon Price
Best Ear Muffs 3M PRO Shotgunner Low Profile		Best Ear Muffs Inexpensive NRR: 24	See Amazon Price
Best For Kids Dr. Meter Kids Noise Reduction		Best for Kids Inexpensive NRR: 27	See Amazon Price
Best Premium Peltor Sports Tactical 500		Best electronics Bluetooth capability NRR: 26	Check Price

Spec Comparison of the Best Shooting Hearing Protection

Reviews of the Best Electronic Hearing Protection

Electronic earmuffs are our favorite style of hearing protection for most types of shooting. An Electronic earmuff helps amplify conversations, and with hearing safe noises, while also protecting you from the unsafe levels of sound from gunshots.

Best Electronic

1. Howard Leight Impact Sport Bolt		Editor’s Choice & Best ROI Affordable Electronic Option NRR: 22	Check Amazon
2. Peltor Sport Tactical 500		NRR: 26 dB noise reduction rating Ideal for both indoor and outdoor shooters Dynamic Suppression Time	Check Amazon
3. Walker’s Razor Slim Shooter		2 omni directional microphones Provides sound activated protection over 89 DB at 0.02 reaction time Noise reduction rating of 23DB.	Check Amazon

Howard Leight Impact Sport Bolt Review

Here’s our hands-down favorite ear protection for a trip to the shooting range.

They are the loudest (in a good way), most comfortable, and their auto-shut-off feature saves me on batteries (I often forget to turn off other sets and end up with dead batteries the next time I try to use them).

You’ll be able to hear your surroundings better with these than you will without any ear protection (that’s the good way in which they’re louder)!

I used the professional-grade Peltor earmuffs in the military, and I’ve gone through a few sets of the previous Peltor commercial-grade electronic shooting earmuffs as a sniper instructor.

The reason I’ve gone through a few of those other sets is that they didn’t hold up for me. Do you know what set has lasted me for many years? Howard Leight Impact Sports.

Seriously – I own more than one set of these because they are not only the best set of electronic ears I’ve ever used, but they’re also the best value. It’s really nice to have an extra set for when someone else is with me at the range, and they haven’t read this review and picked up their own set yet.

Other reasons these are our favorites: they are low enough profile that I can use them while shooting a rifle or shotgun, and they are light enough and comfortable to wear for many hours.

If you’d like to make these even better, check out our ear protection upgrades section and look into the Noisefighter ear pads and a carrying case.

A couple of downsides to these are that I’ve experienced some electronic interference when my cell phone is too close, and although I am comfortable using these on most range trips, they are the low end of sound protection required.

Get a set of these and you won’t be sorry.

Howard Leight Impact Sport Bolt Pros and Cons

Peltor Sport Tactical 500 Review

When it comes to noise protection, arguably the most important feature of hearing protection for shooting, the Peltor Sport Tactical 500 earmuffs are amazing.

There’s a noticeable “wow” on people’s faces when they hear how quiet these are – it feels like going into a sound-proof room.

When combined with the electronics and Bluetooth capability, these are clearly the most premium electronic ear muffs we tested.

However, there are a few reasons why these didn’t get picked as our #1 choice.

First, although Bluetooth is super handy when you want to listen to a podcast or music from your smartphone, the sound level for ambient noise can not be turned up as loud as our #1 pick above.

Second, the volume adjustment is not as intuitive as the Howard Leight’s above. Instead of a volume adjustment wheel, they have up and down buttons, and you must repeatedly click the up button until you hear an audible beep letting you know that you reached the max setting.

Third, they are big and heavy – you can notice the weight as you move your head, and their size impedes my ability to shoot a rifle or shotgun without interference.

Fourth, they are almost three times the cost of our #1 pick.

Now, despite the list of possible negatives for many shooters, these are still phenomenal earmuffs and might be a great choice for many shooters.

If you’re instructing on the range or are a range master, these are the ticket as they block the most sound. Also, these are great for non-shooting activities. Although I love my Howard Leight’s when I gab a set of earmuffs for mowing the lawn, I grab these, so I can listen to podcasts over the Bluetooth while I mow.

Also, if I’m at an indoor range and want more sound protection – these are the ticket. These were noticeably the best performing earmuffs in our sound booth testing.

If you’re looking for the quietest earmuffs and are willing to pay for a larger, but premium set, these are for you.

Peltor Sport Tactical 500 Pros and Cons

Walker’s Razor Slim Shooter Electronic Muffs Review

When we purchased our Walker Razor Slim earmuffs, they came in nice packaging, and they had an American flag patch – both things were nice touches that gave us some optimism about them.

