Hilltop, never heard of this, how are they damaged? I have spent a good chunk of change on my optics and don't want to trash them.
I am a big fan of brakes in general. I like to spot for myself and the brakes allow me to do that. I even have one on my 7 lb. Encore pistol chambered in .218 Bee, you can watch the holes appear in the target with bullets under 50 grains at 50 yards and over. As far as the noise goes, if you care about your hearing you will use it when you shoot whether or not you are using a brake. My hearing is permanently damaged from shooting without hearing protection and it was mostly caused by a .22 rimfire. I learned too late that this type of damage is cumulative and irreversible.
Bob,
The following is a quote from David E. Petzal- supposed shooting expert. I found several others in my research that share his opinion.
"Disadvantages
THERE ARE SEVERAL, and they are serious. First is cost. A good muzzle brake, plus installation by a gunsmith, costs about $250.
The second is noise. Since the muzzle blast is coming back at you instead of going away from you, the report goes from unpleasant to unbearable. Whether shooting at the range or hunting, you are going to have to wear some kind of serious hearing protection. Or you can ignore it, and go deaf quickly.
Which brings us to Ed Brown's muzzle-brakeless dangerous-game rifle. If you are going after something large and unpleasant, your trackers will be alongside you, and it's important that they be able to hear what's going on. However, if you cut loose with a muzzle-braked rifle, they will be unable to hear hoofbeats, growling, roars, screams, or other important sounds.
The third problem is length. Most brakes add 2 inches to a rifle barrel, which does not bother some people, but it bothers the hell out of me.
Fourth, muzzle brakes break scopes. This is a fact. A riflescope is built to withstand violent rearward acceleration and gradual deceleration. But when gas hits a muzzle brake, the deceleration is violent; it's like slamming the scope into a wall. Some scopes can't hack it.
And finally there is this consideration: Of all the muzzle-braked rifles I've fired, none shot to the same point of impact with the brake on as they did with the brake off.
But as we get wimpier and wussier, we are going to see more rifles—including factory guns—with brakes. Sensitive New Age guys will no longer feel compelled to demonstrate their manhood by acquiring concussions, bulged spinal discs, and scope cuts."
