How many of you hunt with a muzzle brake?

[BenInMT]

I‘m half deaf from hunting with a muzzle brake and trying to protect what remains of my hearing. All suppressed for me for the rest of my life

 

[A207X2]

I was unaware that I was exchanging views with an English major. I'll endeavor to pay more attention to sentence, paragraph structure and grammar in future posts,

Let's see the difference that grammar makes:

"Let's eat Grandma!"

or

"Let's eat, Grandma!"

 

[Hammsolo]

I was unaware that I was exchanging views with an English major. I'll endeavor to pay more attention to sentence, paragraph structure and grammar in future posts,

If you want to be clearly understood it’s important. I can see you’re not and that’s okay.

 

[Hamm59701]

Currently no but next rifle definitely will. Hearing protection is mandatory either way. Totally down for suppressors bur cost and regs are ridiculous for a can.

 

[brockel]

I‘m half deaf from hunting with a muzzle brake and trying to protect what remains of my hearing. All suppressed for me for the rest of my life

That’s my plan as well. Selling some pieces to build the rifle right now

 

[MLaird]

I do hunt with a radial muzzle break on my 7 mag, but I ALWAYS shoot with hearing protection. I’ve never missed a chance because of it.

That said, I am waiting on a suppressor. I had a 6.5-284 built on a Tikka action, with a 21” Benchmark #3 with a 7.5 twist. The suppressor is still in jail(9 months now) but my gunsmith is a friend and put it on the rifle and we went antelope hunting. I was able to fill by either sex tag with it. What a dream to shoot...

 

[brockel]

I do hunt with a radial muzzle break on my 7 mag, but I ALWAYS shoot with hearing protection. I’ve never missed a chance because of it.

That said, I am waiting on a suppressor. I had a 6.5-284 built on a Tikka action, with a 21” Benchmark #3 with a 7.5 twist. The suppressor is still in jail(9 months now) but my gunsmith is a friend and put it on the rifle and we went antelope hunting. I was able to fill by either sex tag with it. What a dream to shoot...

What velocity are you getting with the 21”? I’m in the planning stages of a 20” barreled 7mm Sherman max for my suppressor

 

[Jape]

I use them because my ears ring without ear protection when shooting a rifle with a break or without a break. I now use ear protection on every hunt and figure I might as well get some recoil reduction as an added benefit.

 

[MLaird]

What velocity are you getting with the 21”? I’m in the planning stages of a 20” barreled 7mm Sherman max for my suppressor

So long story short, I haven’t done a proper load development or chronyed anything yet, we just chucked in some of my friend’s ammo that he developed for his own rifle…and it worked beautifully. Based on an educated guess and some long range shooting results(at 500 yards), it’s shooting about 2900 fps with a 143 eldx.

The plan is for that to be a practice round. For hunting I’m going to load up some 129gr Absolute Hammers. Hoping for 3100 from those.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

One brake and I might put one on my .300. I typically hunt my 6.5, no brake. I always have a set of foamies. I avoid rushed shots so they work. My keenest sense is my hearing. Which is surprising after shooting for years and working on America’s loudest jet, you’d think I’d be deaf. I protect my hearing.

 

[TrumpkinTheDwarf]

I don't like recoil, but I detest the shockwave from muzzle brakes. Even double ear plugged and 10 feet back from the shooting line, I don't like them AT ALL. I'd rather go down the cartridge scale to a small caliber rifle than use a brake, especially with modern powders and bullets. (hellooo Hammer Absolutes). Suppressors are pretty dang sweet though.

 

[steveshuntn1]

Just a cautionary tale. I shot a 444 marlin in a shooting house that had tin roof and walls. I was sitting away from the window and the barrel was inside the box. I completely forgot about the ear muffs because I’m getting old and can’t remember sh:t anymore. That was 5 years ago and I haven’t had a silent moment since. My ears started to ring and it has never went away. There’s nothing medically that can be done for it so no matter what you’re shooting. Wear hearing protection. Once you cause the damage you can’t take it back. I promise you I’d give up every deer I’ve ever shot to stop this ringing if I could. I don’t pull a trigger without earplugs and neither does anyone else that hunts with me!

 

[220yotekiller]

My 7mm Rem Mag has a very aggressive break and I love it, I use ear plugs on the range but hunting I don't, I should but I am usually in a hurry. The break is so effective that both my antelope buck and my whitetail buck were shot with my scope on 16 power and I watched them drop in the scope.

 

[Doublecluck]

My 7mm Rem Mag has a very aggressive break and I love it, I use ear plugs on the range but hunting I don't, I should but I am usually in a hurry. The break is so effective that both my antelope buck and my whitetail buck were shot with my scope on 16 power and I watched them drop in the scope.

Be careful, I use to do the same with my Christensen and made the mistake of shooting next to a hill and couldn’t hear out of 1 ear for a hour. Same with windy days at certain angles.. 100% ear protection or suppressed going forward.

 

[blacksheep]

I have one on my custom 7mm mag and it tames that round down to nothing. Yes it is loud, but it allows me to see my shot. Worth it for me.

blacksheep

 

[OntarioHunter]

I can't hunt with ear protection. Especially for birds. I have lost quite a bit of hearing but could be worse. At the range, shotgun or rifle, I wear ear protection. No muzzle brake on my 30-06 but new 24" barrel does help (until this year it was 21"). Soon I should have hearing aids that shut out muzzle blast. Just waiting for COVID to let up so I can get back across to US veterans hospital for another exam. No recoil pad on my 30-06 which is no big deal. I don't shoot it enough to get punchy.

 

[steveshuntn1]

I can't hunt with ear protection. Especially for birds. I have lost quite a bit of hearing but could be worse. At the range, shotgun or rifle, I wear ear protection. No muzzle brake on my 30-06 but new 24" barrel does help (until this year it was 21"). Soon I should have hearing aids that shut out muzzle blast. Just waiting for COVID to let up so I can get back across to US veterans hospital for another exam. No recoil pad on my 30-06 which is no big deal. I don't shoot it enough to get punchy.

I use the walker game ear. They’re not perfect but they do work.

 

[hank4elk]

I think most folks wish I had a brake on my muzzle, since I took off the badge. Maybe always.
Always wore ear protection, at the range or on the const. job. Had Simms pads for more than a while.
My -06 & 50 cal mz wear them. What recoil? And I can hear you.

 

[OntarioHunter]

It's not so bad, really. If it's documented in your medical records while you're still on active duty there's a presumption that it's service connected. It's when you go and try to get disability for something that begins after separation or retirement that you have a bit of a hurdle to prove it was your military time that caused the ailment. If you don't have any documented tinnitus, retire, and then go in ten years later to try to get disability for the ringing you have in your ears now (but have been exposed to a lot of loud noises since you've retired), they're not going to be inclined to pay you disability for it. It's very important to get your medical issues documented and addressed BEFORE you separate or retire.

The govt readily pays for any hearing aids any vet wants, even forty years after discharge. That's a pretty good deal considering that the things can easily run into the thousands of dollars.

 

[Irrelevant]

Buy your own land and then you can do whatever it is you want to do.

Just not ranch bison, right?