Sorry if I didn't make sense. So I'll explain what I said and why I said it.
First, if you want to let everyone know you shoot one of the best mags out there, and you are "King of the Range,"
Explained: Let everyone know, meaning, by the signature-like extreme blast you brought to the range, and K.O.t.R. meant that, rudely, you chased everyone off the range because of the immense shock wave caused by the braked mag.
Second, if you want to show off to your buddies how much punishment you can take, then leave the brake off/or don't get one.
Explained: For the other spectrum, there are people who don't shoot to shoot well. They only buy these big brutes perhaps on a dare, to show others what they can take (I've heard and talked with them) or otherwise. Not saying everyone who buys a mag thinks like this, but there are some. This statement I now look back on, was alittle too broad and could be interpreted differently.
Brakes increase muzzle blast, PERIOD. Noisy rifles are easy to shoot at the bench, where you have ear protection. But you wont wear those muffs when you hunt. Shooting without them WILL ruin your hearing. Big game guides, who often find themselves beside a hunter at the shot, by and large hate brakes. Many refuse to guide hunters that have brake equipped rifles. The hunter must either remove the brake or if unable to do so use a borrowed rifle on the hunt. A brake can also affect your shooting from low positions. Lying prone in the dust, youll trigger a tornado that leaves dust on your scope lens and in your barrel, maybe in your eyes. At best, it will hang in the air long enough to obscure your view of the animals reaction. Without wind it can hang there long after the animal and your chance for a second shot are gone.
I have read pretty similar to what you stated about them brakes when they are used in a hunting situation. In addition, while I was still deciding whether to get a 300WBY, everyone was always saying: "OH my gosh! That'll kick like the devil; make sure to get a brake." Also: "Think you can handle the recoil? It's a bruiser." That being said, you could say I was skeptical, and cautious at the same time. As for myself, I went through the extra trouble it was to get a
removable brake installed on my rifle. I would have demanded it, if it got to that point. Because I would never, EVER, use a brake when hunting.
The muzzle blast from a powerful muzzle brake equipped rifle is so loud that even with hearing protection the shooter risks suffering some permanent hearing damage after a few shots. Earmuff type hearing protectors typically reduce noise by about 25 dB. A muzzle brake equipped magnum rifle (like a .300 or .338 Magnum) produces a sound pressure level in the 130-dB range.
Yep, I've heard of their extra danger to hearing without hearing prot. and with insufficient hearing prot. That is why I always, when shooting with it (the brake) on, advise everyone around me to stand
behind me when I shoot. Secondly, when I shoot, or someone else shoots it, muffs
over my/their earplugs is mandatory. That further safeguards the shooter's hearing protection. And I even said:
I got one only because I enjoy shooting that cannon, and wanted to do some serious sighting in/finding the right load. It's about 1 1/2 hrs. to the range I go to, and I like to make every trip count. So if my shoulder gets too tenderized by the recoil, I can easily replace the brake and shoot a little more and stay accurate at the same time. One other thing our range has, that I think is pretty good, are shooting zone walls, or stations. Every two tables, there is a wooden wall that creates an immediate barrier, and helps prevent the sideblast from effecting other parties around you. So I haven't got any complaints from other people at all...yet. Matter of fact, I usually get complements and the occasional gawker wondering what that is with the brake on. So I'm sorry if I caused some confusion about my position on what I think of muzzle brakes.
Patriot
