My question is WHY does the puny poodle shooter called the .223/5.56 need a muzzlebrake? Are we really that wimpy that we need to dampen the minimal recoil it generates?
I had my local 'smith cut the brake off my stag 6.8 for the reason the OP sighted. Damn loud and I want to use it for hunting.
When shooting rodents at long range you need to see where the bullets strike and a break can help that. Furthermore there is no reason not to wear hearing protection.
I don't recall too many bolt action 223s having breaks on them? Don't people use them for shooting little targets with fur on them too?
I guess you never have to actually be able to hear when you're deer hunting. I use my hearing as much as my eyes and no hearing protection out there allows you to hear the sounds of the woods like your own ears can. More often than not, I hear the deer before they are spotted, so I see no need to have a break on any HUNTING GUN no matter what size or action type.
One shot in the woods without a brake won't hurt me, but one shot with a brake and no hearing protection certainly will.
