Muzzle Brake? Please Help!!

[Lone Star]

Adrenalin is part of it, but think about the differences between a target range and the hunting environment. At the range the muzzle is over a hard, flat surfaced table (and perhaps under a roof as well) which reflects the blast and noise back at you, increasing the discomfort. In the woods the nearby surfaces are "soft" and absorb the sound reasonably well.....

I find that when shooting a rifle with a brake at the range it helps to be certain that the muzzle overhangs the end of the bench. This reduces the blast reflected back to you. The most obnoxious part of firing a braked rifle, to me, is the blast wave which hits you in the face. The sound I can easily deal with, but my face is something else.

There appears to be a cottage industry in "dissing" rifle brakes, accusing the shooter of not being a man, etc., but the reality is brakes serve a good purpose by allowing you to shoot a heavily-recoiling rife more often without developing a flinch. On lightly recoiling rifles they allow you to see the bullet impact, a vital ability if you are shooting at varmints.