Muzzle Breaks

[outdsman]

What's your opinoin on muzzle breaks? I have a new 300WSM in Kimber, it weighs about six pounds and kicks pretty hard. I've heard the cons about muzzle blast. Wondering if anyone had any accuracy issues or loss in velocity.

 

[danthedewman1]

love my brake

love my brake

I shoot a .300 winchester magnum.Its a FN mauser with 22 inch barrel,fiberglass stock ,with a 3x9 burris fullsize scope.I had it a short while ,then i had a KDF brake installed on it.Its the best thing i could have done to it.Im only 5'6,so the magnum can be hearsh,but with this brake I can shoot 20 -30 rounds thru it and never really feel a thing.I no longer flinch which is nice..LOL.I shoot full power reloads and factory loads,,no problems.The muzzle blast can be harsh,but with your ear plugs in its void.When your hunting,the blast can leave your ears with a ring,but what gun doesnt do that.To me its worth every penny I paid for it,I would definetly recommend one if your being bothered with the kick of your gun.

 

[outdsman]

Gunsmiths

Gunsmiths

How about good gunsmiths in the greater Anchorage area? Each time I get a recomendation and go to check them out, there's something that just doesn't sit right with me. I guess I'm just picky about who I let work on my guns.

 

[AlaskaKodiak]

Muzzlebrake

Muzzlebrake

I have a Sako 300 Win Mag and had Wild West Guns put on one of their muzzlebrakes and I can shoot that gun all day long with no flinch. It is VERY LOUD and you will get everyones attention at the range. In the field you don't care. It was money well spent for me. Jim West and their gunsmith are Great, there is 1 guy there dark hair, glasses, sounds like he is from the northeast who leaves something to be desired in the customer service area, but all the other people I have dealt with there are great. I will always go there first to buy a gun, Jim West has treated me very well in the past.

 

[Ed M]

I've had one on my 300 Ultra for several years. I feel it puts the recoil around 243 level. Recoil is simply insignificant regardless the number of shots. However, the more time that goes by I find myself more reluctant to choose that gun because I don't want my ears damaged. I carry ear plugs but more than 50% of the time I don't put them in while shooting in the field.

Usually I hunt alone but if I am with someone I warn them several times every day about covering their ears if I need to shoot. You can also be quite surprised by the dirt in the eyes and teeth when shooting prone and the noise is tremendous if shooting under a dense canopy or a tree filled with snow. It just seems to capture the sound.

Regarding accuracy, a muzzle brake should improve it. It helps with initial bullet stabilization. I have tested mine under a few different conditions and I consistently get better groups with the brake, maybe a difference between 1.0" vs. .40".

This is my go to gun for long range (400+) with high wind, but that is all I want it for anymore. Right now I am trying to decide on the Ultra or my 257 Wby for Kodiak goat this fall. If I take the brake off then the 257 is more accurate, if I leave the brake on then I risk damage, both have adequate power at range but the 257 drifts much more than the 300 in wind.

If it was my son asking for this advice, I'd say don't go for the brake. I think you can overcome the recoil of a 300WSM with the right techniques.

 

[whateveri8]

For a hunter in the field shooting without ear protection:

The muzzle blast from a muzzle brake is immediately deafening.

A muzzle brake equipped magnum rifle (like a .300 or .338 Magnum) produces a sound pressure level (SPL) in the 130-dB range.

Any SPL in excess of 100 dB, is a potentially damaging level.

Nearly complete temporary deafness is experienced by a shooter and anyone within 10ft of the blast.

This loss of hearing usually lasts from about a minute, up to several minutes after firing a powerful magnum rifle equipped with a muzzle brake.

Hours later after only a single blast will all of the shooter's hearing return, but a certain amount is permanently lost and the losses are cumulative.

On the lighter side, my annual Moose hunting party:

There's this guy that show's up with some of my buddies that has an R-700 338 REM Ultra MAG w/ Muzzle Break. The rest of us call it a Texas PU$$Y Break

Not even HIS buddies that invite him will team up with him because that rifle puts such a ring in your ears for days!!!

I personally wish to retain my hearing while in the bush, but for some people the "kick" is just so scary...like a monster under the bed. So…lifetime hearing is traded out for a gentle touch…

The good news is Knitting needles have no recoil and we all need sweaters in the AK winter, so those who "fear the kick" can take up knitting... PROBLEM SOLVED.

