For shooting, you want hearing protection with an NRR of at least 28, and ideally 33 if you can get it. At indoor ranges, doubling up with both foam earplugs and earmuffs is the standard recommendation because a single device often isn’t enough to bring gunfire below safe levels.
How Loud Firearms Actually Are
To understand why NRR matters so much for shooting, consider that the safety ceiling for impulse noise is 140 decibels. OSHA’s noise standard says no exposure to impact noise should exceed that level. Every common firearm blows past it.
A 9mm pistol like a Glock 17 produces a peak of about 163 dB. A 12-gauge shotgun ranges from roughly 153 to 162 dB depending on the load and barrel setup. An AR-15 in .223 hits around 159 dB. Even a .22 LR rifle, often considered a “quiet” gun, registers between 140 and 144 dB. A .22 pistol is louder still, typically 154 to 158 dB because of the shorter barrel.
The decibel scale is logarithmic, which means every 3 dB increase represents a doubling of sound energy. A 163 dB gunshot isn’t a little louder than 140 dB. It’s thousands of times more intense.
What NRR You Actually Need
NRR stands for Noise Reduction Rating, measured in decibels. It’s the number printed on every package of hearing protection sold in the United States, tested under EPA-mandated lab conditions. The highest NRR available in foam earplugs is 33 dB. Most quality earmuffs fall between 22 and 31 dB.
Here’s the catch: the NRR on the label doesn’t translate to real-world protection on a one-to-one basis. OSHA’s formula subtracts 7 dB from the NRR before applying it to real-world noise levels. So a product rated NRR 33 provides an estimated 26 dB of actual reduction. Applied to a 163 dB pistol shot, that still leaves you at roughly 137 dB, just under the 140 dB danger threshold, and only if the earplugs are inserted perfectly.
Most professionals recommend a minimum NRR of 28 for any shooting activity. For indoor ranges, where sound reverberates off walls and ceilings, that minimum isn’t really enough on its own.
Why Doubling Up Matters
Wearing foam earplugs underneath over-ear muffs is the single most effective step you can take. The combined protection doesn’t equal both NRR numbers added together, but OSHA’s rule of thumb is to take the higher-rated device and add 5 dB. So NRR 33 earplugs paired with NRR 27 earmuffs gives you an effective rating of about 38 dB, or roughly 31 dB of real-world reduction after the 7 dB correction.
That combination brings a 163 dB pistol shot down to around 132 dB at the ear. It’s a meaningful difference, especially over a session of 50 or 100 rounds. At individual frequencies, the gain from doubling up can range from nearly zero to as much as 15 dB over the better single device, with the biggest improvements at high frequencies where gunfire does the most cochlear damage.
For outdoor rifle shooting with lower-powered cartridges like .22 LR, a single set of NRR 33 foam plugs may be adequate. For anything centerfire, and especially at indoor ranges, double up.
Passive vs. Electronic Protection
Passive hearing protection is the simpler option: foam plugs or padded earmuffs that physically block sound. No batteries, no electronics. They’re inexpensive, and foam plugs offer the highest NRR ratings available (up to 33 dB). The downside is they muffle everything equally, including range commands and conversation.
Electronic earmuffs use built-in microphones and processors to let normal sounds through while clamping down on anything above a safe threshold. You can hear the person next to you talking, then the electronics cut the sound the instant a shot is fired. This is a significant safety advantage on a shared range. Electronic muffs typically have NRR ratings in the 22 to 26 range, which is lower than the best foam plugs. The solution is straightforward: wear NRR 33 foam plugs underneath electronic muffs. You get the situational awareness of electronics plus the raw noise blocking of foam.
Getting the Full Rated Protection
The NRR number assumes a perfect fit, which almost nobody achieves on the first try with foam plugs. If your plugs aren’t fully seated in the ear canal, the actual reduction can drop by 10 dB or more.
For foam plugs, the technique matters: roll the plug into a tight cylinder between your fingers, reach over your head with the opposite hand to pull the top of your ear up and back (this straightens the ear canal), then insert the plug and hold it in place for 20 to 30 seconds while it expands. If the plug is visible sticking out of your ear from the front, it’s not deep enough.
Earmuffs need a complete seal around the ear. Glasses frames, long hair caught under the cushion, or a loose headband all create gaps that leak sound directly to the ear. If you wear glasses at the range, foam plugs underneath become even more important because the seal on your muffs is compromised.
Bone Conduction: The Limit of Any Earplug
Even with perfect ear protection, firearms produce pressure waves that send vibrations through your skull and soft tissue directly to the inner ear. This is called bone conduction, and no earplug or earmuff can block it. Foam plugs seal the ear canal effectively, but they do nothing against vibrations traveling through bone.
This is one reason the benefit of doubling up tops out around 5 dB in practice. Once you’ve sealed the ear canal completely, the remaining noise reaching your cochlea is arriving through your skull. For most recreational shooters firing a few hundred rounds per session, proper double protection keeps exposure well within safe limits. But it does mean that extremely high-volume shooting over years carries some cumulative risk regardless of what you wear on your ears.
Hearing Protection for Young Shooters
Children’s ear canals are smaller, their skulls are thinner, and adult-sized earmuffs won’t seal properly on a small head. Standard earmuffs that fit an adult loosely gap on a child, defeating much of the rated protection.
Several manufacturers make youth-specific earmuffs with smaller cups and adjustable headbands. Models designed for children typically carry NRR ratings of 25 to 28. A youth earmuff rated NRR 25 paired with properly sized foam earplugs underneath is a better combination than an adult NRR 30 earmuff that doesn’t seal. For children under about age 10, look for muffs specifically built for smaller heads rather than adjustable adult models. Most youth hearing protection products are rated for ages 2 and up.
Quick Reference by Shooting Scenario
- Outdoor .22 LR rifle (140 to 144 dB): NRR 28+ earplugs or earmuffs, single protection is generally sufficient
- Outdoor centerfire rifle or shotgun (155 to 162 dB): NRR 33 foam plugs plus earmuffs recommended
- Outdoor pistol shooting (158 to 163 dB): Double protection strongly recommended
- Indoor range, any caliber: Always double up with NRR 33 foam plugs under earmuffs
If you’re buying one product and want to keep it simple, NRR 33 foam earplugs are the cheapest and most effective single option. If you want to hear range commands, add electronic earmuffs over top. That combination covers every common shooting scenario.