Best earplugs for shooting: foam, reusable and electronic, picked for new shooters

Yes, you can wear earplugs at a shooting range, and they're some of the most effective hearing protection you can buy. ASHA (the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) lists "earplugs inserted into the ear, earmuffs, or even custom-made earplugs" among standard hearing protectors (ASHA, Recreational Firearm Noise Exposure). The earplugs on this page carry the highest ratings in our whole ear-protection lineup, they fit in a pocket, and they're the layer you add under earmuffs at a loud indoor range.

This roundup covers the best earplugs for shooting in three kinds: disposable foam, reusable molded plugs and electronic earbuds. Every pick publishes an NRR (Noise Reduction Rating, the number on the package). If you're still deciding between plugs and muffs, our best hearing protection for shooting ranks both together, and our first range kit covers everything else for a first trip.

How we picked

We haven't measured any of these in a lab or at the range. We compiled each maker's published NRR and product details, then scored every plug on the earplug rubric published on our How we pick page: published NRR (40%), reusability (20%), fit range and sizes (20%), and how well it works under muffs (20%). The gate was simple: no published US NRR, no pick. That left out 3M's E-A-R Classic, a well-known foam plug, because we couldn't confirm its US NRR from 3M, and Walker's Silencer earbuds, which Walker's no longer lists.

The rank isn't the score order. The Decibullz set scores highest on the rubric because it's reusable and comes with several tip sizes, but we rank MAX-1 foam first for a beginner: it has the highest NRR, needs no molding step, and a 200-pair box keeps spares in every bag. Decibullz comes second as the reusable option. The rest follow in the order a new shooter is likely to want them: another foam plug, corded plugs, then electronic earbuds, with the AXIL last because its best NRR is the lowest here.

Foam, reusable or electronic earbuds?

Disposable foam plugs

Foam plugs are the classic choice, and the simplest. The MAX-1 comes uncorded in a 200-pair pack (Honeywell's licensed store listing), and Howard Leight's Laser Lite is sold "in uncorded and corded versions as well as dispensers and refills" (Honeywell). Both are sold as disposable. Foam is also the plug NIOSH researchers name for wearing under muffs, which we come back to below.

Reusable molded plugs

The Decibullz Custom Molded set is a plug you keep. It comes with "1 Set of Decibullz Thermo-fit Earpieces", a set of medium foam tips, triple-flange silicone tips in small, medium and large, and a carrying pouch, and Decibullz says it "meets ANSI S3.19," the US test standard behind the NRR (Decibullz). The Thermo-fit earpieces are custom molded, so there's a fitting step before the first trip. For a regular shooter, that's a one-time chore; for a group or a class, one set per person doesn't scale.

Electronic earbuds

Electronic earbuds work like electronic muffs shrunk into your ear. ASHA explains that electronic protectors "allow for sounds to pass through that are soft or average in volume but detect when there is a loud noise," and that they come in styles "including earmuffs and in-the-ear plugs." A 2017 review by hearing researchers, including a NIOSH scientist, adds that an in-the-ear electronic protector "may preserve sound localization in the horizontal plane better than an earmuff" (Meinke et al., 2017). The catch is power and ratings: all three earbuds here rate lower than the foam and molded plugs, and each one needs charging or batteries.

Corded plugs

A cord joins the two plugs so a pair stays together when you pull them out between strings, instead of one rolling under the bench. Laser Lite comes in a corded version, and Caldwell lists corded Range Plugs at NRR 31 in a 10-pack (Caldwell's safety-gear listing). Caldwell's listing doesn't say what the plugs are made of or whether "10-pack" means ten pairs.

Which earplug should you buy?

• First trip, or you want one box that covers everything: Howard Leight MAX-1. NRR 33, and 200 pairs means spares in the range bag, the car and a jacket pocket.
• You'd like the pair to stay together: Laser Lite in its corded version (NRR 32), or Caldwell's corded Range Plugs (NRR 31).
• You shoot often and want a plug you keep: Decibullz Custom Molded (NRR 31), with molded earpieces and tips in several sizes.
• You want to hear conversation without wearing muffs: Walker's Suppressor if you'd rather charge from a dock, Walker's Isolator if you'd rather swap batteries. Both list NRR 25.
• You want Bluetooth built in: the AXIL GS Extreme 3.0, used with its foam tips (21 dB NRR). Plan on muffs over it at a loud range.
• You'll shoot indoors: any foam pick here, under a muff. Our best electronic ear muffs pair well with them because you can still hear commands through two layers.

The NRR of every plug, and why earbuds need a tip name

That last row is why the tip matters. AXIL gives the GS Extreme 3.0 a 21 dB NRR with its Max Protect Foam or General Foam tips and 17 dB with silicone tips (AXIL): same earbud, 4 dB apart, depending only on the tip you push in. Walker's publishes one NRR 25 figure for the Suppressor and the Isolator without saying which tip it was measured with, so we can't tell you which tip to use to get it. Our advice: use the tip that seals best in your ear and check the packaging for which tip the rating applies to.

Every NRR here is a lab figure. The EPA's label rule requires a statement that the NRR "may not be an accurate indicator of the protection attainable against impulsive noise such as gunfire" (40 CFR 211.204-4(f)), and OSHA subtracts 7 dB from the NRR before it estimates protection from A-weighted measurements (OSHA Technical Manual, Noise, Appendix F). Use the numbers to compare plugs; our guide to what NRR you need explains the rest.

