Hunt w/ Muzzle Brake?

BeaverHunter said:

Still good enough hearing to sneak up on 8+ bull elk in the last 8 years.

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I laughed at myself when I read your post. Congrats.

JohnnieB said:

Nope. No brakes when hunting, period. Once, years ago when brakes were first becoming popular, had a quick shot come up and before the earplugs went in, and a hunting partner's braked 300Wby goes off. I couldn't hear properly for two weeks, and under certain conditions the ear still bothers me.

All it takes to manage recoil is practice, and practice is fun.

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In don't manage recoil. I hold the rifle like a BB gun, no matter which caliber I use; including my .375-.416. One day at the range I fired 30 270 grainers about 3,000 feet per second. My son-in-law fired 30 7Mag 140 grainers. He had a big blood blister and a huge bruise. I didn't even have a pink mark. He was managing his recoil so well he was getting a worse group of 11/16". He now has a brake on all his rifles.

I have guided a handful of guys now with brakes on their rifles, I hate them in the field. I've personally never felt recoil when I'm shooting at an animal.

J.G.W said:

I have guided a handful of guys now with brakes on their rifles, I hate them in the field. I've personally never felt recoil when I'm shooting at an animal.

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Guns are loud; whether you are excited or not. The damage is being done. When I used a guide I offered him a pair of electronic hearing protection as a gift. He turned them down. I expect a guide to be professional enough to be prepared.

There is no doubt that muzzle brakes redirect the muzzle blast , and depending on their design, they can be extra painful if you are in a confined space or in line with another shooters muzzle brake ports.
"BUT" the DB levels are the same in the same rifle with or without a brake and without hearing protection, can be harmful to unprotected ears.

I took me a few years to get use to wearing ear protection "ALL THE TIME" and after rushing to get a shot off without protection and getting my bell rung it became a habit just like seat belts that are a nuisance until you need them then they can save you some pain.

The new electronic hearing protection can be a plus because you can hear better (They will amplify the subtle sounds and then crop the excessive sound of a shot at at safe level).

I personally hated them until i saw all of the benefits and decided to protect what hearing i had left. I still have some rifles that don't have brakes for different reasons but I still use hearing protection on all of them. My 416 doesn't have a brake because the PH will get blasted and may not be able to save your bacon in a pinch. but I will wear the electronic protection to be able to hear the PH/Guide better and anything else that could cause a problem if it could sneak up on me.

So the PH doesn't have to wear anything if he doesn't want to (His Choice).

J E CUSTOM

I have just started using muzzlebrakes lately. Had one installed on my 300WM new barrel project and bought one for my ruger american predator in 6mm creedmoor. I shoot 200 gr bullets in the 300 and definitely notice the recoil reduction. Have not hunted with it yet. My 6CM was a kicker off the bench and shooting sticks due to the light rifle. Not punishing but enough to loose target sight in the scope. Bought a AREA419 Hellfire and was a little worried about taking it afield for coyotes. Called one in to 175 yard and when I pulled the trigger and watched her tip over in the scope and not have my ears ringing any worse than what they do, I'm not too worried about shooting the 300. Hunting is different for me, I'm not sitting at a bench with the blast coming back at me. The natural fauna absorbs the sound and I'm also concentrating on the shot placement so the muzzle noise doesnt affect me. Probably doesn't help a lot of ******* hunters I've guided have squeezed off their rifles not far from my right ear so the little extra ringing a brake causes is not a big deal. I can still hear the frogs and crickets singing at night. That brake on my 300 shooting 200grELDX makes the gun shoot like a 270win. My 6CM feels like a 204. Enough said.

I have used them for about ten years on my LR rifles primarily to spot my hits. I wear a pair of ear plugs(on a cord) around my neck that can be quickly employed when a shot is expected. I only forgot to use them once....the first time!

mmh said:

How many of you guys hunt w/ a muzzle brake on a 300WM? I don't want to practice w/o one on but would also not want to take it off for hunting if my practice has been with it on.

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Get the North West Pacific Brake and you won't want to shoot without it.

I have them on about a dozen rifles now and they have me completely spoiled.


https://www.macsgunworks.com/product-page/copy-of-nwp-muzzle-brake

If I have one on the gun I use it...I have only been on one guided hunt where I was asked to remove it. I politely ask him to plug his ears, he did.

Aoudad shooter1975 said:

If I have one on the gun I use it...I have only been on one guided hunt where I was asked to remove it. I politely ask him to plug his ears, he did.

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Good on you! This reminds me a few years ago. My buddy and I were elk hunting and ran into 3 cow elk. I have a small open area between the trees (prone position) and the one I had my scope scope ~ 400 yards did not present an ethical shot. When I asked my buddy were the other two went, I was not getting any response; when I looked up, he's got his fore fingers plugging his ears.

Individuals have the ultimate responsibility for their actions and the consequences associated with it; the choice to wear or not to wear hearing protection is no different. While we're on this subject, most of us have started mowing our lawns. I'm one of those people that wear safety googles, ear protection, gloves, and shoes (sometimes steeled toed) when mowing, chainsaw, and other high noise level generating tools and equipment at home. One of my better habits ... just saying.

FYSA ..............

http://webfiles.ehs.ufl.edu/noiselvl.pdf

http://www.industrialnoisecontrol.com/comparative-noise-examples.htm

https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs...5/03/Decibel-Damage-1024x687.png&action=click

NOTE: Perhaps I should but I do not wear hearing protection on some of the activities noted on the links above.

Cheers!