Hearing protection

• NRR is a laboratory number, not a field number. The Noise Reduction Rating is derived under ideal fitted conditions. Real-world attenuation is routinely well below the printed figure, which is why fit matters more than the number on the box.
• Doubling up does not add the ratings. Wearing plugs under muffs does not give you NRR 33 plus NRR 22. The combined benefit is real but modest — commonly estimated at around five extra decibels over the better of the two. It is still absolutely worth doing indoors or with a brake.
• Electronic muffs let you hear range commands. Compression circuits pass normal speech and clamp on the shot. This is a safety feature, not a luxury — being able to hear a cease-fire matters.
• Low profile matters for long guns. Bulky muffs collide with a rifle stock and push your cheek weld off. Slim-cup muffs or in-ear electronic protection solve this.
• Indoor ranges are the hard case. Reflected blast from an enclosed bay is far worse than an outdoor line. Double up indoors as a default, especially next to braked rifles.
• Custom moulded in-ear if you shoot often. Higher up-front cost, but a proper seal you actually keep in, which beats a high-NRR muff you take off between strings.

We list individual products here only once we have confirmed them in the retailer's live catalog. Until then, this goes straight to the full hearing protection category so you can filter on the specs above yourself.