Muzzle Brake Opinions

[JohnnyJohnson]

You can slip a condom over the end when hiking and shoot it off so to speak. Not trying to be a wise guy but if the military can do it anyone can.

All your buddies must commend you for having safe sex! LOL

 

[ballistic64]

I'm having a sendero rebarreled to 300wsm and am having a JP installed on it. Don't really care about the looks, but have always wanted to see how effective they really are. I had a hollands QD on another 300saum sendero. I liked it but just want to see how the 300wsm acts with the JP on a sendero sized gun. If I really don't like it, I'll go back to the Hollands.

 

[MClark]

I have brakes on some of my rifles. When I hunt with any rifle I use Walker Game Ear. I can turn up the Walkers so I can hear like a coyote and when I shoot they block the boom. I would not shoot over a 22RF without some form of protection.
I do not know why a distinction is made for a mountain rifle, other than weight.

Mark

 

[yukonal]

I have both Vais, and Muscle Brakes. I don't like the Vais because of not only dust and dirt blowing up from below...but also the flame[thrower] ;D and smoke coming out the top blocks the sight picture after the shot.

I'm very happy with the Muscle Brake. Reduces recoil better than the Vais, and isn't any louder. In fact, I believe it's not as loud.

 

[MikeMcC]

My opinion is I'll never own another rifle with a muzzle brake. I made the unfortunate mistake of shooting at a deer with a 300 Win Mag with brake from a tree stand. I've never hunted in a situation where I would have time to put ear-plugs in and ear-muffs on. The noise was phenomenal, my ears had never been subjected to that level of noise and I had never experienced that degree of ear pain. I probably did some serious damage with that one shot.
The best situation would be using a muzzle brake for practice and then for hunting, screw on a non-machined (no holes or slots machined) brake with identical weight to maintain equivalent barrel harmonics.
My additional opinion is if one can't shoot a single hunting round without fear of recoil (I have seldom ever shot more than one round at an animal while hunting), they are definitely shooting a caliber with recoil beyond their physical limitations and should consider using a different less punishing caliber. Lets face it, it is not necessary to shoot some of the cannons available to obtain great range and hunting ballistics.
My largest caliber rifles are .338 Win Mag and 300 WSM. The 338 is a Browning BBR with significant weight and I shoot it from the bench and especially off-hand with no concerns whatsoever. The 300 is a New Ultra Light Arms "mountain rifle" that weighs somewhere around 6-1/2 pounds. Shooting it from the bench is not too bad and once again, no problem shooting off-hand.
While I don't like shooting at the range near anyone using a brake, it is almost a forgone conclusion since brakes are very much "in fashion" these days.

 

[Raythemanroe]

I like to have a dedicated gun for hunting, I then have no problems throwing on ear muffs when target shooting... My 300 wm is a pleasure to shoot with the brake

Ray

 

[IdahoCTD]

As a sheep hunter I +1 never putting a brake on a mountain rifle, every ounce in weight reduction is critical!

I doubt 3 to 4 ounces will make or break your sheep hunt. That is what my .750" and .875" 4 port brakes weigh.

BTW muzzlebrakesandmore.com is my website. Ross and I are buddies and have been for 25 years.

 

[6fatrat]

As a sheep hunter I +1 never putting a brake on a mountain rifle, every ounce in weight reduction is critical!

I doubt 3 to 4 ounces will make or break your sheep hunt. That is what my .750" and .875" 4 port brakes weigh.

BTW muzzlebrakesandmore.com is my website. Ross and I are buddies and have been for 25 years.

As a flat lander living east of the Mississippi at 800' above sea level on the wrong side of 60 with 2 bad knees every ounce counts.

 

[Jazz]

Sean Carlocks defensive edge brake works great on my 338-300 ultra. Had a vais on it originally.....doesnt compare to edge brake recoil reduction.

