When it comes to shooting at the range having appropriate eye and ear protection is a baseline of safety that we are all taught from an early age. Whether you have fancy eye protection from the latest name brand or you have some more than sufficient hand-me-downs from your friends and family, the important thing is that while we are shooting and enjoying ourselves that we simultaneously protect ourselves. This especially applies to our hearing. The two main options shooters have for hearing protection are traditional over-the-ear earmuffs or some newer technology would be in-ear earbuds. Both of them have pros and cons and could be better or worse for your depending on the application you are looking to utilize them for.
Over-the-ear earmuffs can be nice because they do a slightly better job of dampening the loud sounds of gunfire. They fully encompass your ears and if it is a cold range day they can even keep you marginally warm. On the flip side though, in the summertime, they can get hot very fast. Also, if you are wearing eye protection (like you should be) many earmuffs can crush your eye protection into the side of your head causing discomfort and the want to end your range day early.
Another option for hearing protection is the in-ear earbud. This is a bit newer technology and can take a bit of fine-tuning. Most will come with multiple soft, rubber buds that you can attempt to fit best to your ear canal. Then, similar to a foam earplug they are gently inserted into the entry of your ear canal to block out noise. Earbuds can be nice because there is no discomfort of pressing your eye protection into the side of your head and there is no fluctuating feeling of hot and cold. The one downfall is that they suppress or dampen noise to a lesser degree than earmuffs. They will typically be “hearing safe,” but to a lesser degree.
One cool feature that both can offer is Bluetooth capability. This affords you the ability to potentially listen to music while you are at the range or even accept phone calls from your cellphone. Also, digital earbuds or earmuffs can cut out only certain decibel-level noises (loud ones) and let in more quiet sounds like a conversation you are having with friends. So, it is something you can gear to your level of tech-savviness to improve your experience at the range. Over the years I have used both kinds myself and am currently enjoying the Bluetooth, digital earbud style. To me, that is peak technology for the times we are in. Until next time, continually check out our blog, join our newsletter, and watch the website for new and exciting updates! As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the comments below. We love it when you participate in our articles and keep the conversation going!
