Why do you need a muzzle Brake?
We promote suppressors to protect everyone’s hearing, it’s not just a curtesy thing. If you think you need the recoil reduction of a muzzle brake to be competitive maybe you should step down in caliber or practice more. I have seen it too many times and cant say I have seen any of those individuals win the match. The Pro level guys that win the matches do so because they train relentlessly and tune their gear to peak performance not because they run a brake. Many of them run a suppressor with a brake now.
Shooting at a Pro Series PRS match I wasn’t aware that a member of our Squad was running a Chad muzzle brake (costs more than many suppressors) and when he lit off the first round not only did my ears ring but three other members of the squad cursed and covered their ears. This was only a 6mm Dasher he was shooting so its not like its a heavy recoiling cartridge. While the Chad is an incredibly efficient it is incredibly harsh on the ears of everyone around you. The RO that has to stand next to you to maintain safety and run the clock takes the brunt of it. No good deed goes unpunished. Don’t be the Ahole that punishes the RO that volunteered and makes the match possible, get a suppressor to save not only your hearing but those around you.
New research has been published that links concussive force from muzzle brakes to traumatic brain injury (TBI) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6020251/. Suppressors not only save your hearing but could save your sanity.
Conclusion
Be kind to your ears and brain along with your fellow shooters and Safety Officers. To quote Clint Smith “if you need a muzzle brake to tame the bone crushing recoil of the 223 maybe you should not be shooting it.”
Save your hearing and that of your fellow shooters and get a Suppressor, even one with a brake or add a brake. Once January 2026 hits you have no excuse as the 200$ will be removed from the Tax Stamp.
