I have found the ESP or whatever the electronic inserts molded to my ears are to be life savers. Without them, I can't really hear well enough to tell if other shooters are close, where the birds are, etc. I won't leave home without them now. The amplification is there when I need as is the sound dampening if I take a shot. These are expensive but they let me keep shooting.
For sporting clays, I have tried the ear muffs which get in my way and the gunstock hitting them is annoying.
I regularly use the foam inserts for target shooting. It seems like they block as much noise as the ear muffs.
I have not tried the newer style of ear muffs that look more like tubes attached to plugs.