However, when we tested them at the range, we were not impressed. In fact, based on our experience, we do not recommend these.

Their size, weight, and fit were fine. However, now that we are used to nicer electronic earmuffs, the amplified ambient noise doesn’t sound very good and the gunshot blasts, although they are blocked to a safe enough level, just sounded… bad.

With these earmuffs, we could hear echoes from gunshots, and they didn’t offer a seamless transition from blocking noise apart from ambient sound.

For near the same cost, you can get the #1 and #3 earmuffs above – both of which are better options.

Walker’s Razor Slim Shooter Electronic Muffs Pros and Cons

Reviews of the Best Earmuffs for Shooting

Although we love the mentioned electronic ear muffs, they aren’t always necessary.

Standard shooting earmuffs are less expensive and can be a very handy option for hearing protection when shooting (especially as an extra set for someone else or for kids).

3M Peltor Sport Shotgunner II Low Profile Review

There’s not much to say about these earmuffs for shooting.

They are exactly what you need if you want a quality set of earmuff hearing protection and aren’t looking for electronic features.

They’re the right size, weight, and price, and they keep things nice and quiet while still being comfortable on your head.

Need a set of earmuffs? These are the ones to get.

Even if you have a set for yourself, these are super handy as an extra set for someone else on the range or for other uses if you want your electronic set in your range bag.

3M Peltor Sport Shotgunner II Low Profile Pros and Cons

Dr. Meter Kids Noise Reduction Earmuffs Review

If you have kids or help to instruct children at the range, then these are a great option to protect their ears when shooting.

Ideally, one of the reasons we love electronic earmuffs is because the wearer can hear range commands and instructions. This is obviously key with children.

The multiple color choices are great for kids, too.

However, in our experience, regular earmuffs (including electronic options) are too large for children and therefore end up with an uncomfortable fit (which encourages kids to remove them when they shouldn’t) or an improper fit that doesn’t help to protect their ears.

What’s great about these, is that they are smaller so that they are a great fit for kids, but they also have a relatively high NRR rating of 27 which is important to help maximize hearing protection.

Dr. Meter Kids Noise Reduction Earmuffs Pros and Cons

Reviews of the Best In-Ear Protection for Shooting

Earplugs are extremely handy when it comes to protecting your hearing when shooting.

A quality set of in-ear plugs can not only provide great protection, but they are also super compact and easy to keep in a pocket to keep close for when they’re needed.

Also, earplugs are available as disposable models, which make them a super inexpensive option to keep a few extra sets stashed away for whenever you need hearing protection in a pinch, or you need to hand them out to others that don’t have their own. Here’s a note: disposable earplugs for others are always a gift – you don’t want them back after they’ve been used.

Decibullz Custom Molded Ear Plugs Review

I first learned about Decibullz the day before the SHOT Show (the firearms industry’s trade show) opened at the industry’s media day at the range. They molded a set of earplugs for me within a minute or two, and I was immediately in love.

I liked them so much that when I was asked by friends and acquaintances throughout the show what the “big new thing” was that they had to go see, I sent them to Decibullz.

If you think that people were surprised that I was recommending that they go check out some earplugs instead of the latest firearm, you’re right. But, one after the next, they gave me the feedback I’ve come to expect: “these things are amazing!”

Here’s why I and so many people I know have become such big fans of these custom plugs: custom molded earplugs are long known to be the best options for comfort and hearing protection. However, you used to have to find a vendor at a gun show, sit for 15 minutes while they molded them to your ear, and then come back an hour or so later to pick them up and pay $50+ dollars.  If you lost them, you had no easy way to get them replaced.

Enter Decibullz. They came up with a solution that allows you to mold (and remold) your own custom earplugs at home for a small fraction of the cost.

By placing them in warm water, you can then press and mold them into your own ear for a custom fit. Decide you don’t like the fit? Simply put them back in hot water and try again.

Also, Decibullz has a center insert that can be easily swapped out for an acoustic filter or even radio earpieces.

Without a doubt, my Decibullz earplugs are comfortable and very quiet. In fact, in some situations, they are too quiet.

In this best hearing protection review, you will not find another hearing protection option that protects to such a high level, that is so comfortable, and that’s so inexpensive.

Here’s the best recommendation I can give you: get at least one pair of Decibullz custom-molded earplugs before you spend your money on a more expensive set of electronic earmuffs.

Decibullz Custom Molded Ear Plugs Pros and Cons

Radian Resistor Reviews

These are fairly standard foam earplugs, however, they are higher quality than most others we’ve seen, and their convenient bulk packaging is a big benefit.

