Mastiff,

I have purchased two sets of Howard Leights, the second ONLY because my dog chewed the first set up... I agree with GD completely.

I've shot them with everything I own, including one very noisy M14, the sound attenuation has always been below my pain level for impulse sound. With that said, I am certain I have a degree of hearing loss due to my time in the Army. Blackhawk helicopters aren't nearly as quiet as hollywood portrays them to be... you could always plug up though.

The audio enhancement is worth every cent alone. I was shooting in the woods a few years back, doing QR drills with my SLR-106F, and during a lull in the shooting, I heard crackling and crunching in the underbrush behind me. It sounded like it was right on top of me! I whirled around to see what had made the sound, and as it turns out, there were two younger bucks walking through the treeline... 250 meters away.