Topic: The Best Shooting Ear Protection of 2023 (Read 37 times)
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I like to think that I’m getting smarter as I get older. During an action-packed deer drive, I had a realization—after the smoke cleared and my ears stopped ringing—that I didn’t need to damage my hearing every time I went on a successful hunt. After that day, I wore ear muffs whenever I hunted with a gun. From deer to upland hunts, I rocked my Walkers Razor Quads every time I pulled the trigger.
I didn’t buy these ear pro specifically for hunting, they’re just what I had, but they ended up being a great choice. The reason why I still prefer them for hunting is the omnidirectional microphones. Most electronic hearing protection will allow you to hear just as well as you do with your naked ears, but you lose the ability to pinpoint a sound’s directions. You gain some of that ability back with the omnidirectional mics on the Razor Quads. It’s still not naked ear precision, but you can at least determine the general direction the sound came from.
The Razor Quads benefit greatly from aftermarket gel cups because without them, you can’t wear the ear pro for much longer than an hour without a headache.
Serious shooters invest in Gucci gear like electronic or even custom hearing protection. But, everyone should have at least one pair of Howard Leight Leightning L3s for guest shooters or for times when you forget your primary pair. These muffs are about $30 and offer an impressive 30 dB of sound reduction, and that’s a lot of shooting ear protection for the money.
The downside of these muffs is they are bulky and will interfere with the cheek weld on most shotguns and rifles. But, these are an excellent option for maximum hearing protection, especially helpful for new shooters.
Over-the-ear hearing protection does a great job at providing maximum hearing protection, especially when paired with foam ear plugs. But, that style co*es up short in co*fort and it can get in the way of a proper cheek weld on some shotguns and rifles. That’s why a lot of shooters prefer in-ear hearing protection. In that category you can spend a few cents for foam plugs or more than $400 for Axil ear buds. While both of those extremes have their place, I think the Walker’s Silencer 2.0s strike a great balance of price, performance, and features. Like all electronic hearing protection, the Walker’s Silencer 2.0s allow you to hear what’s going on around you while dampening loud noises. They also connect to your phone like any bluetooth earbuds. So you can listen to music while you shoot and even take calls. They pair to the Walker’s app which has volume control, custom auto-off settings, and four sound settings with variable sound suppression and boosting.
OL staff writer, Tyler Freel, tested the Silencer 2.0s during our annual gun test where he shot thousands of rounds through rifles and pistols. Freel says the Silencer 2.0s were co*fortable and provided great sound suppression even when firing rifles with muzzle brakes. He used the Bluetooth function to listen to music, which worked well, but occasionally the left or right ear bud would lose connection. Also, the earbuds would lose the bluetooth connection occasionally. He found the ambient sound to be very natural, and that some wind on the mic will remind you that you’re wearing ear protection.
The best rifles for an adult aren’t the best for young shooters, and the same goes for hearing protection. That’s why these kid-sized muffs are ideal for getting a young shooter started. They’ll fit their head for co*fort and a good seal. They also co*e in a wide range of colors, so they’ll be psyched to put them on. If you’re headed to an indoor range or someone is shooting a braked rifle nearby, it’s a good idea to use some foam plugs in addition to the muffs because the muffs alone provide 23 dB of protection.
The Walker’s Razor Slim hearing protection have the same omnidirectional microphones I liked in the Razor Quads. That features is excellent, but they are also co*fortable enough to wear all day.
The padded headband, soft ear cups, and scant weight make these ear pro so co*fortable. I also like that the headband can be extended enough that it sits above my enormous head—keeping the headband off my head reduces pressure for all-day co*fort. They’re also so light that I hardly notice I’m wearing them.
A gel cup is the best thing you can add to an ear muff to increase co*fort. They are easy to install and cost about $30. Here are some gel cups that fit popular shooting ear protection.
One of the most co*fortable sets of ear protection I’ve worn is the new Liberator HP 2.0 from Safariland. These muffs are tough, versatile, and designed to be co*patible with the overhead strap, behind-the-head harness, and helmet setups. They have three electronic operation modes, which range from full ambient sound amplification with active protection from dangerous sounds, to full sound suppression for very loud environments.
The standard model uses a CR123 battery, and the HP-R model, which I have, uses a rechargeable battery that replenishes via a USB-C cable. All functions of the headset are controlled by the power and volume buttons, and each ear muff has a front-facing speaker. It’s easy to forget that you’re wearing ear protection because the sound is good, but direction pinpointing isn’t easy.
The only downside I’ve found is that the overall level of sound suppression could be better. It’s fine for handgun and general range use, but when using in tight quarters, indoors, or next to someone shooting through a muzzle brake, the impulse is still loud enough to hurt your ears—so double up with foam plugs in that case.—Tyler Freel
When you’re choosing hearing protection, you’ll first have to decide between over-ear and in-ear protection. Here are some pros and cons of each style.