Let's talk muzzle brakes (again) on dangerous game big bore rifles. It's been an article of faith for a long time that one should not use a brake on a big bore dangerous game hunting rifle because PHs and guides will at least hate you for it if not outright ban it from their hunts due to the seriously loud and concussive muzzle blast they produce. Only, it appears this attitude is changing.
With so many of "Gun Culture 2.0" coming into hunting from the long range rifle competition world muzzle brakes are de rigueur, they are insisting on using them in the field, especially on heavy recoiling rifles. Also, given that quality advanced in-ear electronic hearing protection has become more affordable that lasts all day and generally improves natural hearing (even with wind) on top of protecting from loud noises, one has very little excuse these days for not wearing ear pro in the field.
You can say that one needs to "man up" and take that recoil, but when the hunting market demands reducing recoil and mitigating flinching by using muzzle brakes, the market needs to respond to it, even if it means guides and PHs have to start wearing proper ear pro in the field. Less flinching and more muzzle control means better marksmanship on first shots and faster follow-up shots. Having to wear $400 electronic ear pro is a small price to pay for that, especially when you're on a $10k+ dangerous game hunt.
So, for those that do use muzzle brakes, the traditional brakes you get on hunting rifles tend to be of the radial port type because they are easier to install (no indexing) and can be made seamless/flush with the barrel profile. However, modern side-ported directional brakes tend to offer more recoil reduction even if they tend to be a bit longer and heavier.
Has anyone tried to fit a modern 45 caliber directional brake (likely one originally meant for a 458 SOCOM AR) to something like a bolt action 458 Lott? What are the trade-offs with using a longer/heavier modern directional brake on a dangerous game heavy rifle?
With so many of "Gun Culture 2.0" coming into hunting from the long range rifle competition world muzzle brakes are de rigueur, they are insisting on using them in the field, especially on heavy recoiling rifles. Also, given that quality advanced in-ear electronic hearing protection has become more affordable that lasts all day and generally improves natural hearing (even with wind) on top of protecting from loud noises, one has very little excuse these days for not wearing ear pro in the field.
You can say that one needs to "man up" and take that recoil, but when the hunting market demands reducing recoil and mitigating flinching by using muzzle brakes, the market needs to respond to it, even if it means guides and PHs have to start wearing proper ear pro in the field. Less flinching and more muzzle control means better marksmanship on first shots and faster follow-up shots. Having to wear $400 electronic ear pro is a small price to pay for that, especially when you're on a $10k+ dangerous game hunt.
So, for those that do use muzzle brakes, the traditional brakes you get on hunting rifles tend to be of the radial port type because they are easier to install (no indexing) and can be made seamless/flush with the barrel profile. However, modern side-ported directional brakes tend to offer more recoil reduction even if they tend to be a bit longer and heavier.
Has anyone tried to fit a modern 45 caliber directional brake (likely one originally meant for a 458 SOCOM AR) to something like a bolt action 458 Lott? What are the trade-offs with using a longer/heavier modern directional brake on a dangerous game heavy rifle?