Hearing protection is an essential part of any gun owner’s equipment. No matter how serious a shooter you are, it’s critical to protect your ears from the loud, intense noises produced by gunfire.
There are two primary groups of hearing protection systems: Ear muffs and ear plugs.
Ear Muffs
Passive Ear Muffs: These ear muffs don’t come with any electronic feature for the job. The structure and covering is responsible for the performance. Noise cancellation or sound concealment completely depends on the ear cups/cushion’s attire. These ear muffs only serve for noise reduction or concealment purpose.
Electronic Ear Muffs: These ear muffs’ specialty is their electronic mechanism. The sound concealment or reduction capacity depends on the wiring rather than ear cup/cushion construction. Besides, noise cancellation or sound concealment ain’t their only purpose. They are engineered with a lot more features. They are built with techs that are capable of communication. Sometimes microphones and amplifiers are featured. Wired and wireless techs are added to increase productivity. Some ear muffs can be used as headphones or tuners as well. In fact, these ear muffs are much more advanced than passive ear muffs.
Ear plugs: There are several types of earplugs used for hearing protection.
Disposable ear plugs, which are meant to be worn for a few hours and discarded.
Reusable ear plugs can vary between one that is universal fit electronic and those that are molded to the shooters ear.
There are endless options out there to choose from, and don't forget to ask a member what they prefer.
Kelly Martin shared input on the ear muffs she selected:
"I purchased the Walker Razor Low Profile electronic earmuffs. It was recommended to me by the range officer as a gift for my husband, who is hard of hearing. I liked them so much, I bought a set for myself. Pros: slim profile, battery operated filter to allow you to have a conversation while also protecting your hearing. The adjustable volume allows you to adjust to the sensitivity you need. And theres a jack to plug in a music player if you're using them outside the range. Oh and price was reasonable at about $50. Con: sometimes this idiot forgets to turn it off after range time and the next time I go, no power for the filter and they're just like regular set of ears, lol!"