To brake or not to brake...

[Canhunter35]

Wish they were legal here in Canada...

No kidding. But that's why I use the noise redirector, closest thing we can get to reducing recoil with equal muzzle blast of unbraked rifle. They cut the effectiveness of the muzzle brake down, but it's a trade off

 

[Pdvdh]

For 15 yrs I didn't know the foam plugs were to be fully inserted into the ear canal. Now that I let them expand in the ear, I sometimes have trouble getting them out. They don't come out on their own. And they protect better than half inserted.

 

[Holycity73]

I used to get grief from people who said recoil wasn't an issue for a real man. Well, I run brakes on almost all of my rifles and those people aren't around anymore. I say run a brake because recoil Managemwnt has been a consideration with almost every technological advancement in firearm engineering. From comb height and angle to powder charges. Anything that assists in mitigation of recoil will lead to better shot placement, less loss of sight picture and ultimately a more enjoyable experience.
Funny how those people who gave me grief weren't running Bakelite butt plates on their 300 winmags.

Brake, can etc... run it.

 

[FEENIX]

I don't like wearing plugs and muffs, and quite simply that's the only way I feel safe shooting a braked rifle.

I know exactly what you mean. I spent my first 10 years in the USAF working in the flightline aircraft generation (F-4s and A-10s) and foamies + ear muffs were the norms and protected my hearing throughout the years. Interestingly, my hearing improved as I transition from F-4s to A-10 and even better when I finally got off the flightline.

Ed

 

[gjk5]

I have brakes on just about everything (even 223) and use the surefire SonicEars

 

[Cuz]

They'll tame your wallet also.
If my hunting wasn't 100% backpacking, I'd maybe go that route. It's easier to pack foam ear plugs than a suppressor. Much cheaper too.
I've considered one for my AR. But that's for blasting. Not backpacking. No problems there.

That's the biggest problem, weight. Or if you have a lightweight rifle that can't be threaded. I usually carry mine in my pack. Thread it on when I am getting set up for a shot. If I need to make a quick shot it would most likely be fairly close and the poi shift won't make a difference. But I normally don't backpack hunt alot.

 

[ATH]

Sorry but so much of this just isn't true especially the bolded.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Radians-Do...830774&hash=item41a3625222:g:9EkAAOSwFqJWnqXJ

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_oa...ItemCondition=4&rt=nc&_udlo=0.00&_udhi=150.00

A smart guy who'll take the time to shop wisely can get very good hearing protection for far less than 200.00. When you live on a tight budget you just have to learn a little creativity.

What you like are either blocking options which are impractical if you actually need to hear what is going on around you, or electronic muffs which are, in my experience, again pretty much useless if you need to hear what is going and have directional understanding on where sound is coming from. I have tried such options and there is nothing "factually wrong" about my opinion. I have one, you have one, and both are just opinions...

In my experience the only sound protection I have found which can be worn 100% of the time and not impact the hunting experience is something along the lines of SoundGear and other similar in-ear options, and those aren't $15 on eBay...

I'll go back to my original point.....not a single hunter I encountered locally last year was hunting with hearing protection. All of them should have had it. How would braking all their rifles have improved their situation? There actually is a trade-off here for many people.

 

[Hand Skills]

For anyone who hasn't come across it, this is an interesting evaluation of muzzle devices;

http://precisionrifleblog.com/2015/06/24/muzzle-brakes-field-test/

For 15 yrs I didn't know the foam plugs were to be fully inserted into the ear canal. Now that I let them expand in the ear, I sometimes have trouble getting them out. They don't come out on their own. And they protect better than half inserted.

Good point. Foam earplugs properly inserted offer more attenuation (sound reduction) than any other hearing protection available. To me they're great for practice, but I generally stick to muffs in the field because they are easy to equip, and even easier to take off.

 

[Mike 338]

If you hunt an area where jump shooting under trees may be a reality, deploying ear protection may cost you a shot. If your plan is to ambush and you feel confident that's how it's going to play out I see no reason not to have a brake. I generally don't use a brake on a hunting rig.

 

[Rich Coyle]

Brake or not, I'm using electronic muffs when I hunt. At the range it is foam inserts and electronic muffs.

Are there any suggestions for muffs noticeably better than Walkers? I'm ready for an upgrade.

 

[WildRose]

Brake or not, I'm using electronic muffs when I hunt. At the range it is foam inserts and electronic muffs.

Are there any suggestions for muffs noticeably better than Walkers? I'm ready for an upgrade.

I teach a lot of handgun classes at very crowded very loud indoor public ranges.

Believe it or not out of all that I've tried I've had the best luck with the Howard Leight impact earmuffs and Peltor RangeGuard for protection and both still make it very easy to converse with students even in that environment.

I've got several others that were a lot more expensive but they haven't shown to be any better.

Pro Ears Pro Tac and Gold models are also excellent but come at a much steeper price, the gold is also really bulky.

With most that I've had you can always add an extra layer of thicker foam for better noise protection but it doesn't seem to hurt the enhanced hearing they provide unless you go nuts with it. Typically I will put a very small hole in the center of the additional foam which enhances it further but still gives a lot of additional protection since the hole goes basically directly to the internal speaker.

 

[Rich Coyle]

Thanks.

 

[BamaBoy9]

I have two Browning rifles with brakes.

The 1st is a .300 Win mag Browning A-Bolt and on that rifle I use a brake and ear plugs.

The 2nd is a 6.5 Creedmoor Browning X-Bolt Pro and on that rifle I use the thread protector cap B/C the recoil with a 6.5 CM is very manageable, even on that 6 lb. 1 oz. rifle. that weighs 7 lbs. 14 oz. W/ scope & rings.

To me it is a matter of recoil management. If I win the lottery and use a guide he would also need ear plugs for the .300 Win mag A-Bolt. The brake on that rifle is non-negotiable.

Thoughts?

Eric B.

I have a rem 700 custom in 300 win mag no brake has a significant kick , more in fact than my .338 win mag with brake . All my long range rifles have been purchased with a brake since my enlightenment!

 

[Hand Skills]

+1 for the Howard Leight Impact Sport.

At -24dB they don't offer as much attenuation as some others, but the electronics are really good. Sound localization is as good as it gets for a muff - truly.

Battery life is suprisingly good, and the 1/8" audio jack is just a bonus - I pipe in some tunes from time to time, it's pleasant.

All of this combined with the low form factor and portability makes a great product.

I'm a total audio nerd, and have been through several in-ears, custom plugs, and more muffs than I can count (no soundtear yet though!)

In a past life I worked as a professional audio engineer, and learned to take my ears very seriously. Impact Sports travel pretty much everywhere with me, love 'em.