I was at the range with my son Sunday helping him knock the dust off his rifle shooting skills (he's an occasional deer hunter but fanatical waterfowl hunter), we were shooting suppressed 308s. There were boomers on our left and right and I went home with what I call a percussion headache. I don't think it's from recoil and we were shooting suppressed with good hearing protection. I'm convinced it was our shooting neighbors but can't say for sure, it happened last time I was there too!
A few years ago I shared the range with a 30-378 Weatherby shooter. His rifle was equipped with a Swiss cheese muzzle brake and the report was obnoxious. I was using plugs and muffs, so it didn't sound as loud but the pressure wave moving down the firing line was like a slap to the face and I could feel it in my sinuses.
Yeah, you can see why African PH's hate muzzle brakes.
I have one rifle with a brake. It's an Ed Brown Damara in .300 Win Mag. Ed said his light weight magnums shot better groups with a brake and he may be right.
I was shooting this rifle on a bench. There was a piece of paper lying near the muzzle. The blast shredded that piece of piece of paper. Amazing.
DF
