Just watched an interesting guns show on tv. They had a new Ruger Guide gun that they fired in front of a decibal meter. With the brake ON it was 123.3 db, they then fired with the brake OFF and got 124.2 db. The host commented that the techs at Ruger had told him there would be essentially NO DIFFERENCE in actual sound level and the meter certainly confirmed that. I know that I certainly perceive more noise from a brake and that may be partially due to the extra muzzle blast.It was an interesting test to watch.

My ears, diaphragm and guts don't care about the study. Braked guns hurt eardrums a LOT!

Its sure louder at the butt-stock where your ears are. Anyone claiming otherwise has likely got a ulterior motive.

I would imagine total amount of noise should be about the same, it's just that you've aimed it back towards the shooter and the rest of the firing line instead of straight out the front of the barrel.

Where'd they have the dB meter relative to the muzzle?

quote:

Originally posted by skl1:
Where'd they have the dB meter relative to the muzzle?

It was parallel with the muzzle but obviously back several feet to avoid damage.

Brakes might be same noise level but they push noise back at shooter and to the sides that might effect someone standing close by like a PH. Most PH's are deaf from this. I'm just about deaf from a couple of times people have shot muzzle brakes close beside me and from un braked guns from behind me. I HATE muzzle brakes and if I were a guide or PH I would not allow them to be used.

MagNaPorting (as opposed to MagNaBrake) does not increase noise to the shooter. It does reduce barrel jump and decreases recoil a modest amount--10 to 15%, and does not change the looks (IMHO) of the firearm. Yes, it deflects gases etc. out to the side, so standing beside it is loud. I have used it for over 30 years and have several Big Bores with it and love it. I believe it allows me to get my second shot off faster and more accurate. I point out to my PHs that my guns are ported so stand back a bit.

and there are very few available dB meters that are fast enough to capture a gun shot accurately

quote:

With the brake ON it was 123.3 db, they then fired with the brake OFF and got 124.2 db. The host commented that the techs at Ruger had told him there would be essentially NO DIFFERENCE in actual sound level and the meter certainly confirmed that.

Of course the decibel level is the same. But the direction that the sound waves travel is changed which is what makes muzzle brakes so frigging obnoxious. The sound wave propagation instead of being all forward is now directed to the side and back towards the shooter.

The DB test described was some of that fuzzy science.

I think it might have something to do with the brake design. Some of the newer versions have ports that face slightly forward. This seems to make the noise level virtually the same for the shooter as a gun without a brake.

If you don't use hearing protection you are going to be deaf regardless -- the brake may just speed up the process. Invest in a set of electronic plugs or even a $20 set with the mechanical baffles and it won't be an issue. I always take an extra set for the PH whether my rifle has a brake or not.

Decibel meter? Shoot next to a braked gun at the range.

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by nopride2:
Decibel meter? Shoot next to a braked gun at the range.

Dave

Even the guys with brakes on their rifles try to get as far away from the other guys with brakes as they can. I've seen them act like its funny; and being the prick that I am will set up next to them with my Cheytac.

I've got my own private 800 yard range, and don't have to worry about who I'm deafening when I shoot there. At the club range which is considerably closer to the house I'll pick my time to stay away from others. It used to be that there was never anyone there and its seldom busy. I always bring extra muffs and will offer them to anyone that will take them.

One of my benches is very oversized and it usually gets piled high with different ammo boxes. On one occasion I was shooting a braked .338 Edge and literally blew the handle off an MTM box that was on the bench. I wonder what that would do to a decibel meter?

I used a brake many years ago, and form it learned to handle recoil better I think..recently I purchased a Ruger African in .338 and loved the brake doing my testing of the rifle, the recoil was so mild it felt like a .243..Its loud and you get some blast in your face, all brakes are loud regardless of testing, probably because you re-directed the blast...and of course I had ear protection.

Bottom line, I love it for testing and bench shooting, sighting in, etc...I live in Idaho and seldom have anyone at the range and if so they have plenty of room to get away from me..I shoot mostly at my house anyway, so it's
not a problem for me..

I think we sometimes over react and create problems for ourselves, used properly and respectfully they can't be beat. I wouldn't hunt with it I don't think unless I was alone and if with someone would hand them some plugs..big guns are loud, with or without a brake they damage hearing, often overlooked by the anti brake gang.

As to the brake itself, much to do is made of it..In our camps they are allowed, we feel that anything that helps a client shoot accurate is a plus and the good Lord gave us finger, not to eat with, but stick in our ears!

All the to do made by a few guides and PHs brings to mind how many of them actually gave up the money in going in their pocket over the the hunter using a brake? I've heard them say no brakes in my camp, I tell them send them to me and I'll allow their brake, losing money over a brake is pretty damn stupid in my books, especially with the invention of ear plugs on a string! BTW my new .338 African shoots to the same POI with or without the brake, just a inch or so higher at 100 yds..

Just my take on the subject..

