Earplugs or ear muffs?

I also use foam ear plugs and Howard Leight electronic muffs. Was born with hearing loss and the rock concerts during the 70's sure didn't help. Doubling up is important indoors, especially when the person in the next lane is doing mag dumps with an AR15.

Bennj said:

I also use foam ear plugs and Howard Leight electronic muffs. Was born with hearing loss and the rock concerts during the 70's sure didn't help. Doubling up is important indoors, especially when the person in the next lane is doing mag dumps with an AR15.

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Not only rock concerts in the 70s, but listening to Jimi with headphones at volume 9 got me started down the road to permanent hearing loss; nevermind heavy industrial construction equipment

Indoor, I use the plugs formed in my ear from my ENT doctor. I put amplified muffs on so I can hear range commands and the timer.

After I had a high lead level test more than a decade ago, I avoid indoor ranges except for very few matches.

Bandit67 said:

I do both

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This is the correct answer for indoor shooting.

jmorris said:

Indoor, I use the plugs formed in my ear from my ENT doctor. I put amplified muffs on so I can hear range commands and the timer.

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This is exactly what I do.

I do both because I don't want to lose anymore of the hearing I have left. I suspect there are many others that do both for the same reason.

Years of playing with explosives and being around heavy combat vehicles while in the Army did a number on my hearing. Tinnitus stinks!!!!!!!!!! It wasn't until it was too late that the Army said that we should have been wearing ear plugs along with our CVC helmets while operating combat vehicles.

Big guns both.....shotgun for sporting clays or skeet- plugs - muffs mess up my check to wood weld-

I use both however not all the time just most of the time. I advocate double hearing protection.

Both if you are serious, ear muffs if you can use only just one. Sound is difficult to block completely, even if the earhole is completely blocked, as vibration to the inner ear still occurs through the skulll, bones around the ear and teeth via bone conduction. This is also why two sets of protection you dont double the protection rating. 30Db muffs and 20db plugs dont give you 50DB protection, you add 5DB to the highest of the two, so its only 35. Over the ear protection with good 'clamping force' will reduce some of that conduction to the bones around the ear at least. The fact is experts cant decide how effective ear plugs ratings are for guns, they are mostly designed for non impulse engine noise.

One of the biggest ear killers is gun ranges as you are absorbing all the fire from people around you. You may only fire so many rounds plinking in a lifetime, at a gun range you can absorb several lifetimes of noise in a few hours.

I do both, inside and out. Replace hearing aides with custom molded plugs under muff.

Story: I always carry xtra foam plugs to give away. One time at the covered outdoor range, when I got to my bench, the young couple next to me were shooting their Ruger .22, with muffs. I offered sets of foam, which they turned down. I told them they might like them when I started shooting. No? Oh, well.

They only lasted until the next 10 min. break, then they left. I wasn't even shooting full power loads on my 03A3.

Both muffs and custom-made plugs together as much as I can. I’ve had so many shots fired over my shoulder training in a stack that my right ear rings constantly and I’ve lost a lot of my low end heating range. I’m doing all I can to keep what hearing I have left.

Stay safe.

Both.....especially for indoor shooting. I have some custom ear plugs and they are inadequate alone, but allow me to hear well when combined with my electronic muffs. When I forget the customs, I use foam and muffs. BTW, I rarely shoot indoors.

even outdoors I use both. especially if I'm shooting high powered rifles or bigger calibers in short barrels like say .357 mag in a 3" barrel.


there is no reason to not go full protection in hearing protection. just ask the old timers who have damaged hearing and hear ringing day and night. you cant overdo it on protecting hearing. whether when doing other tasks such as mowing or shooting.

I use both with anything more powerful than a .22 rifle, and that is outdoors.

Muffs

I use both, but it is a little late. I don't want to lose any more hearing than I already have.

Both--I've lost enough hearing as is.

Muffs only with subsonic pistols outdoors in a non-range setting (no worries about dude at next position with a .500 lighting off). Plugs only with lower-power, very long barreled rifles.

Most of the foam plugs have a better SPF than the lower-tier muffs, so both are good to have.

Both whether inside or out. Saving my hearing from any further damage. Actually it’s helped as my 78 year old ears are still working pretty darn good.

I use MSA Muffs and Ear Plugs. Way back when at MCRD Parris Island on the rifle range we were issued cotton balls for hearing protection. In todays world the VA direct deposits to my banking account compensation for hearing loss and Agent Orange exposure. I'm very good at reading lips.

Indoors I triple up: muffs, plugs, and can. Outdoor public range, I use plugs (because of other unsuppressed shooters) and can only. Outdoors on private land, I just use the silencer.

Like everyone else is saying, I use both. Ear muffs are pretty cheap and you can buy a bag of plugs that will last a good bit. My father has never worn ear protectors when shooting and it shows.

George P said:

Indoors or out - with metallic it is ALWAYS both. As someone who has had "ear crickets" for about 30 years and high-end hearing loss to boot; I want to keep what little I have left.

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'Bout sums it up for me, too. For shotgunning, I prefer just plugs. I don't want to scratch up the stock on my Ljutic with muffs.

Thegreengiant34 said:

What’s better ear plugs or ear muffs for indoor shooting?

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Yes.