The first time I took my youngest son to the range (with a 10/22) we were put in between two fairly high ammo burning shooters - one firing 45 auto pistol, the other with an AR shooting 308 with a brake.
Between the hot brass flying around and the brake blast, it kind of ruined the experience for a new shooter. Even with ear plugs, it was a difficult situation for both of us, and I was singed by hot brass going down my shirt.
There was another guy running an AR with 223 - why he needed a noisy brake for that thing I will never know but to each their own.
None of this was precision shooting, these guys were all focused on self - defense inside of a home. Can you imagine firing off a braked 308 under stress, no hearing protection, inside of a house ?
I don't mind if people want to use a brake, but maybe the ranges need to re-think the distance and shielding between shooters. It seems like they are setup for bolt action / non braked shooters, and that is not what we have now.
I am not defending the use of a muzzle brake because there is no need.
The problem is the shooters that don't use common courtesy when shooting next to some one.
In our testing muzzle breaks aren't louder that a non braked rifle, only the perceived sound is greater because some brakes direct the muzzle blast backwards at the adjacent shooters.
We tested the DB levels with and without brakes and the highest DB of sound was 108 DB and the lowest was 105 DB. (With a brake).
The DB meter did not care where it was located, but if you moved around beside the brake, the perceived sound levels were not only heard but they were also felt.
Sorry about the brass issue, but when I shot competitively it was very common to be hit with hot brass(Not pleasant but common) someone should have moved (Whoever setup second).
Lack of Courtesy is one of the problems now days with to many people and changing the rules won't fix that.
Also If I have to fire of a 308 inside my house, sound is the last thing I will be worrying about.
Any firearm that has to be fired off inside any type of enclosure can be very loud because the sound has no place to go.
So, I myself would like not to see any more range rules, and more courtesy from fellow shooters.
Just my opinion
J E CUSTOM
