‘Wud eh say?’
Here’s the skinny...
First off, if you have hearing damage/tinnitus like I do, find the highest NRR rated muffs you can find. I use 37db muffs.
NRR rating means that under the best circumstances, you can lower say a 150db sound to about 113db. It does not mean you lower sounds to 37db.
Second, double up on the protection. I use 26NRR rated foam plugs. But importantly, doubling up does not mean a 37+26NRR gives you 63db noise reduction. It helps a bit, but more than likely you aren’t getting more than 45NRR at best, probably less.
Third, bone induction. This is the physics of sound energy. It will travel through your cranium and jaw bones to the ear and can cause damage. There is no real way around this unless you wear a full noise reduction helmet.
I read alot of recommendations for this or that hearing protection. You should simply be concerned with NRR ratings and less the brand. But make a choice between quality of construction and cost, I’ve found some cheaper brands with higher 30+NRR as nice as some more expensive ones with low 20NRR ratings.
Last, Electronic muffs are usually a big compromise between a lower NRR rating and their ability to hear normal volume sounds. Electronic muffs DO NOT cancel all sounds out as some believe. Useful for some scenarios where its really important to hear commands, etc...but in most cases you lose alot of NRR protection. For continuous range shooting I avoid these and just increase my situational awareness.