Muzzle Brake Question

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Total_eclipse

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I have a clamp on muzzle brake for the 7mm RemMag, I currently shoot 150 grains from it. My son 17 years old will now be shooting it, he is strong and muscular enough to shoot the 12 gauge shot gun.I have never put the muzzle brake on the rifle and shot it myself to know how it feels.
I am concerned that the muzzle brake might be damaging to the ears and do more harm than good. If I do put it on, I don't plan to remove it while hunting. Is it a good idea to put it on? Thanks
 
There is a serious risk of hearing damage if you don't wear ear protection and shoot with a muzzle brake. And who wants to wear hearing protection on a hunt? I don't. Let him try it without the brake and see how he fairs. If he insists on adding on the brake, I would tell him he's not ready for a 7mm mag and maybe you should buy him a 243 or similar.
 
Very true, unfortunately during hunting, I have shot almost all of the time without any hearing protection. I would love to hear from other's if during hunting they wear hearing protection and if it has impacted their hearing. My friend has been shooting rifles with muzzle brakes and has suffered some hearing loss.
 
No brake. Just my opinion, but I’d have him learn to shoot without it, or go with a lighter-recoiling rifle - everyone’s ears (especially his) will thank you. A 7mm mag doesn’t kick that much.
 
One shot with a braked rifle without hearing protection can cause permanent hearing damage. A former co worker is living proof, and his annual hearing tests at work have proven it. On the other hand, I never use muzzle brakes, have hunted over 50 years with no hearing protection, and according to hearing tests, my hearing is actually better than normal for my age.
 
Grizzlypeg said:
There is a serious risk of hearing damage if you don't wear ear protection and shoot with a muzzle brake. And who wants to wear hearing protection on a hunt? I don't. Let him try it without the brake and see how he fairs. If he insists on adding on the brake, I would tell him he's not ready for a 7mm mag and maybe you should buy him a 243 or similar.
Click to expand...

Very serious likelihood of hearing damage without a muzzle brake as well.
 
Total_eclipse said:
Very true, unfortunately during hunting, I have shot almost all of the time without any hearing protection. I would love to hear from other's if during hunting they wear hearing protection and if it has impacted their hearing. My friend has been shooting rifles with muzzle brakes and has suffered some hearing loss.
Click to expand...

I've started wearing an earplug in my left ear when upland hunting. Shotgun, no brake obviously, and not as loud as a HP rifle, but I still notice some muffled hearing for a few hours after hunting, so I stared to wear a plug in that ear.

Not perfect solution, but I can still hear the birds shuffling around through my right ear, and my right is protected a bit from the noise by my shoulder and the stock.

I should probably buy proper hearing protection, that enhances the sounds when it's quiet, but protects from the bang.

For big game hunting I don't bother. You make one or two shots a year if you're lucky, and often there's time to put earplugs in before the shot.
 
Total_eclipse said:
Very true, unfortunately during hunting, I have shot almost all of the time without any hearing protection. I would love to hear from other's if during hunting they wear hearing protection and if it has impacted their hearing.
Click to expand...

I’ve had tinnitus as long as I can remember, I currently wear ear pro whenever I shoot a gun including while hunting. I wear electronic ear muffs with gel pads, so they are very comfortable to wear for long periods. You can turn up the low decibel noise and amplify sounds in the bush, they cancel out any high decibel noise like a gunshot. I prefer to keep what hearing I have left and my Howard Leights are the best way for me to protect it, I wear them on the tractor or riding mower. Pretty much wear some type of ear pro if I’m using machinery or power tools.

The beauty of electronic muff is when I double up with a plug I can turn the volume right up and still have a conversation or catch range commands.
 
I always wear hearing protection when shooting. There are no exceptions. Modern electronic ear protection enhances your hearing and protects it from loud noises, and they are not very expensive. Anyone who willingly shoots without protection is a fool in my eyes and deserves the damage caused by their inflated egos and/or pride.
 
Out in the open with no roof to reflect the blast most brakes seem no louder to the shooter.

When hunting you probably are only going to shoot 1 or 2 shots and you don't need to wear hearing protection for that...

I wear hearing aids today but my hearing loss had nothing to do with a lifetime of shooting outdoors. The doctors say it was a hereditary loss and not in the frequency range of damage caused by shooting.

Brakes do not increase the sound level, they redirect it... so it is the person beside the shooter who will experience what seems to be a louder blast... and at a range the reflective blast affect everyone. Standing beside your truck there will be some reflective noise as well.
 
Canuck65 said:
I've started wearing an earplug in my left ear when upland hunting. Shotgun, no brake obviously, and not as loud as a HP rifle, but I still notice some muffled hearing for a few hours after hunting, so I stared to wear a plug in that ear.

