Muzzle brake - worth it?

[marshland_max]

I did my tour with breaks it was short lived.... no breaks on any of my guns and only have one threaded barrel now & that's has a thread protector lol

 

[pk_]

I like them for shooting.

I hate them for hunting.

Forgot to throw the plugs in on a buck I shot 2 years ago and my ears are still ringing, literally.

 

[Ikmclean]

It took one shot using a break without ear protection to know I would never use one again. I forgot to put on my ear protection once. You just never know what will happen in a hunting situation and to me its just not worth the risk I will forget again.

I won't even hunt with others that run brakes, ported shotgun chokes are almost as bad

 

[Echo]

Thanks for all of the feedback and shared experiences. It does seem to be a good option for shooting at the range but I’m strongly leaning towards no brake for hunting - I know I’d have time to put in ear protection in a hunting scenario, I’m just worried I’d forget to put it in!

 

[hereinaz]

^This^. Great for the range, but I never use a brake hunting. And, I've never noticed recoil (or noise, really) in the field.

While I own suppressors, the marked increase in hunting usage escapes me. Not worth it, IMO. I'd make an exception for long range predator hunting with multiple targets (prairie dogs, for example). But I have no access to that.

Hearing the thump of a solid impact on the animal.
Being able to whisper and talk without ear pro.
Not messing with ear plugs.
Scaring fewer animals.
Drawing less human attention.

Those are all meaningful to me.

 

[MaraviaDave]

Suppressors are great for low recoiling, high round count, training rifles.

Brakes are great for heavy recoiling, low round count, hunting rifles.

 

[fisherman983]

I think they are very useful in many scenarios… I put a brake on a rifle recently, and it’s weird shooting it, like no recoil at all… that rifle will be used by my wife and daughter, as impressive as a brake is, I don’t want to deal with it

I think a suppressor is the way to go, but if it’s a rifle that doesn’t bother me to shoot, I don’t care that much

If I ever have a niche for something big (30 cal/338magnum) I would brake it, but that wouldn’t be an every day rifle, it would have a specific niche.

Depends on how you feel about your rifle… if the recoil is manageable, I don’t think it’s worth it, if your rifle gets uncomfortable to shoot, I think the brake is a better option, get some handy ear protection and use it every single time in the woods and get more substantial ear protection for the range… it’s that simple to me

I got my wife some electric ear bud type hearing protection for hunting, they easily fit in her bino harness and I can still communicate with her right up to the shot and after

You'll learn to love a brake. It makes spotting your shots hunting alone a piece of cake.
I never thought I'd like one or use one. But now I wouldn't hunt without one. And I've shot mine a couple times without ear protection and it wasn't any louder than no brake, but I think that all depends on what brake you use.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[fisherman983]

I was using a MBM 4 port Beast.

I've shot the same brake unprotected a couple times. Didn't notice any real difference in sound/decible increase. just concussion.

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[fisherman983]

Take the radial cheese grater and toss it in the trash.
Then get a good radial brake and you'll be fine.

Lots of good brakes and a few great ones.

I prefer the MBM models.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[JohnJohnson]

Suppressors are great for low recoiling, high round count, training rifles.

Brakes are great for heavy recoiling, low round count, hunting rifles.

A suppressor on a heavy recoiling rifle is also good though. It transforms the recoil into a slow push. It certainly doesn't help spot POI as well but it also doesn't abuse your ears with re-directed muzzle concussion/noise from a large cartridge. Which can cause flinches as much as recoil can.

 

[MaraviaDave]

A suppressor on a heavy recoiling rifle is also good though. It transforms the recoil into a slow push. It certainly doesn't help spot POI as well but it also doesn't abuse your ears with re-directed muzzle concussion/noise from a large cartridge. Which can cause flinches as much as recoil can.

Having a suppressor on your rifle hangs up a lot more in brush and trees while strapped to your pack and turns into a dirt scoop when the rifle is in your hands. Not to mention adding another pound or more to the rifle.

From my perspective, It’s hard to justify their use for a single shot or two while hunting.

I’ve shot suppressors for over 17 years on bolt and gas guns. There are a number of applications where they’re of value. Hunting in the mountains or on foot, with your rifle strapped to your pack or in your hands, isn’t one of them.

 

[C10]

I prefer a brake when shooting. If hunting with it make sure to remember ear pro.

 

[Idaho4x4Bronco]

Be careful man it might not seem terrible shooting braked in a hunting scenario without earpro but it's going to do serious damage to your hearing.
I had a guy torch off a braked M60 next to me in a training scenario and I have permanent tinnitus.
I'll use a brake in open country long range scenarios but for anything else I've gone suppressed, best shit ton of money I ever spent

Lol, here's some irony for you.
I'm actually going to brake all my rifles because at 31, I have very bad tinnitus from shooting w/o ear pro. I wont take any shot anymore except self defense w/o earplugs now, so might as well brake them.

Tinnitus sucks, and I always said what that other fella said about being pumped up and it not effecting me.

 

[Nateskate11]

I actually run nothing but brakes on my hunting rifles. Its crazy what some of the aftermarket brakes do these days for reducing recoil. I value recoil management and being able to spot shots better. Some of my primary hunting spots in state are places that its usually windy as hell. Last year I shot my deer and the wind was so loud it didnt matter what I had lol.

On a side note: I cant believe how long I went growing up duck hunting without ear pro. Probably 4 years ago I started wearing ear protection for that. It is a game changer.

 

[JeffRaines]

On a side note: I cant believe how long I went growing up duck hunting without ear pro. Probably 4 years ago I started wearing ear protection for that. It is a game changer.

It blows my mind the amount of people who claim to care about their hearing and that’s why they don’t use a brake - but the reason for not using a brake is because “I don’t want to ruin my hearing if I shoot without ear pro”… what?

It’s a free country - do whatever you want. I don’t want my hearing to get any worse as I get older. If that costs me a shot opportunity then so be it - do we really care about shooting an animal over being able to hear?

 

[Bsevans5]

I hunt with a 300 win mag. Recoil was so bad I couldn't sight it in. Put a break on it and I don't know what kind if voodoo the guy used when he designed it, but it's shocking how reduced the recoil is. I hunt with it. Forgot to put ear pro in when hunting once. It rang, but no more than some smaller rifles I've shot. It's a little magical

 

[WCB]

Get a suppressor ....brakes are obnoxious

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Get a suppressor ....brakes are obnoxious

This...tried one for a season while I was waiting on my stamp. Not a fan...Now all my rifles are threaded and chopped to 18" with my 6" can it makes my rifles a couple inches longer than a regular rifle. Spotting impacts thru the scope, reduced recoil, and the sound on the impact are worth the suppressor paperwork. Not having to worry about ear pro is a bonus.

 

[mac424]

I use VG6 brakes on my semi auto rifles, but probably not for hunting. I agree with most that a suppressor is the way to go. I love my can on my 308.

 

[WRM]

Hearing the thump of a solid impact on the animal.
Being able to whisper and talk without ear pro.
Not messing with ear plugs.
Scaring fewer animals.
Drawing less human attention.

Those are all meaningful to me.

If they were meaningful to me, I guess I'd feel differently.