Passive Shooting Ear Muffs

Yes, always. As you probably already know, gunshots are some of the loudest noises made by human activity. They can reach a level of 140 dBA compared to a chainsaw’s 109 dBA. A .32 Long fires a 152.4 decibel (dB) blast while a .44 S&W Magnum blasts fires at 164.5 dB. Gunshots are so loud that a single gunshot can result in a Temporary Threshold Shift, which is when your ears are unable to hear and process the full range of sounds. What’s more, a Swedish study on shooters showed that working with guns for a prolonged period of time can lead to High-Frequency Hearing Impairment (HFHI), a form of permanent hearing loss. It can also lead to gradual hearing loss over time, a phenomenon called the “shooter’s ear.” Wearing shooting earmuffs is highly advised for both casual shooters and security professionals.

The best ear muffs for shooting should have a Sound Level Conversion (SLC80) rating of 25db or above. They cut down noise by approximately half. To put this into context, a person wearing SLC80 30dB earmuffs when a 120dB gunshot is fired will only hear 90dB.

It varies between shooters, but you may experience tinnitus for up to 16 hours after shooting a gun. This is a condition in which the ears keep ringing after being exposed to loud sounds. Earjobs offers a collection of shooter’s ear muffs and ear plugs that can effectively protect your ears and prevent hearing loss while shooting. We also have electronic shooting muffs with a long battery, so you can enjoy your time at the range for longer.