Whats your opinion on muzzle brakes?

They are great! But it's not a good way to make friends.
My sako brake on my tacticle .308 can wake the dead!
 
I love my muzzle brake on my long range rifle, but I don't shoot it at the range. Its a 300 win mag and whether I'm doing load development or reaching out, its absolutely a fantastic help when you shoot any amount, particularly when I want to follow my shots. My long range rifle is 8 pounds with the scope and I will take any help I can get. Unlike some of the tough guys on here, if I don't do something to ameliorate the recoil I will develop a flinch and as accuracy for me is far more important than pretending I don't feel recoil.
I did however once leave my earmuffs around my neck, that was the last time as it was exceedingly unpleasant.
 
stubblejumper said:
So what type of hearing protection protects a person from the concussive wave that a brake produces if you are at the next bench? As to the AR shooters, most of them that I see are only concerned with emptying the mag as quickly as they can, usually at a very large target, at very close range. At the rate of fire that these people are using, they are lucky to keep all of their shots on the target, let alone see the bullet holes as they are shooting.:p
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http://precisionrifleblog.com/2015/08/07/muzzle-brakes-sound-test/

Using this well thought out review of muzzle brakes as my baseline, and assuming that the shooter beside was in a worst case scenario of a 1m distance directly 90 degrees from the brake, as is closer to the standard seen in a sniper/ spotter style shooting combo instead of 2-4m away as most ranges are set up for bench shooting, hearing protection with an NRR of ~25-26, or a combination of plugs and any half decent 15-20 NRR headphones will bring you safely under the 140db hearing damage range. Properly fitted earplugs or muffs reduce noise between 15-30db. Decent quality earplugs and muffs are approximately equal in sound reduction, although earplugs are better for low frequency noise and earmuffs for high frequency noise. A good general rule of thumb I have been taught is that when using muffs and plugs together, take the higher DB rating of the two and add 5DB. 30NRR plugs with 20 NRR muffs gives an effective NRR of 35 as an example.

The distraction that the brake causes to a shooter directly next to them is a different issue, but in terms of safety, either a good set of muffs, or average muffs and plugs will keep your ears safe and sound with a wide variety of 30 caliber muzzle brakes. For larger and more powerful calibers such as .338LM and 50BMG, you may need to upgrade your hearing protection by as much as 8db to 15db, assuming you were brave enough to sit 1m away from the brake of a .50BMG.


Regarding the comment about the AR shooters, that is a fairly broad statement you make, and while I'm sure plenty of shooters only go for mag dumps sometimes with their range toy, which a muzzle brake most surely helps to do so with greater control, not everybody only dumps the mag out of their firearm every single time. There are plenty of great uses for them.


My suggestion is that if people are having significant and ongoing issues with other peoples muzzle blast at their ranges, politely suggest to the brake shooting members and the range ownership that perhaps it may be a cheap and worthwhile investment that everybody can chip a few bucks into at the next AGM to install some simple sound walls between the shooting lanes. For less than a few thousand dollars of lumber and labor, a simple insulated plywood sound wall can be erected that protects all shooters from being effected by the bulk of the concussive effects of aggressive muzzle brakes.

Just my .02. ;)
 
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Kevin M. said:
http://precisionrifleblog.com/2015/08/07/muzzle-brakes-sound-test/

Using this well thought out review of muzzle brakes as my baseline, and assuming that the shooter beside was in a worst case scenario of a 1m distance directly 90 degrees from the brake, as is closer to the standard seen in a sniper/ spotter style shooting combo instead of 2-4m away as most ranges are set up for bench shooting, hearing protection with an NRR of ~25-26, or a combination of plugs and any half decent 15-20 NRR headphones will bring you safely under the 140db hearing damage range. Properly fitted earplugs or muffs reduce noise between 15-30db. Decent quality earplugs and muffs are approximately equal in sound reduction, although earplugs are better for low frequency noise and earmuffs for high frequency noise. A good general rule of thumb I have been taught is that when using muffs and plugs together, take the higher DB rating of the two and add 5DB. 30NRR plugs with 20 NRR muffs gives an effective NRR of 35 as an example.

The distraction that the brake causes to a shooter directly next to them is a different issue, but in terms of safety, either a good set of muffs, or average muffs and plugs will keep your ears safe and sound with a wide variety of 30 caliber muzzle brakes. For larger and more powerful calibers such as .338LM and 50BMG, you may need to upgrade your hearing protection by as much as 8db to 15db, assuming you were brave enough to sit 1m away from the brake of a .50BMG.


Regarding the comment about the AR shooters, that is a fairly broad statement you make, and while I'm sure plenty of shooters only go for mag dumps sometimes with their range toy, which a muzzle brake most surely helps to do so with greater control, not everybody only dumps the mag out of their firearm every single time. There are plenty of great uses for them.


My suggestion is that if people are having significant and ongoing issues with other peoples muzzle blast at their ranges, politely suggest to the brake shooting members and the range ownership that perhaps it may be a cheap and worthwhile investment that everybody can chip a few bucks into at the next AGM to install some simple sound walls between the shooting lanes. For less than a few thousand dollars of lumber and labor, a simple insulated plywood sound wall can be erected that protects all shooters from being effected by the bulk of the concussive effects of aggressive muzzle brakes.

Just my .02. ;)
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Unfortunately hearing protection only prevents the sound pressure from entering your ear canal, it does not protect your head from the concussive wave, which can in itself be a health risk.
 
stubblejumper said:
Unfortunately hearing protection only prevents the sound pressure from entering your ear canal, it does not protect your head from the concussive wave, which can in itself be a health risk.
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This is hunting and sporting...... not precision....

