Will be a mere 66 soon. At 63 switched from .300s to a .375R. Really like it. Braked, yes. I wear electronic muffs for all shooting/hunting. Brake or no brake. Hunt alone, unguided. No horses. Just a tractor. Tractor doesn't care about the brake. And don't shoot prone, cuz I'd hurt myself. So no issue with dust flying up.
The brake directs excess blast/noise obliquely - not straight back. Eg., no trouble shooting a Barrett 82CQ, but don't want to be at an adjacent line position. Think my recoil tolerance has gotten better over time. Maybe just get used to chronic pain as you age. Whatever.
