Muzzle Brake Questions

[coachmks]

Just bought a Seekins PH2 in 300 WinMag. I’ve shot a 300 for several years. Never have owned a rifle with a brake, but it is tempting with this new purchase. My question is do I want a brake with radial porting or one with side directional porting? Will one be louder to the shooter? Will one reduce recoil better? I do not want to shoot at the range with a brake then hunt without it since POI will not be the same. If I hunt with one, I will not be using ear protection. Hunting is one or two shots. Will one or two shots with a brake kill my hearing? I did order a BackStop recoil pad from Backfire. I shot a gun last week and it had the stock pad, then shot it with the backstop pad and there was a big difference.

 

[Megalodon]

Absolutely do not shoot anything with a muzzle brake even once without ear pro.

 

[TNKnoxville]

I use a SRS TI Pro 5 (side ports) on my 300 Win Mag. I do not like the radial breaks. Yes I use hearing protection, but you need it whether shooting a break or not. The breaks are load but the gun shoots so soft with it!!!!!!

 

[Mw01313]

Just bought a Seekins PH2 in 300 WinMag. I’ve shot a 300 for several years. Never have owned a rifle with a brake, but it is tempting with this new purchase. My question is do I want a brake with radial porting or one with side directional porting? Will one be louder to the shooter? Will one reduce recoil better? I do not want to shoot at the range with a brake then hunt without it since POI will not be the same. If I hunt with one, I will not be using ear protection. Hunting is one or two shots. Will one or two shots with a brake kill my hearing? I did order a BackStop recoil pad from Backfire. I shot a gun last week and it had the stock pad, then shot it with the backstop pad and there was a big difference.

As said above, if you go with a brake, wear ear pro even with single shots hunting. Take it from a 40 year old with a 70 year old's ears.
I swapped my stock radial brake out for a side port to cut down on crap thrown up when shooting prone. Seemed to help with that. Blast seems to be a bit worse due to everything being concentrated out the side vs. 360 degrees. Ymmv.

 

[rookieforever33]

Use ear protection, no compromise. A radial brake will throw way more dirt around on a prone shot than you think it will. Side ports send more of a shockwave but I feel lessen recoil better. Some actually vent at an backwards angle to help with recoil.

 

[5811]

If I hunt with one, I will not be using ear protection. Hunting is one or two shots. Will one or two shots with a brake kill my hearing?

Intant deaf - no. But the ringing might not stop.

It just keeps ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing.....

 

[wapitibob]

Get a self timing 5 port Ti brake from the Rokslide store, shoot with plugs and electronic muffs at the range, and plugs when hunting. If you shoot a 300 with a 5 port brake and no plugs it'll cross your eyes.

or make the right choice and buy a suppressor

 

[Unckebob]

Just bought a Seekins PH2 in 300 WinMag. I’ve shot a 300 for several years. Never have owned a rifle with a brake, but it is tempting with this new purchase. My question is do I want a brake with radial porting or one with side directional porting? Will one be louder to the shooter? Will one reduce recoil better? I do not want to shoot at the range with a brake then hunt without it since POI will not be the same. If I hunt with one, I will not be using ear protection. Hunting is one or two shots. Will one or two shots with a brake kill my hearing? I did order a BackStop recoil pad from Backfire. I shot a gun last week and it had the stock pad, then shot it with the backstop pad and there was a big difference.

Get a suppressor rather than a muzzle brake. You'll get most of the recoil reduction w/o the hearing problem.

I am deaf in my right ear. Don't risk your hearing when it is easy to protect.

 

[coachmks]

Thanks for the input. I’m 54. 30 years of shooting 3.5” loads from a duck blind hasn’t helped my hearing. I never shoot prone, so that is why I was thinking about a radial brake. I won’t buy a suppressor as long as the government thinks it’s ok to use the ATF to regulate accessories. That’s an entirely different argument. My plan, for now, is shoot it first with the new recoil pad then decide. Since I’ve shot a 300 off and on since I was 15, I might now want a brake.

 

[J.B.]

Question for guys with hearing problems they believe are from muzzle brakes. At what point did you realize it was an issue?

Im 35, have hunted with a braked rifle for a while, probably 30ish shots in the field with no ear protection. I realize Im being stupid, and should just make a point of taking plugs and using them. I plan to in the future. Compared to a lot of guys I hunt with, I would say my hearing is still better than most. I can pick out bugles better than most of them.

Do the issues creep in over time? I would love to use a can, but thats a no go in Canada…

 

[J.B.]

Thanks for the input. I’m 54. 30 years of shooting 3.5” loads from a duck blind hasn’t helped my hearing. I never shoot prone, so that is why I was thinking about a radial brake. I won’t buy a suppressor as long as the government thinks it’s ok to use the ATF to regulate accessories. That’s an entirely different argument. My plan, for now, is shoot it first with the new recoil pad then decide. Since I’ve shot a 300 off and on since I was 15, I might now want a brake.

