Muzzle brake on a 300 Win Mag?

[WildRose]

Thanks a lot for your warm welcome, I appreciate that!

I will think of our new friend here while watching "Vikings" on the history channel (taped) later LOLgun)

 

[bigngreen]

I've been been shooting my Rem 700 5R now for about 200 rounds with an Elk Meadow Performance Titanium brake. I believe this is shown earlier in this thread. I'll have to say it's a great design. No POI change with or without, same accuracy, and most interestingly, I can see feel very little difference in blast with or without the brake out of the 24" barrel. Maybe im just getting conditioned but I have not exerienced this with my other braked rifles. I had been shooting this rifle without the brake and it's now nice to be able to see impacts. The only difference I have seen is that there could be an effect in sound signature as I have to move my Superchrono Accoustic Chronograph a few yards further out to get good readings. No effect on my Ohler 35 though.

No quality brake should be noticeable to the shooter IMO, I think a lot of people have been turned of by brakes that slam the shooter with concussion, I know I was for many years. I'm going to build an ultra lite rifle and it'll have one of pratts brakes on it for sure!!

 

[WildRose]

No quality brake should be noticeable to the shooter IMO, I think a lot of people have been turned of by brakes that slam the shooter with concussion, I know I was for many years. I'm going to build an ultra lite rifle and it'll have one of pratts brakes on it for sure!!

Well that's not entirely true. Many of the better recoil reducing breaks actually direct the blast and gasses back towards the shooter so they can be pretty nasty on same without proper hearing protection. By directing the discharge in such a manner they are taking advantage of reversing to some degree the "rocket motor effect" which is hard on the ears but really nice on the shoulder.

The Snowy Mountain Rifles break I recommend gets a great balance though in not being nasty on the shooter while still being quite an effective brake at both recoil and muzzle flip reduction.

 

[hawk45]

If you have a 9lb rifle just for hunting and light off less than 10 rounds per year, then maybe not.
If you have a 12 lb rifle just for hunting and light off 20-100 rds per year, then maybe.
If you shoot more than 100rds and like to do target shooting also, then definitely yes, so you can spot hits and follow your vapor trail.

Needing a brake does not make you any less of a 'man', it just makes you a wiser one. Just because I can drive my car with my feet doesn't mean it's meant to be done. Using my hands makes things easier and much more enjoyable.

That being said, keep in mind etiquette if you are on a hunt with a group or others w/ or w/o hearing protection. Lighting off a big magnum with a brake can do serious hearing damage to anyone next to you (less than you being behind the rifle). Some hunting camps don't even allow them, so if you plan to hunt with one, make sure you can turn it on/off or it is removable for hunts.

 

[Jumpalot]

I've had a brake on mine for a few months now. I can't say that I shoot it better, but I can shoot better longer if that makes sense. It's easier to spot my hits (and misses) now. I could shoot it about 10 rounds before it started bothering me before. I'm a whopping 5'4" and 160lbs. Now I can shoot it as much as I want. Before the brake I only shot 180 grain bullets. Now after the brake I'm shooting the 215 Bergers so it's not a direct comparison. I wish I would have put one on sooner.

 

[Elkwonder]

My shoulder and I are BIG fans of muzzle brakes!!!

 

[Litehiker]

Re: Muzzle brake on a 300 Win Mag? BOSS

My Browning A-Bolt has the BOSS system and I have both the solid BOSS and the muzzle brake BOSS. Now I only shoot it with the muzzle brake.

That micrometer BOSS system adjusts to tune the barrel harmonics for accuracy so the bullets always leave the muzzle at the same point in its movement. Love it B/C I can get (most) factory loads to shoot as well as tuned handoads.

 

[rem40xb1]

I have noticed my rifle kicks less when I drink a quart of booze before shooting. Ross

 

[emn83]

Shot a 300 WINMAG for the first time this last weekend.......shot a box of 180 grain Fusion.....I'm a smaller guy, 5'5" 148.......recoil on the bench wasn't that bad, less Han I thought.....from that, a brake doesn't seem necessary......the green bruise on my shoulder the next day told me a brake might be a nice thing to have.

 

[Varberger757]

Using a 300WM or other powerful calibres of that kind frequently demands a good and well-functioning brake, especially when the shooter often uses prone position. Otherwise, the shooter may start flinching or "maltreating" the trigger. Enjoy your shooting, but pain doesn't belong there and is for masochists. gun)

 

[cowboysd]

I put a vias brake on my 300 last year and love it!!!! With the vias the recoil is much lower and so is the noise. had a shark type break put on my wifes 7mm and the noise is almost unbearable. But it took more recoil out of it. Should have spent the extra $100 and went with the Vias.

 

[Old teacher]

The Vais is a great brake, no doubt about it. I have six or seven of them. My Benchmark reduces recoil more but is much louder, especially for the guys next to you on the range. For the combination recoil reduction and acceptable increase in noise, the Vais is hard to beat, but then there are a bunch of brakes out there I have not tried or even heard of. Actually, the brake that came on my Weatherby 30-378 is a good brake.

 

[RTK]

Vias type brakes are definitely nice until you get down on the ground. Then they become completely useless due to the fact they blow everything on the ground all over you, that is where side discharge shines.

 

[Old teacher]

Agreed. But I have never fired a shot from the prone position in my life, and probably never will. The fastest way to make yourself into a stable shooting platform is to sit.