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Are Muzzle Brakes Really That Loud to Range Neighbors?

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Vodoun daVinci

Vodoun daVinci

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    • Dec 17, 2017
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    I put a Brake on my Savage 10 6.5 Creedmoor and it tames the recoil to the point I can see my impacts. A couple days ago I'm sighting my new precision rifle in at the range and the guy 3 tables down is freaking the fuck out and commenting under his breath that I'm sterilizing him with shock waves of sound that are just insane. WTF? Do you not have hearing protection?

    He's bent to the point of anger and hysteria that I'm shooting a gun with a brake and putting the shock wave on him...it's not that loud as I have shot it without the brake.

    Then I read a thread at one of my local boards about how brakes are just designed for pussies who can't handle recoil and to annoy folks next to us at the range and destroy their hearing. Apparently some feel that the increased shock wave can literally travel down the bones of a persons face and skull and defeat hearing protection. Seriously, nothing I have seen/shot is louder than my brothers Les Baer AR with no brake/no flash suppressor. Am I missing something? Ranges are loud - get over it. Are muzzle brakes really all that bad?

    Really?

    VooDoo
     
    Both of my 300wm's will clear tables 6' both directions. Once you get a good one, you can move people away from you who have pissed you off in the past, very quickly an easily. I build all my own, an my latest design is very very loud, but the gun just sets there like a 22lr. Shooting at HardRock all braked guns shoot on the same relay, had a few guys say mine was the worst they ever set beside, badge of honor right there! Watched a friend shoot it at a match, an with the three top discharge holes it looks like a three stack locomotive when it's fired.
     
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    This is a common occurrence at ranges. I generally tell anyone that tries to sit next to me that they may feel some shockwave. I usually am at the range when it is not too crowded so there is always a place for someone to move away to another spot.

    Regarding your comment about people that use brakes are pussies. Well that is another widely held perception. However, as is usually the case, they aren't all that much and a bag of chips. I'll just smile when they look at a 0.5 MOA target at 300 yards and compare it to their 5 MOA target at 100 yards.
     
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    Overpressure and bone condition are real....no hearing protection will defeat them.
    Brakes are functional but come with a responsibility to use them courteously- whats the point of being a jerk to your fellow shooters?

    I know some folks who see them like loud pipes on Harleys.....to me they just call themselves out as assholes.
     
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    Breaks do suck. But I double up on ear pro. Problem solved. Sand in Pussy crisis averted. Now how to tell that guy with a full semi auto bolt action next to me at the range to quiet down is another problem we need to address.
     
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    PDXGS said:
    Overpressure and bone condition are real....no hearing protection will defeat them.
    Brakes are functional but come with a responsibility to use them courteously- whats the point of being a jerk to your fellow shooters?

    I know some folks who see them like loud pipes on Harleys.....to me they just call themselves out as assholes.
    Click to expand...
    It does not make someone an asshole to have a brake. While in some cases reasonable courtesy is called for, if the range does not have a rule against them I don't see the problem.
     
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    Reactions: PinesAndProjectiles, Pusher591, Bradu and 1 other person
    Shooting suppressed would be great for those that either live in a state that allows them or have a place to shoot without driving 2+ hours to use it. I am on my dad's trust so I can use them but I don't want to shoot with them bad enough to drive 2 hours and pay $450 for the first year membership at the closest place when I can drive 35 minutes for $40 a year
     
    Some of us can't have a suppressed rifle. My State doesn't allow it or I'd have it.

    So, general consensus is ditch the muzzle brake because it's too loud?

    75YardsandaNickle.jpg


    I'm not sure I can give up my brake and deal with the additional recoil *and* shoot groups like this....I have been at a lot of ranges and not been sterilized by shock waves yet. Are we sure that hearing protection doesn't protect us?

    VooDoo
     
    Muzzle brakes suck if you are next to them. They are great for the person directly behind them. Shoot away, it's your range too.

    When I take out the 300 win mag or the 450 with a brake, I do try to go a few benches down from the other person at the range.
     
    I've RO'd enough at 3 gun matches to have been 5' directly to the side of braked AR's. I don't think it has caused any damage but some of them will part your hair and feel just like you got hit in the face by a soft feather pillow. It's a weird feeling but you get used to it.
     
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    Was he overreacting, perhaps. That said, I try and avoid people shooting brakes for comfort but it won't usually stop my shooting. Get a suppressor if you can and start loving life.
     
