The Best Shooting Ear Protection of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

A 9mm handgun has a 160-decibel report, which is loud sufficient to trigger everlasting injury with out listening to safety. That’s why there are three issues it’s good to convey to each gun vary: listening to safety, eye safety, and customary sense. I’ve been testing the most effective taking pictures ear safety over the previous month to see, which presents the most effective consolation and decibel discount. Listed here are my prime picks. 

How I Evaluated the Greatest Listening to Safety

Testing the most effective listening to safety concerned taking pictures, searching, and sporting them for lengthy intervals. Whereas doing these assessments, I judged every pair on the next standards: 

Consolation

I’ve shot USPA occasions that go all day, and with dangerous ear professional, you find yourself with a headache after sporting them for six or extra hours. Comfy ear safety makes an enormous distinction, and I’m a stickler for any strain factors or discomfort felt after an hour of sporting the ear professional. 

Noise Discount

Taking pictures ear safety wants to guard your ears, and so they do this by successfully blocking sounds greater than 100 dB. I examined this by sporting the ear professional on the vary and whereas chopping grass with my very-loud mower. 

Match

Listening to safety should match the consumer for consolation and safety. I evaluated how versatile every pair of ear professional was on shooters of various sizes. 

Greatest Taking pictures Ear Safety: Critiques and Suggestions

Key Options

• Decibel Discount: 26 dB
• Bluetooth
• Makes use of two AA batteries 
• Ear cups have cut-outs to be used with lengthy weapons
• Adjustable headband

Professionals

• Comfy
• Simply connects to your telephone
• Straightforward quantity adjustment 

Cons

• Creates a strain level on the highest of the pinnacle after a number of hours use

I’ve been sporting the Peltor Sport Tactical 500 for taking pictures and chopping grass for lengthy stretches to check consolation and noise safety. The muffs have a pleasant seal on them, and so they successfully scale back noise, even in loud indoor ranges. I like that digital ear safety means that you can hear conversations at a traditional degree. It’s an excellent function if you wish to hear individuals speaking round you, however I at all times find yourself in a bay subsequent to loud talkers that I’d choose to drown out. The Sport Tactical 500 have a function only for such an event. There are two massive arrows on the muff that management the amount of sounds that enter the inner speaker. With the amount down, voices are lowered to a low rumble. If you wish to drown out the world round you much more, you may join the ear safety to your telephone by way of Bluetooth. Podcasts and music are nice to hearken to, however I particularly just like the Bluetooth function for utilizing a shot timer app I’ve on my telephone. A typical shot timer received’t work at an indoor vary, and utilizing the par timer on my PACT is obtrusive round different shooters. So, as a substitute I set the par timer on my shot timer app, and the sound feeds straight into my ears solely. 

The cups that come on the Sport Tactical are comfy and practically pretty much as good as the most effective gel cups I’ve used. I don’t assume you’ll need to improve the cups until you need most consolation. One space that does want enchancment is the headscarf. After a number of hours, the highest of the band creates a ache level proper on the prime of my head. A cushioned band just like the one on the Sordin Supreme Professional, could be ideally suited. 

See It

Key Options

• Noise Discount Score: 26 decibels 
• Rechargeable 
• Bluetooth
• Voice prompts
• Connects with Walker’s Link app for customized settings 

Professionals

• Comfy
• Good sound suppression
• Carrying case recharges the ear buds

Cons

• Left and proper ear bud will often lose synch 
• Too massive to double underneath over-ear muffs

Over-the-ear listening to safety does an excellent job at offering most listening to safety, particularly when paired with foam ear plugs. However, that fashion comes up quick in consolation and it may well get in the way in which of a correct cheek weld on some shotguns and rifles. That’s why a number of shooters choose in-ear listening to safety. In that class you may spend a number of cents for foam plugs or greater than $400 for Axil ear buds. Whereas each of these extremes have their place, I feel the Walker’s Silencer 2.0s strike an excellent stability of worth, efficiency, and options. Like all digital listening to safety, the Walker’s Silencer 2.0s will let you hear what’s happening round you whereas dampening loud noises. In addition they connect with your telephone like every bluetooth earbuds. So you may hearken to music whilst you shoot and even take calls. They pair to the Walker’s app which has quantity management, customized auto-off settings, and 4 sound settings with variable sound suppression and boosting. 