Nobody gives a fat rat's arse about your club's executive view (it really should be common sense).... or Brian's penchant for "hunting" deer from a mile away......

Take it to PM......
 
Superbrad said:
This is hunting and sporting...... not precision....

Nobody gives a fat rat's arse about your club's executive view (it really should be common sense).... or Brian's penchant for "hunting" deer from a mile away......

Take it to PM......
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I'm not picky with the 50, I will shoot em point blank.
 
Brian46 said:
I'm not picky with the 50, I will shoot em point blank.
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I don't give said flying rat's arse if you want to "stop swallowing them when you are done pulling the trigger" as hoytcanon so eloquently put it once.....

OP asked a simple question and got some great contributions, including some from a guy like me who actually owns a similar (basically identical), rifle with a brake and other options......

There was no need to go down the unnecessary rabbit hole.....
 
I don't claim to fully understand the health hazards related to blast overpressure caused by muzzle brakes as opposed to unbraked rifles, and I'd be happy to be corrected if wrong, but I'm not personally worried about much besides hearing damage from using insufficient hearing protection.

I have to compare braked rifles, which average in the 160-170db range, to military artillery such as the 105mm towed howitzer (charge 8) at 183db or the 60mm mortar (charge 4) at 185db. The men who operate this equipment frequently, even when double plugging, tend to report hearing loss and can report mTBI (mild Traumatic Brain Injury, ie minor concussion) due to the direct and repeated results of blast overpressure, which being 10-25db higher according to how the decibel scale works equates to 10 to 150 times more intense or 2 to 6 times louder in scale. (The db scale is a funky scale)


I'm sure there may be some hazards relating to sitting fairly close to a muzzle braked rifles for extended periods, but with how the intensity of sound works, I wouldn't be overly worried about getting a concussion or hearing damage, more like a headache and crap in my eyes. If there is other damage, I'd like to hear what that is so I can learn, but that seems to be the most common hazard.

With all that said, the sound walls would still be the best solution to staying away from blast overpressure in my opinion. Cheap, effective, lets everybody use their toys, and keeps everybody happy. :)
 
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wd113 said:
stubblejumper

Jeez, your club sounds so fun.... So your saying you will kick people out for having a muzzle break? So whats the name of this club?
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I posted no such thing, it sounds like your reading comprehension is a little off. But if your muzzle is broken, you should get it repaired or replaced.
 
I guess the best place to be when someone is shooting a braked .50 would be directly behind them. (Or my DA50 anyway, as it seems to vent to the sides and not really too far back.

Interesting stuff Kevin M, thanks
 
Brian46 said:
I'm not picky with the 50, I will shoot em point blank.
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:)

I've never shot anything with a .50 but the bullets are probably fairly stout, and moving at moderate velocity- a behind the shoulder shot even at close range might not produce much more than a 50 caliber hole right through?
 
Gatehouse said:
I guess the best place to be when someone is shooting a braked .50 would be directly behind them. (Or my DA50 anyway, as it seems to vent to the sides and not really too far back.

Interesting stuff Kevin M, thanks
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Behind has generally been my limited experience too. Seems I have a lot more experience being in the next bench over though... lol

It really just comes down to being considerate of others. I don't feel like the real big guns are really the issue either. Most people shooting large rifles are trying for accuracy, and ammo costs can be considerate as well, which both drive people to shoot slower.

Alternatively, ammo costs on an AR or SKS are comparatively low, and some of the people who are driven to these sorts of platforms ruin it for everyone. The simple fact that it's easy to run through 100+ rounds in 30 minutes with these platforms drives certain people to them. The problem is only 1 in 4 or 5 people on the line needs a brake (2 on either side of you) for it to be an uncomfortable experience for many.

It only takes a few dicks to ruin it for everyone. Muzzle brakes are another example of this.
 
Gatehouse said:
I guess the best place to be when someone is shooting a braked .50 would be directly behind them. (Or my DA50 anyway, as it seems to vent to the sides and not really too far back.

Interesting stuff Kevin M, thanks
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No worries. I love digging my teeth into things like this, it's a great way to learn.

And yes, directly behind the shooter is definitely the best place to be for the lowest amount of muzzle blast, although it's much more fun to just shoot it, shoot it some more, then shoot it at different ranges even more to really learn your gun and your dope. ;)
 
Gatehouse said:
:)

I've never shot anything with a .50 but the bullets are probably fairly stout, and moving at moderate velocity- a behind the shoulder shot even at close range might not produce much more than a 50 caliber hole right through?
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head or neck shots only at close range is what I do.
 
I've got brakes on a few long range rifles, some of which go hunting. Usually they were bought that way. Mostly it's not so much about recoil reduction as watching the bullets hit. I seem to manage a couple .375 h&hs, a .375 Weatherby, .416 Rigby and .458 Lott currently without issue and without brakes.

Despite shooting thousands of rounds out of braked barrels; I've got a definite love/hate thing going with them. Most of my shooting is at my own range, so the noise to others is minimized. Most of the time the only guy around to
hear it is my usual shooting partner and he has more brakes than I do.

Hunting, I hate them. I've been blasted so hard that I thought I'd been shot. Usually it was by my own gun, and nobody's fault but my own. Still hurts like bloody hell.
 
Kelly Timoffee said:
And how many times are you going to repeat this one?
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As many times as people ask.

If you don't agree with the caliber I hunt with or my shot placement that is fine, but when others with the same caliber express interest in hunting with it, why the attitude? My hunting practices fall well within my provincial hunting regulations as legal and i strive myself on only ethical kills. I can assure you my personal ethics when it comes to taking game is much higher than that I see of other hunters in the field
 
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