    They are loud but I use them and so does most people I shoot around. There is a bit of concussion if someone is close enough but not a big deal I dont feel like. Just get further away if need be. We always wear hearing protection for the loud part. Biggest perk of a brake is reduced recoil to spot your shots and for that reason I really like em.
     
    shooting a Brake muzzle at the Range does not make you an asshole . What does make an AssHole is setting-up at the Bench right next to me shooting with Brake, when there are dozen unused empty Benches not in use far away from me .
    .
     
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    Do the muzzle brake blast shields available for many brakes make much of a difference?
     
    Last edited:
    diverdon said:
    My life is in N.Y. State. I'm not the only board member here who cannot have a suppressor because of the fucked up laws in the states where we live. If that makes me an asshole so be it.
    Click to expand...
    4 posts up. I was being sarcastic. I grew up in Cali. Believe me I get it.
     
    No, use the brake if it helps you shoot better. As others have said just be courteous and stay as far away as you can, but that said if you cannot, well go ahead and shoot then offer him a tissue for the tears.
     
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    So what would be a good muzzle brake then that would be pretty effective but not too loud?
     
    Yes, concussive hearing loss is very real. It is a topic covered during MSHA and OSHA training.
    Just read another article about it 2 days ago that came in an email; certainly timely.
     
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    The OP is shooting 6.5 so his rate of fire is likely low. I am far more annoyed by the guy in the next stall with the Scar 17s doing mag dumps or the Rick Grimes hand cannon at the 25 Yrd indoor range.
    A little common sense and courtesy goes a long way.
     
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    Winchester59 said:
    Do the muzzle brake blast shields available for many brakes make much of a difference?
    Click to expand...

    They generally do work pretty well, but then the brake doesn't do it's job. Brakes work off of vectoring or redirecting blast thrust developed from the exhaust ports. The more effective the brake is in generating thrust, the louder or more concussive it is. When you put a shield around the brake you have now removed that thrust vectoring ability and the recoil is increased back to where you dont effectively have a brake anymore. It's just a lot of added weight on the barrel at that point.
     
    1) Taming down the recoil on a .26 is for people with serious disabilities and 2) I was hit in the face with debris from a neighbor on the line with a braked 6.5 Creed a couple of weeks ago. If you have to ask then give the complaint some validity before you get someone hurt.
     
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    Culpeper said:
    1) Taming down the recoil on a .26 is for people with serious disabilities
    Click to expand...
    I never understood the 6.5 with a break thing either, but PRB did a pretty interesting article covering the subject and apparently a lot of guys that shoot prs are running their 6mm with breaks too. I guess when one is at the top tier of comp shooting the breaks on already super light recoil calibers do help. Once again I don’t get it, but that’s likely because I’m not a good shooter, just a rec club shooter.
    http://precisionrifleblog.com/2015/08/21/muzzle-brake-summary-of-field-test-results/
     
    I hate all brakes but I do understand their purpose and can’t begrudge someone that.

    But it would be nice if we could keep them away and preferably out from under any roofs.

    My cousin has a brake with one of those blast shields. It acts like a concert base drum, amplifies the shit out of the thing and will give you heart arithmia.
     
    PDXGS said:
    .to me they just call themselves out as assholes.
    Click to expand...
    Really? The asshole factor is huge on most public ranges. The reason most go in the worst weather, that in an of it's self keeps the asshole factor down. Your worried about loud? I worry about the dumn ass who thinks he knows how to handload an when his gun blows up it gathers others as well. Brakes are louder than just a muzzle a given but shooting carry's a danger just like driving. I shoot on braked relays, an the muffs I use will block everyone else out w/o issue, could be peoples choice in gear is lacking or,...
     
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    Vodoun daVinci said:
    Some of us can't have a suppressed rifle. My State doesn't allow it or I'd have it.

    So, general consensus is ditch the muzzle brake because it's too loud?

    View attachment 6899222

    I'm not sure I can give up my brake and deal with the additional recoil *and* shoot groups like this....I have been at a lot of ranges and not been sterilized by shock waves yet. Are we sure that hearing protection doesn't protect us?

    VooDoo
    Click to expand...
    I miss the days when Lowlight banned 3 shot groups


    And go suppressed or go home.
     
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    What a bunch of fucking assholes. If you purposely put somebody on the backwash and tell them they might get hit with a feather is so fucking stupid. Getting hit in the face with shit was just as much my fault because I chose to deal with it and maintain. It wasn't until I got hit that I had brakes removed from a line that wasn't designed for them. It is a matter if safety. There is a danger space and the owner needs to know what that is and be responsible. After all, at the end of the day you will be responsible. No range wants to lose their insurance by playing nice as well.
     