Getting foam plugs to seal

A foam plug only protects as well as it's seated, and the EPA label says so outright: "Improper fit of this device will reduce its effectiveness. Consult the enclosed instructions for proper fit" (40 CFR 211.204-4(d)). ASHA puts it more bluntly: "If the HPDs are ill fitting, loud sounds will not be reduced, and the individual may suffer hearing damage."

We're not going to teach you an insertion technique from memory. None of the official sources we cite spells one out, and each maker prints its own method on the box or the insert. So the honest advice is: follow the package instructions for your plugs, every time, until it's habit. What the sources do agree on:

• Deeper is the goal. NIOSH researchers describe the best pairing for shooters as "a deeply-inserted foam earplug and a well-seated earmuff" (Murphy, Byrne and Franks, 2007). A plug perched at the opening of the ear canal isn't doing that job.
• Practice before the range. ASHA's tip: "Practice wearing your HPDs before being exposed to loud sounds." Try a pair at home while following the instructions, so your first attempt isn't on the firing line.
• Comfort keeps them in. ASHA also says to "choose HPDs that are comfortable to wear." If a size never feels right, a plug with several tip sizes, like the Decibullz set, gives more ears a chance at a seal.

Wearing plugs under muffs

Plugs under muffs is the setup the public-health sources keep coming back to. ASHA: "Double-protect your ears by putting earmuffs over earplugs when shooting firearms." NIOSH's alert on indoor firing ranges, written for range workers and people who shoot for their job, recommends dual protection whenever the range is in use, and for shooters who need to communicate, "electronic level-limiting or sound restoration earmuffs with passive earplugs" (NIOSH Alert 2009-136).

How much does it add? It depends how you measure. NIOSH's measurements for that alert found a mean peak reduction of 24 dB for earplugs alone, 26 dB for earmuffs alone and 44 dB for the two together. OSHA's estimating method is more cautious: take the higher of the two NRRs, subtract 7 dB, then add 5 dB for the second protector (OSHA Technical Manual, Appendix F). Either way, adding the second layer helps, and you should never simply add the two NRRs.

Which plugs work best under muffs? Foam is what the NIOSH researchers name, which is why the foam picks score highest on our "works under muffs" metric. The same 2007 article is cautious about the reverse pairing, an electronic earplug under a passive muff: it says there were "no data" on that combination at the time and that "it is doubtful that the pairing would be as effective as the active level-dependent earmuff with foam earplug." Our guide to doubling up and our indoor-range picks go further.

Electronic earbuds: what to know first

If you want to hear conversation without wearing muffs, electronic earbuds are the option. Before you buy, check three things the makers publish:

• How they're powered. Walker's Suppressor is rechargeable, with "up to 9 hours of runtime per charge, for a total of 36 hours' worth of use with the included charging dock." The Isolator runs on replaceable #10 batteries, with three sets included that Walker's estimates at 60 hours. AXIL's GS Extreme 3.0 is rechargeable and, per AXIL, can't be used while charging.
• Whether you want Bluetooth. Only the AXIL has it (Bluetooth 5.3). AXIL quotes up to 40 hours with hearing enhancement only, 20 hours with Bluetooth only and 15 hours using both. Walker's lists no Bluetooth on the Suppressor or Isolator, which keeps them simple for a first-timer.
• The NRR with the tip you'll use. AXIL's 21 dB applies only with its foam tips. None of the three earbuds matches the foam plugs' ratings, so at an indoor range, wear muffs over them.

One more reason to be modest about earbuds as your only protection: the 2007 NIOSH article noted that level-dependent electronics built into earplugs had no effectiveness data at the time. Newer data may exist, but we haven't found an official source to cite, so we treat earbuds as a convenience layer rather than your only layer at a loud range.

What to look for in earplugs for shooting

1. A published NRR on the package. The EPA label rule requires the rating on the device or its case, and on the package if that label isn't visible when you buy. If you only see an SNR, keep looking.
2. For earbuds, the tip behind the rating. AXIL names it; Walker's doesn't. Ask or check the insert.
3. Disposable or reusable. Foam boxes are grab-and-go and easy to share; a molded set like Decibullz is one person's plug for the long run.
4. Sizes. Decibullz includes silicone tips in small, medium and large plus a medium foam tip. The sources we cite for the foam picks don't list sizes, so if foam never seals for you, try a plug with several sizes.
5. Corded or uncorded. Corded pairs (Laser Lite corded, Caldwell Range Plugs) stay together between strings; uncorded plugs are just the plugs, with nothing to snag.
6. Pack size. 200 pairs of MAX-1 covers a family, a club box or years of spares. A 10-pack or one molded set doesn't.
7. Power, for electronic earbuds. Rechargeable with a dock, replaceable batteries, and whether you can use them while charging.

Beginner mistakes with earplugs

• Skipping the instructions. The label's rating assumes the plug is used "as directed." Read how your maker says to insert them.
• Using the wrong earbud tips. On the AXIL GS Extreme 3.0, silicone tips drop the published NRR from 21 to 17 dB.
• Relying on earbuds alone indoors. Their ratings are the lowest here; add muffs at a loud range.
• Adding NRRs together. A 33 plug under a 30 muff isn't 63. OSHA's estimate adds 5 dB for the second layer.
• Buying a custom set for a group. One molded set fits one person. For a family trip, a box of foam makes more sense.
• Leaving them at home. ASHA advises packing hearing protection "in your bag ahead of time." A few foam pairs in the range bag, the car and a jacket pocket mean you're never stuck. Our range bag checklist has a spot for them.