Not perfect solution, but I can still hear the birds shuffling around through my right ear, and my right is protected a bit from the noise by my shoulder and the stock.

I should probably buy proper hearing protection, that enhances the sounds when it's quiet, but protects from the bang.

For big game hunting I don't bother. You make one or two shots a year if you're lucky, and often there's time to put earplugs in before the shot.
Click to expand...

That’s exactly what I do as well when hunting. If you are shooting from right shoulder/right handed your left ear is angled more toward the muzzle and gets the brunt of the blast. I do this chicken hunting and also for big game as well. Usually you are wearing a hat or something that covers your ears in cold weather so the few shots you take won’t hurt the other ear without the earplug.
 
Total_eclipse said:
Very true, unfortunately during hunting, I have shot almost all of the time without any hearing protection. I would love to hear from other's if during hunting they wear hearing protection and if it has impacted their hearing. My friend has been shooting rifles with muzzle brakes and has suffered some hearing loss.
Click to expand...

Foam deci-damps are cheap insurance to protect ones ears....
Your sons' hearing is worthy of protecting at this stage of his life.
My hearing has been damaged from recreational shooting/hunting over the years and am paying for it now (tinnitus).
Your going to do what you are going to do regardless of the recommendations/consensus of the majority here .
Protect his hearing now regardless of your thoughts on the muzzle brake.
 
Tinnitus-
Is hereditary
Is an inner ear issue

Not from running the vacuum cleaner w/o ear protection,or from shooting.

I've lived with it my whole life, since childhood.
Silence is NOT Golden!!
Jet engine freq in left ear
Vacuum cleaner freq in right ear.

A range trip consists of 3-4 rounds of 357Mag w/o plugs/muffs to Tone Down the Tinnitus.
AAAAAAhhhhhh!!

Sordin Electronic Muffs....second to NONE.

The only time Tinnitus is not heard is when I'm semi-comotos while sleeping.
 
Hello. I was in the same boat as you. I have a little hunter who I want to help reduce felt recoil for. I have done quite a bit of shooting with and without the muzzle break, and my conclusion was to remove it. The extra noise (and it was noticeable difference) was not worth the less recoil. If this was a range rifle, wearing ear pro would be no big deal at all. As a hunting rig, less sound was the better option. I tried hunting numerous times with ear pro, and it just doesnt work for us.
 
stubblejumper said:
One shot with a braked rifle without hearing protection can cause permanent hearing damage. A former co worker is living proof, and his annual hearing tests at work have proven it. On the other hand, I never use muzzle brakes, have hunted over 50 years with no hearing protection, and according to hearing tests, my hearing is actually better than normal for my age.
Click to expand...

A friend I used to shoot with had completely shot the upper frequency ranges of his hearing due to not wearing hearing protection in decades of hunting. it shocked me how bad his hearing was.



kthomas said:
Very serious likelihood of hearing damage without a muzzle brake as well.
Click to expand...

Yep. However a round from a braked magnum would be just brutal on the ears.



S1de8urnz said:
Hello. I was in the same boat as you. I have a little hunter who I want to help reduce felt recoil for. I have done quite a bit of shooting with and without the muzzle break, and my conclusion was to remove it. The extra noise (and it was noticeable difference) was not worth the less recoil. If this was a range rifle, wearing ear pro would be no big deal at all. As a hunting rig, less sound was the better option. I tried hunting numerous times with ear pro, and it just doesnt work for us.
Click to expand...

It's a good thing the CDN govt has banned the most effective means to quiet a rifle shot. :( :( :(

By law, CDN hunters must injure themselves when rifle hunting. :(
 
guntech said:
Out in the open with no roof to reflect the blast most brakes seem no louder to the shooter.

When hunting you probably are only going to shoot 1 or 2 shots and you don't need to wear hearing protection for that...

I wear hearing aids today but my hearing loss had nothing to do with a lifetime of shooting outdoors. The doctors say it was a hereditary loss and not in the frequency range of damage caused by shooting.

Brakes do not increase the sound level, they redirect it... so it is the person beside the shooter who will experience what seems to be a louder blast... and at a range the reflective blast affect everyone. Standing beside your truck there will be some reflective noise as well.
Click to expand...

And shooting in timber , the noise resonates off of the trees. A co worker suffered permanent hearing loss from one shot with a braked rifle while elk hunting in the timber.
 
I wear hearing protection for everything, I only wear insert plugs but I keep them in personal vehicle, shooting bag, work truck, hunting bag, lunch bag. Etc etc. I get boxes of them for free at work, so why not use them? My grandfather only had about 25% hearing when I was a kid and my father is deaf in one ear. I don’t want to have to deal with that, and working around machinery every single day and shooting/hunting as my hobby. I pretty much have to walk around with them in my pocket lol.
 
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