Muzzle Brake or not on my custom .308?

[stinnett1981]

I have my first custom rifle being built now. The only thing im not sure about is if I want a muzzle brake or not. I talked to the smith this morning about a Badger Ordnance Thruster muzzle brake. He has everything set up and is about to start the build so I need to make up my mind now! The rifle is a .308. Its for hunting, target shooting and plinking at my hunting property-shooting range from 100-600 yards. I also plan on trying out FTR at a 600 yard range. I will always be shooting off a Harris bipod. I already talked to the IL department of conservation and the officer said muzzle brakes are legal to hunt with. I never shot a rifle with a muzzle brake before. All I know about them is that the kick of the rifle is reduce alot and the blast is alot louder.

My questions..... Will muzzle brakes increase accuracy because the rifle will kick alot less and I will be able to control the rifle alot better. Also, is muzzle brakes legal in FTR? IM MOSTLY INTERESTED IN THE ACCURACY OF MUZZLE BRAKES!

 

[doc gordon]

I vote yes however get a threaded barrel protector made as you wont always use brake as it is hard to shoot with a brake gun near. some ranges don't allow them .

 

[Phil3]

I have shot 308 bolt actions before, using 168 grain bullets, and for me, a muzzle brake would go on it. Call me a wimp, but the 308 has pretty good recoil in my opinion. I could shoot it for a good while without the brake, but would not want to. The reduced recoil is just one less distraction and will reduce the chances of developing a flinch. If the rifle is light, then I would be even more inclined to use a brake. Or chamber the thing in 260 Remington and have a lot less recoil, better long range ballistics, and if you put a brake on the 260, the recoil would be a lot less.

Phil

 

[Hombre0321]

Nothing wrong at all with a brake on a hunting rifle where allowed, anything that helps in recoil control is a good thing. As to shooting a Mid Range F/TR match there brakes are "NOT" allowed and for good reason, so the thread protector would be a have to have.

Roland

 

[DRNewcomb]

I vote yes however get a threaded barrel protector made as you wont always use brake as it is hard to shoot with a brake gun near. some ranges don't allow them .

I agree with this if it's what you want, only if the brake is removable. Just to be nice, our match director let a guy who came with a .338 with a muzzle brake shoot in last Saturday's F-class match but stuck him at the far end of the line about 20' from the nearest other shooter and his scores didn't count and won't be submitted to the NRA. If you want to shoot with everyone else and get your score counted you have to shoot an F-class legal rifle.

I personally don't feel the need for a muzzle break on a .308 Win.

 

[wnyhunterpaa]

My experience regarding muzzle breaks - they work great for the heavy load stuff that I have shot (300 WM, 338 Lapua, 50 BMG) , they take your mind off the recoil.

I have gravitated toward the rounds that don't require breaks for my precision shooting.

 

[Larryh128]

You will shoot better with a brake in my opinion. Get a brake and a cap that weigh the same & you're pretty much good to go.

 

[nosualc]

Muzzle brakes exist for reason. They work. It's not unreasonable to put one on a .308, and it will help you shoot it better, at the expense of a great deal more noise.

Brakes are not allowed in high-power competition (including f-class). If you want to shoot F-T/R you can always take it off.

-nosualc

 

[stinnett1981]

The Badger Thruster brake is not removable. I need to get one thats removable. Now I need to search.

 

[mgx1138]

Muzzle breaks work... if you're shooting in the woods by yourself, go for it. If you shoot at a rifle range, you won't make any friends shooting with a muzzle break. There is nothing more annoying at the range than someone shooting with a break nearby. Before you do it, get someone else with a muzzle break to shoot a few rounds near you at your local range... then decide if you want to do that to the people around you.