 

[snert]

Unlike a dangerous game rifle where you might HAVE to take the shot, most big game in US is not a MUST shoot, and few have a PH to worry about. Use ear protection and try the brake. I like mine, except for prone, and the dirt cloud. It will give you a chest thump from blast off the bench, but for me, shooting a 7mm Mag off a bench, long range deer popping, I love it.

 

[TC260]

When I hunt with any rifle I use Walker Game Ear. I can turn up the Walkers so I can hear like a coyote and when I shoot they block the boom. I would not shoot over a 22RF without some form of protection

Yup me too. I got custom ear molds made for them and use them through archery season into gun season.

 

[bobinpa]

I see alot of guys saying don't put one on a hunting rifle..... That never made sense to me at all. I use brakes on both my bench guns and my hunting guns. If I were going to eliminate brakes it would be on my bench guns first, only to be more polite to the whiners at the range. Brakes have benefits. First the recoil reduction allows you to watch your hits and I feel the recoil reduction makes you a better shot because you don't have to worry about recoil. I wear ear protection while at the range and while groundhog hunting and that's it. I am not going to walk around in the woods with ear protection on and I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS GETTING DIRT IN MY BRAKE OR MY BARREL! COMMON SENSE GUN HANDLING HAS PREVENTED THAT. I have never had a problem with the noise. I don't mind shooting next to someone with a brake either. I feel that if their brake is bothering me that much then I'm not concentrating on my shooting enough.
A couple of years ago a friend and I went on a moose hunt. I was right next to him in the same canoe when he shot his moose with a braked 300 RUM. He was also right next to me in the same canoe when I shot my moose with a braked 338 RUM. Neither of us had on ear protection and neither of us had any problems. I don't even remember hearing my gun! The brake did allow me to watch the impact of my shot and watch the moose get lifted off his feet though.
I wouldn't hesitate to put a brake on any gun. Get a thread protector made with it and then you have the option to remove it.

 

[searcher]

I used to be in the camp of disliking muzzle brakes. I now put them on many of my rifles. I varmint hunt a great deal and even on a .20 Practical and on .223's, the brakes allow me to see my hits and enable me to shoot at running ground squirrels and coyotes from hundreds of yards, something that was previously not possible to do well. I have an ole Ruger .243 that I never used to shoot much because I needed a spotter. Now I don't. Putting them on my big game rifles (7mm Mag and .375 H&H) made them much more enjoyable to be able to recover for the follow-up far better. The more you make a rifle a "mountain rifle" the lighter it will be and the more you will actually appreciate the brake. My 7mm Mag on a BAT repeater action weighs 7 pounds wth scope. The Holland style "quick discharge" brakes work most effectively - especially on the big guns. The Vais brakes look great but are not nearly as effective - ESPECIALLY ON THE MAGNUMS - and Vais will tell you so. The radials works great on the small to mid-range calibers and don't kick up much dirt. on the magnum calibers - they DO. If you want a good deal on a brake that works pretty good - go to Harrel's Precision. They sell a radial brake that only needs to be finish contoured by your gunsmith and deburred inside the ports. Cost? About $35.00. Works every bit as good as a Vais. I have a number of both. If you want the most effective brake - get one of the Holland style. Some are very aggressive in the blast they register to each side of the shooter. Make sure those around you have hearing protection. I am a big believer in hearing retention as well. I won't shoot without hearing protection - whether using a brake or not. The Holland style brakes are the loudest. If the brake works well - it will be loud - no matter what the sellers tell you. I varmint hunt with electronic hearing protection muffs. I can hear everything (even better if I wish), but get full benefit from protection when the shot is made. The best part? Aside from seeing the hit, you get to hear the loud "plop" to register the hit - that I would not otherwise hear. Lastly - there is a company called Witt machine Company that will make a "to fit" slip on muzzle brake for your gun for about $85.00 and only takes a couple of weeks. I now have three of them that I put on guns that I did not want to permanently modify. The are the side-discharge type and very effective.