If you need solid hearing protection, Peltor is an effective and well-trusted brand.
From 3M, Peltor creates high quality productions, including both earplugs and earmuffs. In particular, we include Peltor electronic hearing protection earmuffs as one of the best hearing protection for shooting.
Below we’ll go over some of the most popular Peltor hearing protection earmuffs and ear plugs.
Peltor Sport RangeGuard RG-OTH-4 (Great electronic hearing protection)
These solid earmuffs come with a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of 21 dB. This rating makes these earmuffs great for both indoor and outdoor hunting or sport shooting.
The idea behind electronic hearing protection is that the earmuffs will provide noise reduction to safe levels, while still allowing important sounds in, such as conversations. This is in comparison to foam earmuffs that provide great noise reduction, but it blocks out all noises, leaving everything sounding extremely muffled. With electronic earmuffs, you can still hear properly while keeping your hearing protected.
Electronic earmuffs like the Peltor Sport RangeGuard are ideal for suppressing gunshot noises but still allowing you to speak to those around you. The ear cups were even designed to work properly with shotguns and rifles, so the cups won’t interfere with your shot.
The Sport RangeGuard also has a comfortable headband so you can wear these for long periods of time without discomfort.
Like most electronic hearing protection, these earmuffs require two AAA batteries but also come with a 4-hour auto shut-off so you won’t drain your batteries when they’re not in use (or you forget to turn them off). They also compress and fold up for easy storage.
Whether you’re a professional or amateur, shooters and hunters will get a lot from these Sport RangeGuard earmuffs.
3M Peltor Optime 105 (Ultimate passive noise reduction)
Need a bit more protection? The 3M Peltor Optime 105 comes with a NRR of 30 dB, an incredibly high rating. Because of the NRR, these earmuffs are safe to use in extremely loud situations, such as construction and industrial environments.
The padded ear cups on the Optime 105 are much wider and larger compared to the Sport RangeGuard, so this could interfere with certain shotguns or rifles. These ear cups are designed with a “double-shell” which means there are actually two cups connected with a foam inner layer to effective reduce harmful noise.
While the headband isn’t as squishy, these earmuffs are still comfortable to wear. The headband also has internal stainless steel to reduce any bending and works to keep its shape for a long time. Ideally, these earmuffs are perfect for industrial environments, when you don’t need anything flashy but something extremely effective.
These are classified as passive hearing protection. Since these are not electronic, they won’t filter in certain sounds, low level noises or conversations. They do exactly what they say they will: reduce all noise. This can also be great for lawn maintenance or being around loud household machery.
You can find some earplugs that have a NRR of 30 dB, but these are usually disposable foam earplugs that you cannot reuse. If you find yourself needing hearing protection regularly (or you don’t like earplugs) these are a great alternative.
Peltor Sport Earmuffs
(Best for children)
Need earmuffs but don’t want to pay for electronic ones? The Peltor Sport small earmuffs are cheap and effective. These come with a noise reduction rating of 22 dB and fit best for smaller adults or youth/teenagers.
The Peltor Sport protection ear muffs would be effective in loud environments like shooting and sporting events, especially for kids and teens. They’re also not electric, so they’re much more inexpensive. These would also be great for those interested in shooting but don’t want to shell out a lot of money for a high-end pair of earmuffs. They’re the perfect starter pair.
The Peltor Sport earmuffs are even small enough for children and have been used in situations where the child is overwhelmed by noise. Those with autism and deal with sensory issues can also benefit from these types of passive earmuffs. Or, use them for your children when attending a Monster Truck event, fireworks show or other loud situations.
Peltor Sport Tactical 100
(Great electronic earmuff)
Another great electronic hearing protector from Peltor is the Peltor Tactical 100. These are effective, electronic and durable and come with a NRR of 22 dB.
Similar to the Sport RangeGuard version, these have low-profile cups that won’t interfere with shotguns or rifles, making them a great choice for shooting. Because they are electronic, they will reduce harmful noise while still letting you hear what’s around you. The Recessed microphones even reduce wind noise when you’re outside.
We’ve even noticed that the Tactical 100 gets an incredible seal around your ears, even when wearing glasses or protective goggles. This is vital when shooting at an indoor range, without sacrificing your hearing. The Peltor Sport earmuffs are still comfortable, as well.
Like others, these run on 2 AAA batteries but have a 2-hour automatic shut-off so you don’t waste them.
Peltor Sport Tactical 300
(A step up from the 100 version)
If you’re more experiences, or need something a bit more high-end, the Peltor Sport Tactical 300 is a great step-up from the 100 version (although with a more expensive price).
These earmuffs come with a NRR of 24 dB and sound amplification. This means you can protect your ears from harmful levels of noise, while still being able to hear low-level sounds around you. Hunters and sport shooters tend to prefer electronic earmuffs like these for that specific reason. You’ll never need to take these off to hear range commands or conversations, so you hearing is always protected.
In terms of noise protection, the Sport Tactical 300 have a NRR of 24 dB compared to the 100 version which has a NRR of 22 dB. Not a huge difference, but a difference nonetheless.
These earmuffs also have Clear Voice tracking which specifically searching for voices within all the noise so these are improved above background noise.
Of course it doesn’t really matter, but these earmuffs look impressive, which doesn’t hurt.
Peltor Hearing Protection: Passive versus electronic
If you decide to choose a Peltor earmuff, you really can’t go wrong. They’re effective, trusted and accessible. But you’ll need to decide first whether you want passive hearing protection ear muffs, or an electronic ear muff instead. There’s a few key differences that should help you decide.
Passive earmuffs
- Cheap
- Simple
- Durable
- Protect your hearing
- High standard of noise reduction and noise cancelling
- You don’t need to worry about having the correct batteries or charging them
- The muffs will block out all sound, whether you actually want to hear it or not
- Not suitable for having conversations while wearing it. You’ll need to remove them anytime you need to speak with someone
Electronic earmuffs
- Expensive
- Durable
- Will require batteries or charging
- Protect your hearing
- Typically comes with extras, like a jack to hook up your mp3 player and listen to music through them
- Allows you to hear low-level noise, such as twigs breaking in the woods while hunting or having a conversation with those around you
- You won’t need to take them off to have a conversation, the earmuffs will have microphones to pick up that sound for you
No matter which type of earmuff you choose, Peltor hearing protection is created with a high level of quality, solid noise reduction and comfort in mind. You really can’t go wrong with any of these.