 

[dwhunter]

whateveri8

whateveri8

I am with you on this one, with the improvements in recoil pads, mercury recoil reducers etc their is no need to blow yours and your buddies ear drums out.


Doug

 

[martentrapper]

I have a 300 WSM with the savage muzzle brake you can turn on and off. Great at the range to lessen the recoil. Great in the field, with the brake turned off. You don't notice kick when shooting at critters.
I also have 2 guns with adjustable muzzle brakes, like a browning boss. They do just what the boss is supposed to do. You can dial in the accuracy you want.
I'm not from Tx. but I'm a pussy when it comes to recoil. Not afraid to admit it either.

 

[Adventures]

breaks

breaks

I've got one on my .338 ultra. I guess I'm a pussy. I'll take the lack of fear for my rifle (which also increases accuracy) and a little noise anyday. If your freinds are worried about it they can plug thier ears.
I had mine done at extreme rifleworks in palmer. my dad had his done at wild west guns. Dad's only has large holes on the sides which doesn't work quite as well, but does keep the muzzle flash and the dirt down compared to mine which has little holes all the way around.
Justin

 

[Bernie1]

little noise, not!

little noise, not!

Great post whateveri8 you’re exactly right! People don’t get hearing loss is cumulative and the difference between 130d blast and a 140d blast is about double.
Put a mercury recoil reducer in or add weight but don’t lose your hearing because you don’t want a little more kick.

I was caribou hunting with some guys, and I was videoing I already had my bull. Two guys lined up in front of me going to take a shots at two beded down bulls. I had previously told these guys one in particular that hearing protection was needed when ever firing a rifle and especially with a gun with a muzzle break. Well the one guy that I was telling me I was a idiot didn’t have not protection on and a 30-378 Weatherby mag. with a break next to him. Long story short it was a terrible display of shooting ability and 4 rounds from the 30-378 was shot right in that guys ears. I was just laughing back about 10 ft behind him with my ear plugs in. For the next week was saying his ears hurt and he still had ringing sound in them. I didn’t say a thing I just smiled.

He probably has permanent hearing damage!

 

[Doc]

Ditto on the don't do...

Ditto on the don't do...

I had muzzle breaks on both of my kid's .30-06's (BOSS system). It helped them shoot the "bigger calibers" better at the range. However, the muzzle blast is way loud...too loud for the field without hearing protection. Now that they are grown, I'm in the process of rebarreling so their hearing will be protected into the future. If you really feel like a muzzle break is necessary, you can have one made that screws on/off. I had one for my .375H&H, and it was handy...made by Stan Jackson here in Anchorage. Screw it on for the range, take it off for the field...I had a ring that would screw over the threads when in the field...didn't look goofy...and didn't affect accuracy. However, got to admit that when I rebarreled that rifle (just this year), I opted not to have it tapped for the muzzle break. I just don't care for them...even at the range... they are offensive to other shooters (I'm a Range Safety Officer on weekends).

 

[Paul H]

I consider breaks an abomination, absoultely effective but not worth the damage to your hearing, especially since you can learn to deel with signifigant recoil without resorting to a break.

If you aren't currently using a PAST mag recoil pad when at the range, get one, and you'll see a dramatic difference in felt recoil. It costs much less than a break, and works with every gun.

I've worked up to shooting my 458 Lott and 500 Jeffrey unbraked off the bench, and have learned several things about how to deal with recoil. They key is being set up so the gun won't hurt you, and having each shot re-inforce that.

First of all, limit your shooting sessions when dealing with hard kickers, or working your way up to them. Do alot of dry firing at home before your range session. If you feel uncomfortable, or detect a flinch, stop shooting the gun immediately. If you try and shoot through it, it'll be 100 times harder to master the gun. Bring a 22rf to the range and do the majority of your shooting with it, and alternate between the 22 and your centerfire.

If you're fatigued, stressed, have had too much cafeine, or haven't been shooting in awhile, your recoil tollerance will be dramatically reduced. If all you're up for that day is a 22, that's all you should shoot. If you're in a mellow good, you can shoot some serious rifles with no ill effects.

I've also found that shooting a big bore, ie 40 cal and over makes the small bores feel recoil-less.

