Gear Review: Howard Leight Impact Sport electronic earmuffs

By Jacki Billings

Howard Leight Impact Sport electronic earmuffs in teal. (Photo: Jacki Billings)
Hearing protection is must on the range, but not all ear protection is created equal. After nearly a decade of shooting, I’ve come across some good sets and some bad ones. When Howard Leight approached me to test out their newest iteration of colorful Impact Sport hearing protection geared towards women, I jumped at the chance to see whether their ear pro would hold up on the range.
Basics
Howard Leight Impact Sport electronic earmuffs with my range partner. (Photo: Jacki Billings)
With a noise reduction rating of 22 decibels, the Impact Sport line of earmuffs feature an integrated microphone that enhances speaking voices and natural sounds while mitigating loud pops of gunfire. Scientifically speaking, the earmuffs mute sounds above 82 decibels.
Powered by two AAA batteries, the advantage to such a system is that shooters can easily hear range commands given by Range Safety Officers or other shooters. You can also chat with those at the range without yelling or removing ear pro. It’s a nice bonus and as an instructor, it’s even better. I was able to leave behind the mock sign language and yelling in favor of normal volume conversations.
The earmuffs

Source: Guns.com