OL workers author, Tyler Freel, examined the Silencer 2.0s throughout our annual gun take a look at the place he shot 1000’s of rounds via rifles and pistols. Freel says the Silencer 2.0s have been comfy and offered nice sound suppression even when firing rifles with muzzle brakes. He used the Bluetooth perform to hearken to music, which labored effectively, however often the left or proper ear bud would lose connection. Additionally, the earbuds would lose the bluetooth connection often.  He discovered the ambient sound to be very pure, and that some wind on the mic will remind you that you simply’re sporting ear safety.  

See It

Key Options

• Decibel Discount: 23dB
• Bluetooth
• Two AAA batteries
• 4 hi-gain omnidirectional microphones

Professionals

• Glorious situational consciousness
• Straightforward to pack

Cons

I prefer to assume that I’m getting smarter as I grow old. Throughout an action-packed deer drive, I had a realization—after the smoke cleared and my ears stopped ringing—that I didn’t have to damage my hearing each time I went on a profitable hunt. After that day, I wore ear muffs each time I hunted with a gun. From deer to upland hunts, I rocked my Walkers Razor Quads each time I pulled the set off. 

I didn’t purchase these ear professional particularly for searching, they’re simply what I had, however they ended up being an excellent selection. The explanation why I nonetheless choose them for searching is the omnidirectional microphones. Most digital listening to safety will will let you hear simply in addition to you do together with your bare ears, however you lose the power to pinpoint a sound’s instructions. You achieve a few of that potential again with the omnidirectional mics on the Razor Quads. It’s nonetheless not bare ear precision, however you may at the least decide the overall route the sound got here from.

The Razor Quads profit drastically from aftermarket gel cups as a result of with out them, you may’t put on the ear professional for for much longer than an hour with no headache. 

See It

Key Options

• Decibel Discount: 30 dB
• Padded headband
• Designed for pistol shooters

Professionals

• Environment friendly noise discount
• Comfy
• Reasonably priced

Cons

• Not ideally suited for rifle or shotgun taking pictures 

Critical shooters put money into Gucci gear like digital and even customized listening to safety. However, everybody ought to have at the least one pair of Howard Leight Leightning L3s for visitor shooters or for instances if you overlook your main pair. These muffs are about $30 and provide a powerful 30 dB of sound discount, and that’s a number of taking pictures ear safety for the cash. 

The draw back of those muffs is they’re cumbersome and can intrude with the cheek weld on most shotguns and rifles. However, these are a wonderful choice for optimum listening to safety, particularly useful for brand spanking new shooters. 

See It

Key Options

• Decibel Discount: 23 dB
• Passive listening to safety
• Appropriate from ages six months to eight years
• Colours: Coral, Highlighter Yellow, Subsequent Camo, Blue, Inexperienced, Orange, Pink

Professionals

• Lots of colour choices
• Designed to suit youth shooters
• Mild

Cons

• Only when used together with ear plugs

The best rifles for an grownup aren’t the most effective for younger shooters, and the identical goes for listening to safety. That’s why these kid-sized muffs are perfect for getting a younger shooter began. They’ll match their head for consolation and seal. In addition they are available in a variety of colours, in order that they’ll be psyched to place them on. For those who’re headed to an indoor vary or somebody is taking pictures a braked rifle close by, it’s a good suggestion to make use of some foam plugs along with the muffs as a result of the muffs alone present 23 dB of safety. 

See It

Key Options

• Decibel Discount: 23 dB
• Bluetooth 
• Two AAA batteries 
• 4 omnidirectional microphones

Professionals

• Comfy
• Padded headband
• Low profile

Cons

• Batteries die should you overlook to show it off 

The Walker’s Razor Slim listening to safety have the identical omnidirectional microphones I preferred within the Razor Quads. That options is great, however they’re additionally comfy sufficient to put on all day. 

The padded headband, comfortable ear cups, and scant weight make these ear professional so comfy. I additionally like that the headscarf might be prolonged sufficient that it sits above my huge head—protecting the headscarf off my head reduces strain for all-day consolation. They’re additionally so gentle that I hardly discover I’m sporting them. 

Greatest for Being Lively: Shellshock Exo Pro Bluetooth

Key Options

• 27 dB discount
• IPX4 Water-proof
• Comes with case
• Gel ear cups
• Makes use of two AAA batteries
• Bluetooth
• Worth: $150

Professionals

• Low profile
• Safe match
• Comfy

Cons

I examined the Exo Professional at our annual optics take a look at and at my residence vary in Virginia. On the optics take a look at we spend 8 hours on the vary taking pictures and wish to speak whereas taking pictures is happening. The Exo Professional muffs have been comfy, though they have been a bit tight on my massive head, and the gel ear cups are luxurious. The Exo Professional digital listening to safety allowed me to listen to individuals speaking whereas chopping out the blast from loud rifles. 

