Holland vs APS

[alloutsmith3]

Gonna be putting a brake on here very soon and have narrowed it down to the APS Painkiller or Holland Radial. I can get the Holland for about $70 less than the APS. What are your opinions on either of these 2.

[squirrelduster]

Go with the APS.
The holland is a copy of the Miculek unit you can buy for under $50.00. APS is designed for being effective with larger cals.

[Camshaft]

I have a Holland and love it, brings my 300rum down to a 308win. I have never used an aps but I hear they are outstanding.

[ss7mm]

I've got an APS PainKiller on my 7mm AM and it's a great brake. It's the best brake design I've ever used.

[azsugarbear]

Both are effective, but radial brakes have problems when you begin shooting prone. Because they are radial, they disperse gases in every direction - including down. The result is debris and dirt being blown up into the air immediately after the shot. It makes it tough to see your hits and leaves dirt on your scope lens.

[RDM416]

I have the 3 port APS brake on a 338Khan and also have a Holland QD brake on another Khan. Note, my Holland brake is a QD rather than a radial. Both rifles weigh about the same and have an A5 stock so it is a pretty "apples to apples" comparison.

This is just my observation from shooting the two. The APS PK brake seems to be more efficient than the Holland QD, although not by a huge degree. I notice less less recoil and I am able to stay on target better with the rifle that has the APS brake. Previously, that rifle had a Defensive Edge brake which is a similar design to the Holland brake. Those two brakes seem to be about the same.

As others have already mentioned, the radial brake will blow around a lot more dirt and since I shoot prone or low off a tripod in the field I am not a fan of radial brakes. All three of those brakes will also give greater recoil reduction than the radial as well.

The Holland QD, APS PK, and the DE brakes are all fine brakes and will serve you well. Of those three the APS will give you the most recoil reduction. Remember, recoil reduction is not just about keeping the rifle from hurting when it kicks. When shooting at game at long distance it is important to be able to see your bullet impact. Since many of us don't have the luxury of having a spotter along on most hunts that means we have to be able to control the rifle well enough to either stay on target or get back on very quickly. The less the rifle moves during recoil, the easier that is, so in my opinion the the most efficient brake practical is always the best.

[royinidaho]

RDM416 makes some good points and presents a good comparison.

My experience is on a 338 RUM 300gr Hybrids, 10 lb rifle Holland QD brake. No such thing a even close to pain. Shoot all afternoon prone in a tee shirt. Spot all shots from 100 on out.

270 Allen Mag, DE Brake. 12# rifle, recoil is way less than the 338 and can spot all shots from 100 on out.

375 Allen Mag, APS brake, 17# rifle. Recoil is similar to the 270 AM. I was very surprised at the first shot. Spotted the shot @ 1k. Shot two more to validate the surprise of the first.

You'll hear the 7mm AM shooters with 16# guns say it just twitches with the DE brake. The 375 does just a bit more than that with the big APS Painkiller.

A serendipitous feature of the big PainKiller is that it's perfect for holding the iPod to get an accurate shot angle. Remember to remove it before ya brake the trigger.