Short of full sized ear protection for indoor ranges, this is probably the best hearing protection I've used. I was issued these exact ear plugs in the military for use as an Infantryman in Iraq, so I can tell you first hand that these work very well in combat situations. The option to choose between full hearing protection and partial means you will be able to carry out conversations and hear things more effectively while still protecting your hearing. They fit snugly into my ears and don't require adjusting once I've put them in, which is more than I can say about other ear plugs. I also find they have an advantage over the full sized hearing protection often used at the range because that usually interferes with my eye protection in a way these do not. Half the time, the eye protection pops those ear muffs off my ears just enough to expose me to the full sound of my weapon. These ear plugs are a great alternative to that problem. Highly recommended for outdoor use, acceptable for indoors as well. Again, as a former Infantryman who has frequently been in REAL combat with these ear plugs, I highly recommend them. Peltor 97079 Combat Arms Earplugs
I've been through a few sets of these earplugs and haven't been satisfied. The sound reduction is fairly good but the two ends (green & yellow) of each earplug are joined together by a small plastic piece, so there are 3 pieces total per plug (yellow, green, joiner piece - see photo). After approximately 20 uses, the plug ends separate from the plastic "joiner", quite often when you are slowly removing the plug from your ear. This is a royal pain because it leaves one of the plug ends deep within the ear canal and the small joiner piece about midway in the canal - the plug half is then impossible to remove with your fingers so I've been forced to use tweezers on numerous occasions. I've even tried to mate the joiner with an adhesive (SuperGlue brushed on) after the product has failed and it still can't hold the plastics together for any extended period of time. To me, it seems simply to be a chemistry/bonding problem with the materials - the materials used for the 3 pieces of one earplug just don't last as adhesives and constantly fail after only a short period of use. Largely disappointed and frustrated with this item - especially after numerous occasions at the firing range where one end of the earplug has to remain in my ear canal until I can either locate a pair of needle-nose pliers or get home to carefully remove the lodged end with tweezers (ANNOYING). I wouldn't waste the money on these until they redesign the bonding of the plastics to ensure the middle joiner piece more firmly mates the yellow and green ends.
These are really nice and they are way less bulky than many of the other forms of hearing protection out there and I think they work as well or better than the disposable foam ear plugs. They also have the nice feature that the yellow side is for when you are doing things that involve burst noises (like gunfire) while the gray is for consistent ambient noise (heavy machinery, etc).
Now for the caveat: If you are going to a shooting range which has panels between each of the shooters and/or you will be outdoors these are absolutely great and I'm hard-pressed to say you'd really need anything more. For most people this will be most of the time. At my particular gun club we have some indoor shooting events where the range does not have partitions between shooters. Essentially when you're indoors, you have shooters on either side of you, and you're all shooting at roughly the same time these start to feel a little like they are lacking.
I've used two different types of passive earplugs, these & the Surefire Sonic Defenders. Both have pro's & cons. If I could only have one, this would be the one.
I will review these in comparison to the Surefires.
Comfort: Surefire is more comfortable in the ear, but the Peltors can be worn easily for hours on end.
Noise Reduction: The Peltors work better, but also reduce more of normal sounds (voices, people moving, etc). If the "normal" sounds are very important, pick the Surefires. As a result, the Peltors also work better in louder conditions.
Real world usage:
Shooting outdoors, the Surefires with stopper out is adequate for 22LR, 9mm, 40 S&W, etc (smaller caliber). Even with the stopper in, I found 223 a little too loud for my comfort. Using the Peltor outdoors, I found all comfortable -- including 223. Standing next to a 30-06 & 308 to spot, is loud but manageable. If I was the shooter, I'd prefer to place olive side in.
All in all, these Peltors have now become my shooting earplugs of choice. For sleeping, I still prefer to use my Surefires so that I can block street & fan sounds, while still easily being able to hear things that go bump in the night -- while still leaving me ready to go hot if needed. Yeah... paranoid I know. - Earplugs - Ear Protection - Peltor - Hearing Protection'
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