If I,m behind a brake, handgun or rifle, don,t mind em too much. Try not to touch one off next to anybody without a heads up. If I have someone set up next to me at the range, doubled up on ear protection not withstanding, I hate em with a passion.
Course, having grown up operating equipment, foolin around with guns and guitars and such with no thought of hearing protection till about 8 years ago, at this point it,s just down to damage control. Out by myself with a recurve bow is no longer silent, got that sweet sweet ringing in my ears as a constant companion now.

I was shooting on a 2-300 range next to a guy with a Barrett. If you don't believe a brake increases the noise to those behind the muzzle, try that. I swear I could "feel" it.

The Decibel scale is a log scale, and a 3 dB increase represents a doubling of the sound power level. So an increase from 123.3 to 124.2 is very much more significant than it looks.
As to the original question. I am sure that most people shooting braked rifles will find the sound levels very real, but after many years of exposure they will have to be imagined.

I have shot several different brands of muzzle brakes. They are louder to me.

However I also feel that Magna Port is not louder to me when shooting.

I have fired the exact same rifle, in 300 Win Mag, and 375 H&H, with Magna Port and with out, side by side at the same time.

When I say exact I mean exact, ie. Blaser R 93's.

The Magna Port does recuce recoil, it takes the sharp jab out of it, and it reduces muzzle rise quite a bit.

Also when fired prone on sand, loose dirt, loose grass/leaves, or on snow, Magna Port does not cover you with debris, or fling it in your eyes...

Of all the recoil reducing brakes the original Mag-na-port is the best where sound is concerned.

The original Mag-na-port redirects the gasses up, and slightly back at an angle that is above the shooter's head. It has little effect on those to the shooter's sides.

The slight angle rearward reduces the recoil of the rifle back toward the shooter, and retards the muzzle rise the gives you the scope eye.

Most brakes redirect the gasses to the sides and back, all the way round and are very much louder than the original Mag-na-port, but reduce recoil better.

It is just a matter of choice and as long as others are taken into consideration do your thing.

The only rifles I've ever had with a brake were big bore Ruger No1s with Mag-NA-PORT, and Of all things a rifle I took in trade that was fitted with a regular threaded on brake chambered for 30-06.

I would like to hear from any others with experience with Mag-na-ported rifles. I was told by one of the top rated gun builders that the holes in the barrel done in the mag-na-porting process quickly erode due to gas cutting and degrade accuracy.

Any experience one way or the other ?

Last time I was at the range our local large calibre long range aficionado who is usually firing anything from a 338 Lapua Mag to a 50 cal and who designs muzzle brakes, asked me to listen for the difference between two muzzle brakes he was trying on a very short barrel rifle shooting the 450 Bushmaster cartridge.

Had it been his 50 cal Browning or 408 Cheytac I would have been ducking for cover down behind the concrete shooting tables as far away as I could get. His 50 cal looks like a tank muzzle and likely has about the same muzzle blast as a tank would. With ear muffs on it is not the noise but the real blast you can feel impacting your body even 20 feet away.

Anyway to the 450 BM there was definitely a noticeable difference between the two muzzle brakes, not so much in loudness but one had a reverberation to the boom and the other just a short boom which gave the impression of being quieter. I was about 15 feet away at another table so about level with the muzzles and also wearing muffs.

In terms of whether the muzzle blast is reduced in Db with a brake, obviously a meter would measure that but I accept that different brakes can create a different sound pattern which to our ears may sound quieter.

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
I would like to hear from any others with experience with Mag-na-ported rifles. I was told by one of the top rated gun builders that the holes in the barrel done in the mag-na-porting process quickly erode due to gas cutting and degrade accuracy.

Any experience one way or the other ?

Phil, I had Mad-Na-Ported Ruger No1s chambered for 458 Win mag, 375H&H, and 338 Win mag And I didn't experience any loss of accuracy in any of them. However I didn't fire thousands of rounds through any of them. The 375 H&H I used more than any of the three, but I doubt I fired more than a couple hundred rounds through that one!

The Mag-Na-port can be cut in a screw-on brake where is can be replaced if a problem shows it ugly head.

..................................................................

When I first started getting into shooting the big bores, I put a muzzle brake on a Winchester 70 in .416 Rem. That was one obnoxious rifle with or without the brake. Damn near deafened my PH on my buff hunt. I have since accustomed my shoulder to the recoil of the bigger stuff so that a brake is not necessary. The only brake I now have is on my Barrett .50 BMG
While, I agree that some people need the reduced recoil effect, me included until I worked my way up the recoil spectrum, they are just obnoxious.

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
I would like to hear from any others with experience with Mag-na-ported rifles. I was told by one of the top rated gun builders that the holes in the barrel done in the mag-na-porting process quickly erode due to gas cutting and degrade accuracy.

Any experience one way or the other ?

I have a magnaported Smith 629 44mag. Have shot it literally several thousand rounds in the last 25yrs and there is NO sign of erosion!

Several years ago I had a client bring some sort of gizmo on a hunt that measured sound levels. We shot his rifle with and without the brake with the measuring device in front, beside and behind the muzzle. In each case the reading was lower WITH the brake installed. We were baffled.

But there's no question that you "feel" the shot more with a muzzle brake (or porting to a lesser extent).

When people ask me if they work to reduce recoil I always say that they don't actually "reduce" the recoil they just share it among your friends.