Do not put a muzzle brake on any rifle you will EVER fire without ear protection on you or anyone else in the vicinity. To say they are loud is a gross understatement. I put one on a 300RUM and shot one elk with it. The slight pain from recoil is nothing compared to the sensation of having ice picks stuck in your ears. I took the damned thing off.
If there was a rifle I had to have a brake on (maybe a 50BMG?) I would look for one that was removable while hunting or wear hearing protection when I was shooting it.
That was my experience.