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend these over any other hearing protection option we have, however, you should still have a set in your bag.

They received some lower marks for usability and comfort because they can be uncomfortable for longer periods of time and if they aren’t inserted and used correctly, their use/functionality diminishes. 

With their sealable bags or their twist top bottle (our favorite), these are easy to keep around to use in a pinch. If you or anyone else forgets their ear protection, you can pull these out and give a pair away (you don’t want them back).

Radian Resistor Pros and Cons

Peltor Sport Tri-Flange Review

Full disclosure: I really don’t like this style of earplugs.

Yes, they’re relatively inexpensive earplugs that can be reused.

However, the Tri-Flange design is uncomfortable for my ears. Maybe my ears are weird, but as they start to slip out (they’re smooth plastic), the edge of the flanges is designed to provide friction against your skin to hold them in place. For me, they’re downright uncomfortable.

Also, earplugs typically have higher NRR ratings (the others we recommend have ratings in the 30s) whereas these only have a 26 NRR rating.

If you like this style of earplug, these are a quality set. However, they’re just not for me.

Peltor Sport Tri-Flange Pros and Cons

Editor’s Choice: What I Actually Own and Use

When I head to the range or head out for a hunt, I either take my Howard Leight Impact Sport Bolt earmuffs or my Decibullz custom-molded earplugs.

In my standard range bag, I keep my Howard Leights, with their Noisefighter gel pads, in a carrying case (both below), my Decibullz plugs, and a bottle of Radian Resistor foam earplugs.

This allows me to choose between my earmuffs or my earplugs depending on the style of shooting, and it allows me to hand out a set of foam earplugs to anyone who forgot their ear protection.

For most pistol and rifle work, I use my electronic earmuffs. However, if I am going to be on a rifle for a while, I will often use my Decibullz. If I’m shooting clay targets with a shotgun, I almost always use my Decibullz because of their low profile.

At home, I have a second set of Howard Leight earmuffs because they are so great for letting someone use – especially if I am teaching them so that I don’t have to yell. Of course, I also have kid-sized earmuffs for my children.

Upgrades for Your Hearing Protection

Just because you’ve gotten some hearing protection doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t make it even better. Here are a couple of our must-have accessories for shooting hearing protection.

If you’re planning on picking up a pair of electronic earmuffs, you seriously need to consider these gel pads. I’m not even joking when I say these are serious game-changers. And yes, I’m aware they look like absolute trash bags on my set of Howard Leights. But that’s because I’m constantly using them. They’re just so comfortable and snugly accommodate your shooting glasses without smashing them up against the side of your head. CHECK PRICE

If you pick up a pair of Howard Leight electronic earmuffs, they’re surely going to take care of you. So return the favor, and do the same for them. This hard travel storage case protects your hearing protection while en route to your shooting destination. CHECK AMAZON PRICE

Buyer’s Guide to Shooting Ear Protection

There are quite a few different types of earmuffs and ear protection devices available on the market. Some can be incredibly cheap and portable, like the tiny disposable plugs you put inside your ears. Other styles can cover your entire ear and are more comfortable when wearing. With so many options to choose from, it can be hard to decide on what to buy.

Well, in this section, we’ll talk about the factors affecting hearing loss, the specs you need to pay attention to, and the types of headphones on the market.

Things to Consider

• What Types of Hearing Protection Should You Get?
• What Noise Reduction Do You Need?
• How Does Wearing Dual-Protection Help You?

What Types of Hearing Protection Should You Get?

There are three main types of hearing protection, and each has its pros and cons. Let’s take a look at those types and see which ones best fit your needs, as well as some of the specifications you need to know in order to make the right choice for a specific product in those three:

Earplugs

Earplugs for noise protection come either as disposable earplugs or as reusable earplugs.

Disposable earplugs are by far the cheapest ear protection you can buy. These tiny plugs can also be very effective, with some offering 30dB and better noise reduction protection. They’re usually made out of some kind of foam or moldable polymer. In order to get the most use out of them, you squish them into a small cylinder, which you then insert into your ear canal. The plugs then “re-inflate” to form a tight molded seal to your ear channel.

But there are permanent earplugs as well. These are made out of a heavy-duty polymer. Some are made to be specially molded for better comfort like the Decibullz while others like the Tri-Flanges are not.

On the downside, earplugs might not fit all ear channels, and they will muffle out all sounds. Some people are also allergic to the materials, and others find them to be chafe.