If you decide to go with a brake, I switched from a radial to a benchmark miller 3 port on my 270 wsm and it made spotting shots noticeably easier.

 

[wapitibob]

Question for guys with hearing problems they believe are from muzzle brakes. At what point did you realize it was an issue?

The day after I fire formed 60 pcs of brass with electronic muffs only. Constant ringing for the last 1-1/2 years. Never had the slightest bit of ringing or tinnitus before that day.

 

[Mw01313]

Question for guys with hearing problems they believe are from muzzle brakes. At what point did you realize it was an issue?

Im 35, have hunted with a braked rifle for a while, probably 30ish shots in the field with no ear protection. I realize Im being stupid, and should just make a point of taking plugs and using them. I plan to in the future. Compared to a lot of guys I hunt with, I would say my hearing is still better than most. I can pick out bugles better than most of them.

Do the issues creep in over time? I would love to use a can, but thats a no go in Canada…

I am 40 now. Have noticed the last 10 years my hearing has progressively gotten worse. My main problem isn't turkeys, bugles, etc. (Though that has gotten harder). Conversation in a crowded room is where I see the biggest loss. Just sounds like a jumbled low roar. I've shot a braked magnum since high school and was never good about ear plugs in the field.
There are only two times I can remember the effect being immediate. One was a rodeo with a bull. Think I fired 7x from a braked 7 rm. Ears rang a solid 14 days.
Second was only 1 shot. I popped my left plug out to try to hear a pig I was slipping in on. He immediately walked into the road at 20 yds and I shot him without thinking. That was a 22" 300wm with a side port. That one actually was painful at the time.
Should have gotten on the suppressor train a long time ago.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Question for guys with hearing problems they believe are from muzzle brakes. At what point did you realize it was an issue?

I already had constant ringing before but shooting without ears in while hunting once felt like someone clapped my ears open handed and the ringing was alot louder for a while. Never again.

My kids hunt now so I bought suppressors.

 

[WormSportsman]

Do not shoot a brake without hearing pro like others have said. I enjoyed the reduction in recoil on my rifles but after a couple of animals shot with no hearing protection on, my left ear rings constantly. It was a span of 4-5 years shooting with hearing protection at the range and hunting without most of the time. I always had plugs with me while hunting and had every intention of putting them in each time. Sometimes I remembered and sometimes I did not. Wish someone told me back then how dumb I was being and it was absolutely not worth it.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Conversation in a crowded room is where I see the biggest loss. Just sounds like a jumbled low roar.

yep

 

[Pickettpuncher]

Question for guys with hearing problems they believe are from muzzle brakes. At what point did you realize it was an issue?

Im 35, have hunted with a braked rifle for a while, probably 30ish shots in the field with no ear protection. I realize Im being stupid, and should just make a point of taking plugs and using them. I plan to in the future. Compared to a lot of guys I hunt with, I would say my hearing is still better than most. I can pick out bugles better than most of them.

Do the issues creep in over time? I would love to use a can, but thats a no go in Canada…

My hearing loss is a huge combination of things, but I’m getting to where I can’t hear someone talk across the room. I find my constantly having to walk over to them, and then sideways so they’re basically talking directly into my ear. I’m 38. What you’ll find this is certain noises you’ll hear just fine and others you’ll never pick up. It’s a slow process and you’ll be pretty blind to it until you realize what you’ve been missing out on. One tell tale sign of hearing loss is how loud you talk to others. I’ve shot basically all my life and never got serious about hearing protection while shooting until I was in my 20s. I hunt with a brake on my muzzleloader, without protection. I’ll probably get a can for it in the near future after using a can during rifle season. So much easier on the ears.

I’ve worked with wood chippers, dozers, backhoes, concrete trucks, dump trucks, and anything in the construction field for the last 15 years. Add all those rifle shots thru my teen years and the hearing just ain’t what it used to be.

 

[J.B.]

My hearing loss is a huge combination of things, but I’m getting to where I can’t hear someone talk across the room. I find my constantly having to walk over to them, and then sideways so they’re basically talking directly into my ear. I’m 38. What you’ll find this is certain noises you’ll hear just fine and others you’ll never pick up. It’s a slow process and you’ll be pretty blind to it until you realize what you’ve been missing out on. One tell tale sign of hearing loss is how loud you talk to others. I’ve shot basically all my life and never got serious about hearing protection while shooting until I was in my 20s. I hunt with a brake on my muzzleloader, without protection. I’ll probably get a can for it in the near future after using a can during rifle season. So much easier on the ears.

I’ve worked with wood chippers, dozers, backhoes, concrete trucks, dump trucks, and anything in the construction field for the last 15 years. Add all those rifle shots thru my teen years and the hearing just ain’t what it used to be.

Thanks for the reply. Im religious with ear protection at work, and always wore it operating heavy equipment in my previous career. I think that may be whats keeping me ok for now. Need to find something convenient for hunting.