At my sizzling and humid residence vary, the gel ear cups actually shined. They stored my ears cooler and minimize down on sweat whereas I ran drills. For those who’re a USPSA shooter otherwise you get pleasure from dynamic taking pictures you’ll recognize the Exo Professional’s safe match that doesn’t shift if you run. I additionally appreciated the low profile of the Exp Professional muffs whereas taking pictures rifles on the bench, susceptible, and on the run. 

See It

Key Options

• Reasonably priced
• Match most of the finest taking pictures ear safety

Professionals

• Comfy 
• Cooler than foam 

Cons

A gel cup is the most effective factor you may add to an ear muff to extend consolation. They’re straightforward to put in and price about $30. Listed here are some gel cups that match well-liked taking pictures ear safety. 

Safariland Liberator HP 2.0

See It

Key Options

• Decibel Discount: 26 dB
• Can be utilized with behind-the-head or helmet mounts
• Makes use of CR123 batteries, HP-R makes use of a USB-C rechargeable battery 
• Sturdy and washable
• Three modes of operation

Professionals

• Comfy
• Lengthy battery life
• Totally different modes for various actions
• Slim earcups don’t intrude with rifle shares

Cons

• Taking pictures indoors or with muzzle brakes requires doubling up with plugs

One of the vital comfy units of ear safety I’ve worn is the brand new Liberator HP 2.0 from Safariland. These muffs are robust, versatile, and designed to be appropriate with the overhead strap, behind-the-head harness, and helmet setups. They’ve three digital operation modes, which vary from full ambient sound amplification with lively safety from harmful sounds, to full sound suppression for very loud environments. 

The usual mannequin makes use of a CR123 battery, and the HP-R mannequin, which I’ve, makes use of a chargeable battery that replenishes by way of a USB-C cable. All features of the headset are managed by the facility and quantity buttons, and every ear muff has a front-facing speaker. It’s straightforward to overlook that you simply’re sporting ear safety as a result of the sound is nice, however route pinpointing isn’t straightforward. 

The one draw back I’ve discovered is that the general degree of sound suppression may very well be higher. It’s nice for handgun and basic vary use, however when utilizing in tight quarters, indoors, or subsequent to somebody taking pictures via a muzzle brake, the impulse continues to be loud sufficient to harm your ears—so double up with foam plugs in that case.—Tyler Freel

The best way to Select the Greatest Taking pictures Ear Safety 

Whenever you’re selecting listening to safety, you’ll first need to resolve between over-ear and in-ear safety. Listed here are some professionals and cons of every fashion. 

Ear Plugs

Professionals

• Low profile
• Glorious noise safety
• Often cheaper than muffs

Cons

• No sharing (Must be sized to your ear canal.)
• Large high quality spectrum
• Can lose seal from sweat and motion

Ear Muffs

Professionals

• One dimension suits most
• Many digital and bluetooth choices

Cons

• Will be uncomfortable
• Can intrude with cheek weld 

For those who’re taking pictures in an particularly loud atmosphere, like an indoor vary, the most effective taking pictures ear safety is to make use of each ear plugs and ear muffs on the identical time. 

Lively vs. Passive 

Passive listening to safety makes use of foam or specialised materials to create a barrier that protects your ears. Lively listening to safety makes use of each passive and digital safety. The benefit is that the exterior microphone and inner audio system permit shooters to listen to usually—protecting situational consciousness—whereas blocking listening to damaging audio ranges. 

Consolation

Some ear professional is comfy all day, however others trigger discomfort after a number of hours. The important thing to consolation is padding utilized in over-ear and the match of in-ear safety. Search for ear muffs with gel pads and ear plugs that supply a customized match. 

Options

Taking pictures ear safety does greater than shield your listening to whilst you’re taking pictures the best handguns—additionally they can play music and take telephone calls. Bluetooth is simply one of many nice options of the most effective listening to safety. Listed here are a number of others to search for: 

• Compatibility with aftermarket gel pads
• Customized match
• Dimension

FAQs

Closing Ideas on the Greatest Taking pictures Ear Safety

The most effective taking pictures ear safety makes a day on the vary way more pleasing. Select the pair that most closely fits your wants, and put on them every time you pull a set off.