Earmuffs

Earmuffs can also offer you great ear protection. These earmuffs usually have a headband with foam pads that covers the entire ear. Most earmuffs can be worn over the top of your head or to the back of your head.

Earmuffs are relatively affordable and comfortable. They are also highly durable.

The only downside to this type of ear protection is that earmuffs can be heavy and bulky. They can also feel hot and sweaty in warm weather. Also, earmuffs often don’t provide as much ear protection as earplugs might offer. This means you need to be careful when buying these to ensure you get sufficient protection.

Earmuffs With Sound-circuit Technology

Sound-circuit technology earmuffs are designed to screen out loud blasts of the firearm but allow you to hear the natural sounds around you. This is an incredible feature for shooters because the loud and damaging noise of gunfire is muffled, but you can still hear your instructors or friends on the gun range as they speak.

These earmuffs are usually quite comfortable, relatively compact, and can be accompanied by a huge variety of special features, such as Bluetooth.

The main downside to these types of earmuffs is that batteries are required for them. Also, while there are different levels to the electronic earmuffs, you can surprisingly get them for cheap.

When choosing electronic hearing protection, you should keep the following specs in mind:

Microphone Direction and Number:

In order for electronic headsets to have the capability of letting you hear softer sounds, they need to employ the use of microphones and speakers.

Microphones on the outside of the ear cups will pick up sounds and transmit them to the speakers inside the cups. Ideally, you’d want one microphone/speaker set per ear cup, with them arranged directionally. However, you’re most likely to find only one set per cup. You would only really need two sets for active combat and tactical situations. Having one set per cup works just fine for range, hunting, or practice situations.

What’s more important than how many microphones there are is the type of microphone. Some microphones are just better than others. Directional mics will let you know where the amplified sound is coming from. High gain mics are often more sensitive, thus picking up more sound. These are great but tend to pick up more static and feedback.

Attack Time:

This is a very undervalued parameter to know about electronic headsets. This is the response time in which a headset reacts to noises above a certain threshold.

For example, if a headset is rated to reduce noises above 82 decibels, you’d want to know how fast it starts blocking those high-volume noises once they happen. This time should be in milliseconds.

So, basically, the faster the attack time, the less time a loud noise has to reach your ears. Furthermore, this makes communications with those around you much better as well.

What Noise Reduction Do You Need?

There are three factors that affect your hearing loss: distance, time, and decibel level. With regard to distance, the further away you are from the muzzle or action, the lesser the sound. Regarding time, gun blasts are not a continuous stream of sound. Sure, many of us will fire off multiple rounds in quick succession. Therefore, when it comes to ratings for firearm ear protection, we only need to focus on the initial blast decibel level when looking at hearing protection.

Your ears can only handle a maximum noise level of 140 dB before instant hearing damage occurs. An average Glock handgun produces 162dB, whereas a Remington 700LTR can produce 167dB. This means that without proper hearing protection, the firing of a basic sidearm can cause immediate and permanent hearing loss.

In order to protect yourself from that, you need to reduce the noise level to at least 140 dB, although 120 dB or lower is better.

Therefore, the real decibel reduction level you will need from your shooting hearing protection should be lower than 140 dB.

However, when shopping for the best shooting ear protection, they don’t label themselves as Decibel level. Instead, they use the Noise Reduction Ratings.

Recommended Noise Reduction Ratings (NRR) for Shooting Protection

Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is a unit of measurement used to determine the effectiveness of hearing protection devices to decrease sound exposure within a given workspace. In order for a protective device to get an NRR, it must be tested and approved by the American National Standards (ANSI) in accordance with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration.

The higher the NRR number, the greater the noise reduction will be.

You should look for ear protection that offers a noise reduction rate of at least 22. A noise reduction of 30 is ideal, especially if you are operating louder and larger weapons.

To be on the safe side, you can use the following NRR levels to determine the best fit for the type of gun you are using.

Lower caliber handguns – minimum NRR rating: 22
Larger bore handguns and long guns – minimum NRR rating: 25
Large caliber handguns, larger long guns, and shotguns – minimum NRR rating: 27

This isn’t to say that you’re unsafe shooting a large caliber handgun with NRR 22 headphones, but if you were to and wanted to be on the safer side, or perhaps you’d be doing this for a prolonged period of time, then you might want to double your hearing protection to increase your NRR rating.

Conclusion

So, there you have it. Protecting your hearing is critical and once it’s lost, it is extremely hard to get back. Also, if you’re here looking for hearing muffs for firearms or ear pro, be sure to check out our article on the best shooting eye protection as well.