    An over pressured 6ppc under a tin roof makes plenty of noise.
    I think the problem is the reverse pressure wave with increased db's.
    Something to ponder, It's a gun range...

    R
     
    Vodoun daVinci said:
    Some of us can't have a suppressed rifle. My State doesn't allow it or I'd have it.

    So, general consensus is ditch the muzzle brake because it's too loud?

    View attachment 6899222

    I'm not sure I can give up my brake and deal with the additional recoil *and* shoot groups like this....I have been at a lot of ranges and not been sterilized by shock waves yet. Are we sure that hearing protection doesn't protect us?

    VooDoo
    Click to expand...
    I double up on ears and sitting next to some brakes is still painful. I doesn't sound loud to you because you are behind the rifle and all of the sound pressure is being diverted directly to the people around you. I have really good hearing and would like to keep it that way so I will move and wait until someone's string is over before sitting back down next to it. Most people at our range are pretty cool though and will notice that it is too loud and just agree to alternate strings. It isn't a hard thing to remedy.

    6.5 recoil is pretty easy to deal with. I can shoot groups like that with more than 3 shots without a brake.. fairly easily. I can now spot hits starting at 300 with no brake. I learned a lot more a lot faster shooting my 6.5 unbraked than I did shooting my braked AR. Hard to learn to manage recoil when there is no recoil. Good technique is greater than a brake. Now moving up to a 300WM or 338 would be a different story maybe. I have never shot them so I can't say for sure. IMO if you really NEED a brake on a 6.5 you aren't doing something right.
     
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    jpgolffl said:
    I double up on ears and sitting next to some brakes is still painful. I doesn't sound loud to you because you are behind the rifle and all of the sound pressure is being diverted directly to the people around you. I have really good hearing and would like to keep it that way so I will move and wait until someone's string is over before sitting back down next to it. Most people at our range are pretty cool though and will notice that it is too loud and just agree to alternate strings. It isn't a hard thing to remedy.

    6.5 recoil is pretty easy to deal with. I can shoot groups like that with more than 3 shots without a brake.. fairly easily. I can now spot hits starting at 300 with no brake. I learned a lot more a lot faster shooting my 6.5 unbraked than I did shooting my braked AR. Hard to learn to manage recoil when there is no recoil. Good technique is greater than a brake. Now moving up to a 300WM or 338 would be a different story maybe. I have never shot them so I can't say for sure. IMO if you really NEED a brake on a 6.5 you aren't doing something right.
    Click to expand...
    Truth in that. Shooting mostly 22 223 and 300blk the last few years allowed my form to get sloppy to the point 308 was kicking my ass. Need recoil to practice recoil management.
     
    TacticalDillhole said:
    4 posts up. I was being sarcastic. I grew up in Cali. Believe me I get it.
    Click to expand...

    I do not have a problem with you of with your sarcasm. Good sarcasm has to have a lot of honest truth in it to give it a bit of bite. But you were smart enough to get out of Cali. I'm enough of an asshole that I let myself get stuck in NY.

    One hope that I have for President Trump is that he will straighten out the corrupt election practices that are rooted in Blue states. There are five counties in NYS that rule the entire state with a monolithic Democratic vote. I don't doubt that they are majority Democrat, but not by the margin they poll. Something has a finger on the scale.
     
    My local range is 300 yards. I generally shoot 223 because it is so enjoyable to shoot and it is more than enough cartridge for 300 yards. When I am alone at the range with my un-braked 223, I can just wear a pair of Surefire earplugs and it is pure joy; no discomfort at all from the sound, ears feel perfectly protected.

    My friends all shoot braked rifles... 308, 6.5CM, etc. Every one of their rifles has a APA LB or similar brake on it. Shooting with them I need to double up on ear pro and throw muffs over my plugs. Even then its still incredibly uncomfortable as the blast from their brakes is redirected right at me.

    I usually don't complain but it is pretty annoying and makes me really appreciate shooting alone with my 223. I think the worst part is that uninformed owners of braked rifles don't understand that the concussive shock wave is redirected to the sides of the rifle, and not back at them, therefor they usually say something like "really? It doesn't sound that loud to me" when you tell them how annoying their brake is...

    I completely understand that brakes are effective and helpful for spotting your hits, but it seems pretty unfair that a brake makes shooting more enjoyable for that one shooter, while simultaneously making it less enjoyable for surrounding shooters.
     
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