I absolutely despise muzzle brakes on anything smaller than .22/250, and don't see the need for them on that cartridge, either. Simply setting up properly (uphill) from the PD patch will completely negate any need for a brake when PDog shooting. With the larger cartridges, the muzzle jump MIGHT be cancelled out enough to see the bullet strike, but probably not. I had a 6 BR that sure didn't need a brake on it, either, I was always able to see the bullets hit PDs with it, no problem, but it's barrel diameter was 1.25" and it was a heavy mutha.
My shooting buddy's BIL has a Winchester 70 Coyote rifle in .243 Winchester, and he seemed to get along fine without a brake on his rifle, but he was shooting very light bullets, making it the equivalent of a .22/250.
I think I got my bad opinion of muzzle brakes right after Remington came out with the .300 Ultra Magnum. I was shooting my HMRs at the range one day after work, and some yahoo came along and set up right beside me ( THE WHOLE REST OF THE RANGE WAS EMPTY) and started shooting that noisy SOB with a brake on it. It literally moved my rifles when I was trying to shoot, blew the muffs off my head (and my hat, too!). I packed up, loaded everything into the truck, and then went back and cussed him soundly and roundly for a good twenty minutes. His range etiquette was completely lacking and he got an earful. He works at a local gunshop now, but since he got that job, I've refused to enter the place, and gave his boss an earful about hiring a bozo like him. I'm not always sunshine and light.
![mad :mad:](./images/smilies/mad.gif)
Build a man a fire, and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life!