Duct Tape on muzzle brake

[FEENIX]

The purpose of a muzzle brake is to lessen recoil...it serves no other purpose whatsoever. The idea of some sort of a linear brake that doesn't lessen recoil is just silly!

An effective muzzle brake serves two purposes; reduction in felt recoil and reduction in muzzle rise. The latter is often overlooked. I think what @2dognite meant is that the linear compensator is not as effective in recoil reduction as the type with side ports/baffles.

 

[HunterMann]

I am not familiar with electronic protection. What is that?

KISS - Electronic ear muffs allow you hear local sounds but clamp down on gun shot level noise. Several good brands out there; some made for hunting. For rifle and shotgun use I prefer the compact/ thinner style for better cheek weld. For handgun shooting I use the maximum noise reduction possible models. For longer spot and stalk shots I wear a a set of custom ear plugs around my neck. Just takes a few seconds to put them in before the shot.

 

[HunterMann]

True story:

A guy was shooting a ported rifle on the bench next to me. At some point he takes a shot and gets all excited as we both notice metal flying between us. As it turns out, he had fastened a SS hose clamp around the brake holes to see how it would affect recoil and his group. It only took one shot to blow the clamp to pieces. There is tremendous pressure at the ports of a brake.

The tape around a brake would probably be blown off before the bullet actually reached the brake.

That's another reason I prefer the end position on the firing line. Only 2 dummies to monitor for mistakes - ME and the guy next to me !

 

[Mike Matteson]

The duct tape may also help prevent getting brush & twigs in the ports of the brake while maneuvering in heavy cover

You can use a rubber too. That would be a lot easier and kept the rain out too. Sometimes I think we over think the problem.

 

[Triple BB]

I run ESP America hearing aids. Best on the market. I also always put electrical tape on my brakes. Nothing sucks worse than seeing pine needles in yer brake when you have a potential shot opportunity or its raining/snowing and you know water is going down yer barrel...

 

[Treeslug]

The problem with ear plugs is that you cannot hear the game rustling the brush.

The problem with not wearing hearing protection is that after a while, you won't be able to hear anything except the ringing in your ears for the rest of your life. Go ahead, ask me. What'd you say? Speak louder. Louder!

 

[B1s BmagX2]

Depending on the caliber, and I suspect it's a big bore or over-bore, you have to take into account your talking 50-65,000 pounds of pressure! Nothing short of welding on steel plating is going to stand up to that! I have an axial muzzle brake on my Ruger 10-22 charger and I seriously doubt any kind of tape would even stand up to that?

 

[Australia]

We have been using hearing protection in Commercial Hunting (Kulling) for years and like some of you have mentioned the Electronic muffs are great and there is no such thing as a snap shot if you are a serious hunter - take your time and do it with one clean shot
We have been hunting dangerous game in scrub you can hardly see two meters and still there is no place for snap shots
If You are hunting with a partner you might snap shoot him

 

[lgwatson]

I am not familiar with electronic protection. What is that?

You can get ear muffs or plugs that enhance your hearing and when you fire a shot the harmful noise is compressed. There are quite a few choices. I have muffs made by Walker that work well.

 

[Rexby4]

When hunting in the field a muzzle brake is a pain and the extreme noise can damage your hearing. Has anybody ever tried wrapping the end of the gun with duct tape in order to block the holes on the muzzle brake? Is this an ok way to temporarily block the muzzle brake?

Why not unscrew the muzzle brake and put a thread protector on. Unless your break is ported into the barrel

 

[Wraith Hunter]

Dead Eye,
Try Action Ear Sport earphones. They amplify the sounds of animals walking etc. They look like hearing protectors! The amplification can be adjusted and at any amplification level they have a feature that turns off the amplifier when a loud sound, like a gun shot, occurs. They will, in my opinion, protect your hearing quite well.

As to taping the muzzle brake. Any tape or wrap placed around the ports of a muzzle break can significantly increase the pressure the brake sees for a micro second or so. Most brakes are designed to withstand the pressure of the caliber the brake is designed for at the end of the barrel. Will all muzzle brakes withstand the increased pressure caused by the application of a tape wrap? I would not bet my hands etc on it!

The Action Ears system has a distinct advantage as the on/off hearing protection circuit in the amplifier will turn back on quickly after a shot allowing one to hear if the animal is running etc after the shot. So, a second or third shot will have the same protection as if you were wearing good ear muffs while still allowing you to hear a deer walking through the grass before and after each shot.

 

[Dr. Vette]

If you have a removable brake, one option would be to remove the brake and install a thread protector.

Cut, thread and re-crown ?

Agree.

If the brake is built in (very uncommon so we will have to assUme that is correct), have a gunsmith cut it off, thread the barrel, and install a removable one.

The only "build in" ones I have seen are the MagNaPort style with the slots. I don't recall every seeing an actual brake machined into a barrel.

 

[pooldoc]

Walker and Axil both make electronic earbuds that offer ear protection and hearing assistance. Not cheap but seem to work well

 

[pooldoc]

Agree.

If the brake is built in (very uncommon so we will have to assUme that is correct), have a gunsmith cut it off, thread the barrel, and install a removable one.

The only "build in" ones I have seen are the MagNaPort style with the slots. I don't recall every seeing an actual brak e machined into a barrel.

I had and my son still shoots .a Ruger # 1 that I had re-barreled from 270 WM to 300 Weatherby Mag over 35 years back that has a built in brake. Little loud in a box blind, but sure easy on the shoulder. and still produces sub moa groups.