Muzzlebrake a good idea?

[L. Cooper]

For the sake of your own hearing and the hearing of others with whom you shoot and hunt, don't use one. If the rifle cannot be shot well without a brake, get a different rifle/cartridge to do the job.

A brake requires that you and anyone around you MUST use hearing protection all the time or you will damage your hearing very quickly. On the range or shooting prairie dogs, that is not a serious problem. But how anyone would put up with the discomfort, inconvenience, and awkwardness of hunting big game with hearing protection is beyond me.

Shooting already damages your hearing every time you pull the trigger without hearing protection. Why would you increase that damage on purpose?

Why would anyone use a cartridge that hurt so much on the "harmless" end of the rifle that it couldn't be shot well?