Muzzle brake, are they worth it?

[ctwiggs1]

Also, you might consider running some dime drills in your living room.  Get into a prone position (start supported) and have someone balance a dime or a flat washer on your barrel (or receiver if that's not possible).  Try to squeeze the trigger without that washer falling off.  Focus on your fundamentals while you are squeezing the trigger, and never let go of that trigger.  I always tell people that it's ok to be a little surprised when you finally bring the trigger back up.  Do this several times over the course of a few weeks to build up that muscle memory.

[Karl Blanchard]

Every single time you shoot a gun without hearing protection, with or without a brake, you are doing damage to your hearing.  My kids and i shoot with protection 100% of the time., no exceptions. A deer or elk isnt worth hearing loss. If I don't have time to slip plugs in then I'm just not taking the shot. I'll find something else to shoot at.

With that said, brakes on everything big and small anymore. Massive Recoil reduction and muzzle jump. Spotting hits is really important to me especially when hunting solo 

[b23]

google  tinnitus 

Google ear plugs....

Thanks a lot, I just spit coffee out my nose, but I'm still LMAO, that was funny!

[Limhangerslayer]

Breaks all the way around for me anymore, my Christensen in 28 nosler with a radial break shoots like a 22-250.  And I've got A 6.5 with a side port that doesn't kick at all.  Both guns ate a little over 9lbs with everything on it.  Wear ear plugs that go around your neck.  Its easy for me because I wear them at work all day long so I don't even realize I have them on

[opdinkslayer]

I agree with earplugs 100% of the time, even hunting. Brake or no brake it will damage your hearing.

[Karl Blanchard]

I agree with earplugs 100% of the time, even hunting. Brake or no brake it will damage your hearing.

  it's like anything new, at first it is unnatural but practice like you play, build the muscle memory and they become second nature.

[Jonathan_S]

google  tinnitus 

Google ear plugs....

Thanks for the tip. After my preliminary searches, it looks like there are a few options between $.01 and $100. 

[b23]

My kids and i shoot with protection 100% of the time., no exceptions.

I shoot most of my stuff, from 22lr's up, suppressed and most of them are really quiet, but even with my stuff that's hearing safe, I catch myself pushing plugs in my ears just out of habit.  Every so often I'll be shooting with someone that isn't shooting suppressed and forget to pop my ear plugs back in when the touch one off.  It instantly pisses me off, but I don't have anyone to blame except myself for being a dumbazz. 

My hearing isn't all the great anymore so you'd think I'd be less bothered by it, but I hate loud noises.  I can't even mow the d*mn lawn or run my shop vac without wearing ear plugs.

[fishngamereaper]

Nice thing about a brake is that no one will want to shoot next to you at the range....don't ask how I know

They do help with felt recoil. Which it sounds like you've developed muscle memory for recoil so your body equates flinching to pulling the trigger. It kind of like the two for flinching game, your mind tells you its going to hurt so you automatically react.

Its fixable with dry fire like others have said, add the brake, limb saver, ear protection and you'll be fine. Add a suppressor if nothing else helps. Heavy, but fun as heck to shoot.

[b23]

Add a suppressor if nothing else helps. Heavy, but fun as heck to shoot.

   

[Bob33]

Losing your hear sucks, and there’s no medical fix. Hearing aids help but they will never replace what was lost. I’ve lost a lot of hearing and I attribute it in large part to shooting for many years without hearing protection.

A high powered rifle shot produces around 160 decibels. From what I’ve read the use of most muzzle brakes adds about five decibels. That may not seem like much but decibels are logarithmic. A five decibel increase is a 5 fold (500%) increase. I have a 300 Win Mag with a brake and I can clearly recall two instances where I shot it in the field while hunting and my ears rang for several days afterwards. I believe that one shot can cause permanent hearing loss. It may be small and not noticeable, but the effects are cumulative and over time add up.

I try to never shoot without hearing protection while hunting, but it does happen on occasion. For that reason I will not hunt with a gun that has a brake. I can shoot calibers that are more than powerful enough for my needs without a brake. To each his own.

