How loud are brakes, to the shooter, in a hunting situation, in the woods?

Bigeclipse said:

As the title states, how loud are muzzle brakes, to the shooter, when shooting in the woods? The reason I ask is I have been contemplating putting a brake on a lighter weight 7mm08 rifle so my wife can see her impacts while shooting long distances but still be able to use the same rifle out of a tree stand in the woods hunting deer. Can you get away with one shot on a deer and not hurt your hearing? She does not want to hunt with hearing protection on as there could be times a deer comes up from behind at close range and she would want to be able to hear that deer coming. she does not like the idea of spending huge sums of money for those small earplugs with speakers either. Thanks!

Click to expand...

It varies a lot with the type of brake you are using and shooting position.

The most efficient brakes I've used have the ports angled somewhat to the rear but the muzzle blast can be brutal because the noise is also being directed towards the shooter.

Radial discharge brakes follow behind them in noise directed back at the shooter.

For the best combination of efficiency, muzzle flip reduction and noise directed back at the shooter I want a side discharge brake with the rear ports angled ever so slightly forward with additional ports at or above the 10 and 2 Positions to keep muzzle flip to a minimum.

After trying more than a dozen different types of brake over the years I've settled on the Northwest precision muzzle brake in the slotted version. I find noise wise it's entirely tolerable even if I find myself needing to make a quick shot without time to put on hearing protection.

Bigeclipse said:

Thanks...if there is possibility of hearing loss then it will be a no-go! thanks again!

Click to expand...

There's a possibility of hearing loss with or without a brake even if shooting suppressed.

Try hard to avoid shooting from tight positions especially anything resembling a tunnel or split in the rocks and use hearing protection whenever possible

Put a suppressor on the end...It works..

"use hearing protection whenever possible"

It's always possible! When you pick up your ammo, you pick up your electronic hearing protection.

Rich Coyle said:

"use hearing protection whenever possible"

It's always possible! When you pick up your ammo, you pick up your electronic hearing protection.

Click to expand...

No it really isn't. It's always a good idea but it isn't always possible. There are a lot of times I literally have just a few seconds to get stopped and get a shot off. In such cases I'm in the truck and the muzzle is out of it so that reduces the problem a lot.

After my little accident last month I'm more aware than ever how precious my hearing is so I do try harder to make sure either the muffs or plugs are handy but it doesn't work out all the time.

wolfeel15 said:

Put a suppressor on the end...It works..

Click to expand...

Suppressors reduce the total noise signature but with supersonic ammo you still have the crack which can easily damage your ears.

WildRose said:

No it really isn't. It's always a good idea but it isn't always possible. There are a lot of times I literally have just a few seconds to get stopped and get a shot off. In such cases I'm in the truck and the muzzle is out of it so that reduces the problem a lot.

After my little accident last month I'm more aware than ever how precious my hearing is so I do try harder to make sure either the muffs or plugs are handy but it doesn't work out all the time.

Click to expand...

When you're hunting you wear them. If you road hunting you're still hunting. Problem solved.

How loud? Too loud. Brake or no brake. Considering all the money we spend on the rifle, the clothes, other gear and accessories, travel, camp expenses and so on...
Good hearing protection is CHEAP. The electronic plugs Len sells on this site work great. Put them in when you leave camp in the morning, take them out when you come in at night. Replace the batteries every few days, hear like a champ when you are old.

Rich Coyle said:

When you're hunting you wear them. If you road hunting you're still hunting. Problem solved.

Click to expand...

I'm not always hunting. Out here we call it driving the place and driving back and forth from work to town.

Things just happen quickly.

WildRose said:

I'm not always hunting. Out here we call it driving the place and driving back and forth from work to town.

Things just happen quickly.

Click to expand...

It's your hearing, not ours. If you choose not to wear it that's on you. If you think your going to be in a position where you will be pulling the trigger, use hearing protection. "Things happen quickly" is just lack of responsibility and not even an excuse. PLAN AHEAD

BWB said:

It's your hearing, not ours. If you choose not to wear it that's on you. If you think your going to be in a position where you will be pulling the trigger, use hearing protection. "Things happen quickly" is just lack of responsibility and not even an excuse. PLAN AHEAD

Click to expand...

No I take responsibility for it either way. When I started shooting we simply didn't wear any protective gear at all ears, eyes, or anything else. Even in the service we'd wear cheap assed issue plugs at the range but never during an exercise or a fight. I probably have a couple of million rounds down the pipe without any hearing protection it almost seems silly to take advantage of it now but when I can I do, especially if I'm planning a day at the range.

Most of my shooting on game and varmints "just happens" while I'm driving one of my places or heading back to town. Coyotes and pigs rarely give you any longer than it takes to get stopped, get a bead on them, and get the bullet downrange. In a lot of cases they may stop just for a second and then take off giving you a running shot or nothing.

Even 5-10 seconds is more than enough to cost you a shot.

You do things your way, I'll do them mine but relax, don't think you can condescend to me much less berate me into submission. Won't happen.

I was speaking to a large group of people, trying to get the point across that you don't get your hearing back, a little planning each and every time can save you years of being able to hear. Nothing I said was directed at you personally, hence "it's your hearing not ours". Enjoy your day

Fair enough. We're on the same side here. do however accept and understand I Can't control all of the variables.

As others have said, damage to hearing will occur with or without a muzzle break on any supersonic round. You should always wear ear protection before taking the shot but admittedly if I saw a record size animal walking away in a hurry I might not take the time to put it on if I know it's not too loud. Despite not being very old, I made the mistake of thinking every shot while you hunt doesn't warrant ear protection and now have issues sleeping without a fan on. What people don't tell you is that it doesn't so strongly damaging what you can hear but causes a never ending ringing in your ears that makes quiet rooms miserable.

Buy a set of the walker 9x hearing ear muffs, I know it seems like a lot when something more basic would work but now that I've gotten used to them I plan to always have electronic protection. Luckily theyre only $80 but even if I lived a world where they were several hundred dollars I'd still buy them. When I shoot now, at a range or privately, I no longer find myself ever taking hearing protection off because I can have a casual conversation in them on even a low setting and, despite the size, theyre comfortable for me. I will warn, electronic hearing may amplify the sounds around you but it's harder to pick up direction and harsh winds make that annoying scratching sound; it's very similar to listening to the environment through a sensitive phone. Before taking them hunting in a serious way, use them at the range and during pest control to get your brain used to it. It's strange, it can be disorienting just walking at first but it gets much better.