My head must be stupid shaped or something. Classic over ear muffs destroy the jaw muscles under my ears if worn for more than an hour. No matter how good they are. I am currently running Sordins with the aftermarket gel ear pieces and they still kill me.

So looking at in-ears. Don't have the budget for the custom stuff right now unfortunately and don't want to play whack a mole blindly so asking the hive mind here. First of all, does anyone else have this issue? And what in-ears have yall found that are good enough for in door ranges, if any?

TIA

I just use the orange foam style plugs. They're cheap and work well enough for me. I don't shoot indoors though, so I'm not sure how well they work for that situation.

My son shoots sporting clays and had a pair of ear plugs that were molded for his ears. They work really well. I'm not sure where you can go to get them, but they have vendors at the major shoots that do it on site.

I use gloryfire. So far so good. Need to make sure you have the correct size tips on them.

Aggiewes'87

I just got a pair of Decibullz. They're $30 for a pair that is sealed, $70 for a pair that has percussive filters (lets some noise in but blocks out the gunshots). I got the filtered ones, but they're the exact same molding process for both. That process if fairly simple, I could have molded on my own, but my wife helped out.

Tried them out this weekend for the first time, and I was happy with them. I normally hate wearing hearing protection when I hunt, but I was alright with these.

+1 on Decibullz with filters. I've used them since 2020 and am still on my first set.

If you're shooting at an indoor range you'll still need to use muffs, but that's pretty standard for indoor ranges.

Howard Leight foam plugs. Inserted correctly.
Whatever you use make sure they have at least a 30 NRR rating. There has been many past threads on this subject here on the OB.

Gunny456 said:

---

Howard Leight foam plugs. Inserted correctly.
Whatever you use make sure they have at least a 30 NRR rating. There has been many past threads on this subject here on the OB.

---

Oh crap!! My Sordins, which are the gold standard for over the ear active muffs, don't even come close to that! ugh I've got a few pairs, but apparently they're trash. I'll give them all away for free if anyone wants to pay the shipping.

I got a pair of custom molded plugs at a 4H shoot. They are significantly less comfortable than Howard Leigh Foam plugs. I then bought a pair of Decibullz they too are more comfortable than the custom molds but also less comfortable than the HL Foam.

So which Sordins do you have? I know they brought out the new Pro X -SFA rated at 31 which are pretty damn close to 33. They say they built them in their add for the most advanced hearing protection….
and for extreme noise environments.
The OP was asking about in ear plugs. No discussion on muffs.
If you have 3 new Pro X-SFA's rated at 31 db and want to give them away I'll take them. I'll even pay your shipping.

Anyone tested the new Apple AirPods Max (over the ear muffs) for shooting? I think not for most cases, however, I shoot almost always suppressed and just like a little bit over the ear.

I have these. I really like them. Multiple size inserts and stay in your ears. Blue tooth as well

https://a.co/d/9eaTxXD

AXIL GS Extreme 2.0 Shooting Ear Buds Hearing Enhancement & Noise Isolation Bluetooth Earbuds w/Dynamic Speakers

Really enjoy my Axil Xcor Pros with foam tips for indoor and outdoor shooting. Sound suppression is nice and quick even when the hearing boost on. BT is nice if you want to listen to music.

Axil constantly has sales on their social media channels.

Thanks for the recs all. I actually had a pair of the Surefires years and years ago and for some damn reason I thought they were discontinued. I'll grab a pair for back up but really looking for some electronic ones.

The Axils look interesting and will probably give them a shot first.

meggy09 said:

---

Gunny456 said:

---

Howard Leight foam plugs. Inserted correctly.
Whatever you use make sure they have at least a 30 NRR rating. There has been many past threads on this subject here on the OB.

---

Oh crap!! My Sordins, which are the gold standard for over the ear active muffs, don't even come close to that! ugh I've got a few pairs, but apparently they're trash. I'll give them all away for free if anyone wants to pay the shipping.

---

**** I think you are joking, but will damn sure take a spare Sordin

I hate earplugs and find them extremely uncomfortable. That being said, I decided to wear hearing protection while hunting. I picked up a pair of Walkers Silencer 2.0 bluetooth electronic ear plugs. I was able to fit them in my ears with the variety of foam parts they send with them. I find them tolerable to wear for a few hours at a time. I don't like that they seam to cut out while cruising ranch roads looking for pigs but they are great for sitting in a stand. I can actually forget I am wearing them. I picked them up on sale from Midway for about $120. They are still on sale.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1026014377?pid=731008

I also recently picked up a pair of Apple Air Pods. I have read some reviews from people using them for hunting but I have not shot while wearing them though. I bought them to help me hear and they seam to work well for that in crowded areas.

I would use neither of these for prolonged shooting like at a gun range.

I have been using Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds while shooting. They seem to be better than other in ear protection that I have tried They are not NRR rated

The most important part of foam earplugs is inserting them correctly - need to pull ear up and put with opposite hand to open ear canal and insert them rolled up. Hold in place until they expand fully. Real easy to not install properly and not end up getting much real protection

Also because of the dependence on proper insertion, the following equation is used to calculate your effective nrr. Subtract 7 and divide by 2. Example for for 33 nrr plugs

(33-7)/2 =13 effective nrr

And if they are inserted correctly?

Gunny456 said:

---

And if they are inserted correctly?

---

I assume they are higher protection but all my safety training in industrial facilities highlighted that equation

Within our boat factories we had to have the highest NRR rated plugs per ANSI S3.19-1974.
I know NIOSH would denote that improper fitted plugs could decrease the NRR by as much as 40% to %50. However OSHA recommends derating ALL hearing protectors ( both plugs and muffs) by 50%!

Gunny456 said:

---

Within our boat factories we had to have the highest NRR rated plugs per ANSI S3.19-1974.
I know NIOSH would denote that improper fitted plugs could decrease the NRR by as much as 40% to %50. However OSHA recommends derating ALL hearing protectors ( both plugs and muffs) by 50%!

---

i think I finally figured out why you discuss Arkansas property and boats - which boat manufacturer did you work for? Ranger, War Eagle or Xpress? I probably missed a few too - i always want a white river Jon boat when I'm up trout fishing the white below Bulk Shoals dam

Haha. Actually none of those. I handled this area as a regional manager and loved the Ozarks. Plus my grandfather was from the area… and my bride and I decided to sell the place in Texas and move here.
I'm about 35 minutes from Bull. S. If you ever get up here my gate is open. I've met 87 Flyfisher up here as well. Great Ag for sure.