Thread: Hearing protection muzzle brakes

I have been using a muzzle brake for the last few months and while wearing good hearing protection is no problem when shooting targets , hunting is a different story
What do others do when stalking/ hunting for hearing protection .
I’ve been using those ear plugs that hang around your neck , not to he ones on strings but a kind of solid neck strap .
Most of my shooting is spot and stalk type hunting and I have time to sort out hearing protection , but twice I have either forgotten to put them in or didn’t have time and got the full blast
Any helpful hints or suggestions , what do you use ?

Originally Posted by Ground Control

I have been using a muzzle brake for the last few months and while wearing good hearing protection is no problem when shooting targets , hunting is a different story
What do others do when stalking/ hunting for hearing protection .
I’ve been using those ear plugs that hang around your neck , not to he ones on strings but a kind of solid neck strap .
Most of my shooting is spot and stalk type hunting and I have time to sort out hearing protection , but twice I have either forgotten to put them in or didn’t have time and got the full blast
Any helpful hints or suggestions , what do you use ?

I use these,
https://www.goaxil.com/shop/all-in-o...ds/gs-extreme/

brought them for range shooting..................not so good but for hunting would be great.

They amplify small sounds but cut off the gunblast BUT for sporting clays / range use they actually amplfy the neighbouring gunshots which are not directly beside you which is really offputting.
However in the bush you can hear the stream and birds clearly but they cut the blast.

Having said all that when using a braked rifle I use both these and Muffs. All my brakes now sit in the Safe having been traded for suppressors cause I live in the "lucky country"

With the exception of the range only guns, everything now has a suppressor.
One blast from a braked rifle without hearing protection was enough to make me switch.

What are you shooting that requires a brake?

I live in Australia for over half the year and the rest in NZ . My NZ rifle has a suppressor and its great .
My Australian rifle isn’t allowed to have a nasty suppressor so I’ve been experimenting with a brake .
The braked rifle ( 6.5x55 and now a 6.5 Creedmoor) is mainly used for pigs and dogs here in QLD .
I used a .223 for a while but the 6.5 is just better. The brake is more to reduce muzzle rise and stay on target than purely recoil reduction, but it is nice to shoot a 143gn bullet at approximately 2700 out of a lightweight rifle and it kicks less than a .223
If I don’t find an good solution to the ear protection thing I’ll probably just take the brake off , but with the plugs in its great fun .

IMHO ranges should only allow muzzle brakes when there is a screen between brake and adjacent shooters. Like you don't shoot standing with an unsuppressed rifle next to someone sitting down.

you can stick your brakes......on the end of your rifle if you like...just dont fire it anywhere near me....same goes for the old ported browning boss system....faaarkin terrible on the ears. Ive got cheap set of electronic earmuffs which are awesome for shotgunning with spotlight...use them with chainsaw and at idel you can hear the birds tweeting etc but as soon as noise gets up even a little they shut off...Ive tried using them in maimai BUT being mono sound I cant for the life of me pick direction or distance of sound...a stereo set tuned right with balance would give me back the hearing of my youth....next set will be that way......bonus of these earmuffs is you can hear conversation at other end of the house.....or the bosses office from smoko room....or so Ive been told,wink wink.

for around your dogs a reduced loading might be much better option,something down to say 1500-2000fps will still bang but wont have the sharp bark.....worth a try.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

for around your dogs a reduced loading might be much better option,something down to say 1500-2000fps will still bang but wont have the sharp bark.....worth a try.

When I mention Dogs I mean I’m shooting Wild Dogs ( Dingo’s) , I’m not hunting with dogs
I don’t think using a muzzle brake at the bail would be a great idea .

good ho.....the pig dogs of the world will sleep better knowing that LOL.

Seen those Vari-max brakes? You can turn them on and off by hand with no POI change.

I reckon there is a small market out there for sections of say 50calibre tubing with various different threads in the end,so folk can leave muzzle as it is but take the noise say 6-8" further away from the shooters ears.... it works with a shotgun and piece of conduate pipe.......(mate blew barrel up so I inherited single .12ga at 780mm overall length)

I had a brake on my 358 norma but took it off after a shot without muffs. It hurt

I got a hera linear brake for my black rifle brilliant it is . you could shoot it under a covered firing point and it pushs the sound forward after the bullet with no jump and no side blast to your hand 50mm next to it so it will be going onto my next 223 , only wish I could have got a 30 cal one at the time but they were sold out . Only down side is you have to hit what you are shooting at as the animal will hear the shot clearer .

For the two calibres you noted, I wouldn't even bother with a brake. Not really up there recoil wise

Originally Posted by m101a1

I got a hera linear brake for my black rifle brilliant it is . you could shoot it under a covered firing point and it pushs the sound forward after the bullet with no jump and no side blast to your hand 50mm next to it so it will be going onto my next 223 , only wish I could have got a 30 cal one at the time but they were sold out . Only down side is you have to hit what you are shooting at as the animal will hear the shot clearer .

Same idea with Mickey Duck's piece of piping.

Earliest linear "brake" I know of on a short rifle is on the Lee Enfield No 5 "Jungle Carbine". No it's not a flash hider, but a blast forwarder, and recoil actually increases by 1.5x or so when the blast forwarder is attached! The big bang of the shortened barrel was clearly considered worth shielding the firer from -- even back in the pre-health-and-safety days.



The linear style brakes will reduce noise to the firer about 50% so still not great for hunting without hearing protection. Wearing plugs as you say is not a solution either when stalking. Get yourself some electronic ear muffs, Howard Leights are just bout $100 and will do, except of course for when someone shoots next to you with a side venting muzzle brake...

I wear Pro Ears - Pro Tac Plus Gold electronic muffs when hunting japs or red stags during the roar. Very expensive but the hearing enhancement is great with no background noise that you get with the cheaper electronic muffs. A little hot in summer is the only downside.

I find a suppressor annoying to use on my 19.5" barrel .308 bush rifle as it upsets the balance and handling. Still, better than damaging your hearing if not using anything.