 

[Bravowhiskey]

Muzzel Brake- Pistol

Muzzel Brake- Pistol

I have found muzzel breaks to be very effective. I have a 14" Lone Eagle in 30-06 with a removeable muzzel break. I have fired it with and with out the break. There is an huge difference between with and without. The break makes the pistol pleasent to shoot. Without the break the fireing experience is down right offensive. To over come the draw backs of the increased volume I use Peltors electonic hearing protection. It allows me to hear nornally up until the point of the inpulse from the gun being fired. I an able to hear clearly even the smallest sounds.
Hope this is help full.

 

[HuntingAK]

What is this mercury recoil reducer you talk about? I have heard people talk about it never seen or heard anyone with one. Where can you get one and whats the cost?

 

[Paul H]

Check out Brownells, I'm not sure what the cost is, but I believe with a gunsmith intallation you're looking at at least $100. It is a metal tube that has mercury in it and I believe a baffle plate. What it essentially does is increase the impulse duration. Part of the recoil is used to move the mercury through the device, so the initial pulse is reduced, and then at the end of the recoil pulse the mercury moves with the gun, or so I understand. I haven't read any reviews to compare the mercury tubes with an equal weight slug of lead. Adding 1# to a rifle makes a very notable decrease in the recoil, but you also have to tote that pound everywhere with you, and an extra pound in the hands is also notable after a weeks hunt.

 

[dwhunter]

Mercury reducer

Mercury reducer

I found one at the link below, I have one in my 375 and along with my limb saver recoil pad you can shoot it all day. It also weighs 10lbs with my wood stock which helps but I will be replacing it with a synthetic this year. I sacrifice a bit when carrying it around right now but it is worth it to me.

http://precisionreloading.com/recoilsuppressors.htm

Doug

 

[AKWannabe]

Past & Lead Sled

Past & Lead Sled

I consider breaks an abomination, absoultely effective but not worth the damage to your hearing, especially since you can learn to deel with signifigant recoil without resorting to a break.

If you aren't currently using a PAST mag recoil pad when at the range, get one, and you'll see a dramatic difference in felt recoil. It costs much less than a break, and works with every gun.

I've worked up to shooting my 458 Lott and 500 Jeffrey unbraked off the bench, and have learned several things about how to deal with recoil. They key is being set up so the gun won't hurt you, and having each shot re-inforce that.

First of all, limit your shooting sessions when dealing with hard kickers, or working your way up to them. Do alot of dry firing at home before your range session. If you feel uncomfortable, or detect a flinch, stop shooting the gun immediately. If you try and shoot through it, it'll be 100 times harder to master the gun. Bring a 22rf to the range and do the majority of your shooting with it, and alternate between the 22 and your centerfire.

If you're fatigued, stressed, have had too much cafeine, or haven't been shooting in awhile, your recoil tollerance will be dramatically reduced. If all you're up for that day is a 22, that's all you should shoot. If you're in a mellow good, you can shoot some serious rifles with no ill effects.

I've also found that shooting a big bore, ie 40 cal and over makes the small bores feel recoil-less.

Yep, for me the best solution is the Past recoil shoulder pad. Actually, I've only really felt the need for one when shooting the .416 RM I used to own. I don't wear it with my .375H&H or the .338 WM I also used to own.

Another option is Caldwell's Lead Sled. By itself it works great for light magnums and standards just using it as a rest/support. For more enthusiastic cartridges, just add a couple bags of lead shot and voila, instant recoil reduction!

I also think that when shooting a centerfire rifle that seems to be causing a flinch, a person should always bring along a .22 lr. If you find yourself flinching, set the big gun aside and shoot the .22 until you can squeeze the trigger without so much as blinking.

Dave

 

[Thebear_78]

Homer strickland has done an excellent job on two rifles for me. He had really quick turnaround and his work is excellent. My 338 Rum was tamed down quite a bit by his break, you can almost watch the bullet strike.

 

[Murphy]

Hit the Brakes

Hit the Brakes

There is little doubt that the muzzle brakes used on rifles today are effective in reducing recoil, very effective on some calibers. Some are so effective in holding the muzzle down that the shooter can observe the impact of the bullet on the target. An undeniable aspect of them is that they direct the high pressure gases up and back toward the shooter, that is what makes them so effective. These ports in the barrel harness part of the power of the expanding gases and use it to slow the rearward travel of the firearm and thus reduce the recoil felt by the shooter. This redirecting of the high pressure gas back toward the shooter also directs the noise to the shooter. They can increase the noise level of firing a shot many times more than what it would be without the brake. The more effective brakes are the loudest brakes. There is also no doubt that this blast to unprotected ears will cause hearing damage.