[trophyhunt]

I seem to pull to the right, I tend to jerk the dang trigger no matter how long I've been hunting and shooting.  I do, do better when it's an animal for some reason, normally.  This last bear I killed I was shaken like a leaf on a tree for some reason, whet to take a shot and I pulled the crap out of it without actually firing the gun.  I was able to calm down, breath, and made the 384 yard shot.  Just tired of me pulling to the right and jerking the trigger.  Not sure why, that's why I'm asking about the brake.

A good muzzle brake, which there are many, will do more for reducing recoil than anything else.  The only real downside to a brake is they make the gun louder and they add to the overall length, but, I can't say either has ever really been a problem.

I think the only real way to work through your problem/s is to shoot more, probably even a lot more, and a muzzle brake will certainly make shooting more a more enjoyable experience.

I don't know how good your trigger is or how heavy it is but you could try a little lighter trigger pull but unless it's a dedicated bench gun I wouldn't go much lower than 2lbs.

Also, maybe try relaxing your grip a tad on your trigger hand and going with a thumb forward grip instead of wrapping it over the top.  When I was younger I used to grip whatever I was shooting like my life depended on it and doing so would always cause me to roll the gun into my face so I stopped wrapping my thumb over the top and went with a thumb forward grip which naturally caused me to not put such a death grip on it.  It took a little getting used to but it definitely made me a better shooter.  I don't know that it'll necessarily cure your jerking problem but I've found the more relaxed I hold the gun, the better I shoot.

great advice,thanks. Didn't even think about my grip, I did install a 3 lb trigger, I have a 2 lb but thought it was too light.  We are heading out for one last try at bear for my hunting partner this Friday and I'll try that grip on a target. Thank you

[b23]

Some time ago, I read a write up where they tested a bunch of different muzzle brakes and the ones that provided the biggest reduction in recoil, were also the loudest so like most things, it's all about trade offs.

It certainly wasn't the highest rated for recoil reduction but it still had pretty decent recoil reduction and wasn't as loud, was the Seekins ATC muzzle brake.  They're pretty reasonably priced at $89 so maybe give that one a look.

[magnanimous_j]

Two things can cause a flinch: recoil and noise.

It's important to figure out which one is troubling you, because if its noise, a brake will only make it worse and 300 win mag isn't a particularly punishing cartridge.

[b23]

I seem to pull to the right, I tend to jerk the dang trigger no matter how long I've been hunting and shooting.  I do, do better when it's an animal for some reason, normally.  This last bear I killed I was shaken like a leaf on a tree for some reason, whet to take a shot and I pulled the crap out of it without actually firing the gun.  I was able to calm down, breath, and made the 384 yard shot.  Just tired of me pulling to the right and jerking the trigger.  Not sure why, that's why I'm asking about the brake.

A good muzzle brake, which there are many, will do more for reducing recoil than anything else.  The only real downside to a brake is they make the gun louder and they add to the overall length, but, I can't say either has ever really been a problem.

I think the only real way to work through your problem/s is to shoot more, probably even a lot more, and a muzzle brake will certainly make shooting more a more enjoyable experience.

I don't know how good your trigger is or how heavy it is but you could try a little lighter trigger pull but unless it's a dedicated bench gun I wouldn't go much lower than 2lbs.

Also, maybe try relaxing your grip a tad on your trigger hand and going with a thumb forward grip instead of wrapping it over the top.  When I was younger I used to grip whatever I was shooting like my life depended on it and doing so would always cause me to roll the gun into my face so I stopped wrapping my thumb over the top and went with a thumb forward grip which naturally caused me to not put such a death grip on it.  It took a little getting used to but it definitely made me a better shooter.  I don't know that it'll necessarily cure your jerking problem but I've found the more relaxed I hold the gun, the better I shoot.

great advice,thanks. Didn't even think about my grip, I did install a 3 lb trigger, I have a 2 lb but thought it was too light.  We are heading out for one last try at bear for my hunting partner this Friday and I'll try that grip on a target. Thank you

A thumb forward grip, instead of wrapping over the top, will likely feel a little weird to you at first so I'd practice dry firing using it at home before you head out.