To use a brake on a rifle that is only used at the range or just for target shoots where hearing protection is used there is little problem with them. But to use a muzzle brake on a hunting rifle where the shooter (hunter) and buddys have no hearing protection, is not a good plan. Wearing hearing protection is not often part of the program when afield and is almost never used on a hunt.

The brake can be an effective tool when learning to shoot or conditioning ones self to recoil of a larger caliber but they are very impractical for hunting.

I don't use them. I no longer hunt with anyone who uses a brake, and I know of many guides that won't stand beside a hunter who employs a muzzle brake.

I know of one incident where the hunter fired a shot from his 300 WM, with a muzzle brake, while sitting atop a rented horse. His horse left him and went the 12 miles back to the barn, in a hurry. The rifle and it's owner were both skinned up a bit on the rocky slope onto which they were deposited. Our outfitter was not happy and questioned the heritage of the guy who scared his horse. Our unhappy hunter with sore backside and bruises, walked the last few miles to the camp. Now it is quite possible the horse wouldn't like the 300 without a brake, but he sure didn't like it with one. I never knew a mountain pony could move so fast!

I really think that any able bodied individual who can stand and walk can learn to shoot heavy calibers without a muzzle brake. There are individuals who, because of physical conditions, cannot shoot anything larger than a 30-06or smaller, and always use a brake for that reason. Also there are new recoil absorbing materials for rifle pad and strap on shoulder pads which make recoil much more tollerable. This is the technique I use and I shoot many heavy recoiling guns.

This modern technology with soft recoil pads and muzzle brakes that we have to have to shoot today, makes me wonder how the hunters of the 19th and early 20th century were able to shoot such guns as; 45-120 Sharps, 50-110 Winchester, 500 N.E., 500 Jeffery, 416 Rigby, and all the dainty 4,6,8 bore double guns. Are we getting soft? Good shootin'.

Murphy

 

[7STW]

Muzzle Breaks

I've owned and hunted with a Sako AV 375 for 20 years.This has actually become a semi switch barrel rifle as I alternate the factory barrel with a Lilja 26 inch 7STW barrel.The Lilja was magnaported by Kelly's operation.

The 375 barrel carries a KDF. With a 6X 42 Leuplod up top, it weights just a dink under 8 pounds.McMillan stock.I've used this rifle all over the world, including Africa, and personally have never been aware of "increased muzzle blast". Actually, the 7STW with full house loads feels more abusive off the bench...faster and just as loud...or louder...than the breaked 375.

Back when, I was dating a pint sized gal who loved guns and hunting (I know, shouda married her). She was 5 feet in shoes and maybe went 105 lbs with her hunting clothes on.She had her own Mod 7 308 with a cut down stock that she loved to shoot.

One day, we were at the range and I had Big Thunder(aka 375) along.She wanted to try it.I said OK...and gave her a factory Rem 270. She got squared up on the bench...squeezed one off...it hit absolute point of aim...and she ejcted the case with a big smile."That was fun! Give me another round!" were her exact words.I did...round 2 hit about 5/8 of an inch from the first one.

I've had several hunters with world wide experience fire Big Thunder .A number of those hunted Africa (including a PH who had shot more than 20,000 head of game as a head SA Game Ranger on culling ) for the big stuff with Lotts and even 458 Weatherbys.To a person, there were astounded by the recoil reduction of the KDF. Not a single person even commented on noise or increased muzzle blast.Most felt it was in the 270/30-06 range.

Using a brake for zeroing and then removing it in the field can cause zero problems.The weight of the brake will definitely affect the amplitude of the barrel harmonics.Basically the same idea that the BOSS produces on Winchester and browning barrels.

At 61, my hearing is still intact, despite having fired dozens of rounds with a KDFed rifle.I ALWAYS use double protection on the range, but never when rifle hunting. High volume (5 to 15 boxes) bird shooting should at least indicate plugs.

I've heard and read the "brakes will destroy your hearing" opinions for years.I've never seen an actual controlled study that measured the DB range with and without a brake.Lot's of theories...

Candidly, for my money, the MOST obnoxious noise makers are big bore magnum revolvers.