Recoil

[Alex Wheeler]

This is a discussion I think that is worth having. Most of the time I am planning a rifle out with a customer and this topic comes up I am usually looking at it a little differently. Any able bodied person can handle recoil. Its not about being tough or being able to shoot the rifle well without flinching. Obviously thats a factor but not what Im talking about here. Spotting your hits at long range is very important to me. If you can watch the bullet impact in your scope, you know instantly if the shot was good or you need to hurry up and get another down there. When I shoot a rifle that recoils enough that I cant get back on target to see the impact at 500-600 yards and out, I feel blind. This could be a real problem on a hunt if the animal disappears into the timber and you have no idea how the shot went. Now when we watch the videos of guys shooting these really aggressive brakes saying how easy you can spot your hits with 300 and 338 magnums, its true. If you use a really good brake like a Terminator or Beast and dig the bipod in with a perfect prone position you can spot your hits. I literally have never killed and animal from a position like that. In Montana your shooting up down or your in sage brush or tall grass. So you will most likely be taking a shot from a less than perfect position. You will not be spotting your hits with those heavier calibers. My favorite elk round is still a 30 like the 300 Norma Improved or 30-28 Nosler but I like them a little heavier personally to make them behave. This is just food for thought for when your planning a rifle. Just another way to look at recoil.

 

[FEENIX]

This is a discussion I think that is worth having. Most of the time I am planning a rifle out with a customer and this topic comes up I am usually looking at it a little differently. Any able bodied person can handle recoil. Its not about being tough or being able to shoot the rifle well without flinching. Obviously thats a factor but not what Im talking about here. Spotting your hits at long range is very important to me. If you can watch the bullet impact in your scope, you know instantly if the shot was good or you need to hurry up and get another down there. When I shoot a rifle that recoils enough that I cant get back on target to see the impact at 500-600 yards and out, I feel blind. This could be a real problem on a hunt if the animal disappears into the timber and you have no idea how the shot went. Now when we watch the videos of guys shooting these really aggressive brakes saying how easy you can spot your hits with 300 and 338 magnums, its true. If you use a really good brake like a Terminator or Beast and dig the bipod in with a perfect prone position you can spot your hits. I literally have never killed and animal from a position like that. In Montana your shooting up down or your in sage brush or tall grass. So you will most likely be taking a shot from a less than perfect position. You will not be spotting your hits with those heavier calibers. My favorite elk round is still a 30 like the 300 Norma Improved or 30-28 Nosler but I like them a little heavier personally to make them behave. This is just food for thought for when your planning a rifle. Just another way to look at recoil.

Well said, Sir! An effective muzzle brake serves two purposes, reduction of felt recoil and reduction of muzzle rise. The latter is not often realized. Being able to see the impact on the target is priceless.

My 1st MB was Holland's 3-port QD on my .300 WM in 2003 (pictured below) and I never looked back. All my hunting rifles (except 6.5x55 Swede and .30-30) from .338 to .264 cal now sports an MB/muzzle device.

This is on a big bore air gun but an excellent video that captures what MB does ...



Ed

 

[L.Sherm]

Alex you make a very good point.
For years I hated muzzle brakes because just being around one of the concussion and noise. I'm more and more beginning to realize the benefit for exactly what you said.
Even on my 20 cal stuff I'm putting brakes on so I can see the hits on sage rats.

 

[BEEMAN]

I totally agree. I even put a MBM brake on my 6 Dasher hunting gun. Now that thing is fun to shoot! Talk about zero recoil and being able to spot your hits.

 

[Muddyboots]

Perfect thought from my perspective since I NEVER considered it before. Last year, I shot a pretty nice buck at about 300 with a Sendero 300WM with 200AB in a cut cornfield and I did not see the hit, the buck did not bronco kick or stagger and basically like it was clean miss. He was running up along a hedgerow and I was trying to get on him and he started to stagger and went down. Absolutely nothing in the shot that I "could see" after the recoil to give me data on the "hit". I would bet there was an indicator but just didn't see it from rifle recoil off Bog shooting sticks while sitting. I never thought I needed a brake for recoil since I am 6'4" 255 but the felt recoil is not the real reason to consider a brake now that I actually understand there is a really good reason to have one. I've only started to shoot farther since Indiana allows rifle on private so in really large tracts of cut corn or bean you can easily have mid range 500-600 shots that a brake is good idea. I know some folks will ask why in a cut ag field but remember you have to keep this deer on your land for most part so knowing the shot can be big deal in followup considerations.

 

[Bang4theBuck]

I have to say, when I shoot my 6 Dasher with my suppressor (reduces recoil similarly to muzzle brake), I feel reeeaaallllly stealthy and can spot hits, no problem. It definitely ups the fun factor for me. I recently put a muzzle brake on my 224 Valkyrie......going to shoot it long this weekend. I'm sure I will get the same giggles with that one.

 

[DJ Fergus]

I have a Christensen Slayer on a 28" stw. 180s @ aprx 3180 is a breeze, no problems. I have the same Slayer brake on a 26" 300 Norma and while the recoil is not an issue, the concussion is just highly unpleasant if I run it up much over 3000 fps. Even slowed down to 2900 it's still some what unpleasant. I'm going to a 29" hoping that it will help matters.

 

[LaHunter]

This is a discussion I think that is worth having. Most of the time I am planning a rifle out with a customer and this topic comes up I am usually looking at it a little differently. Any able bodied person can handle recoil. Its not about being tough or being able to shoot the rifle well without flinching. Obviously thats a factor but not what Im talking about here. Spotting your hits at long range is very important to me. If you can watch the bullet impact in your scope, you know instantly if the shot was good or you need to hurry up and get another down there. When I shoot a rifle that recoils enough that I cant get back on target to see the impact at 500-600 yards and out, I feel blind. This could be a real problem on a hunt if the animal disappears into the timber and you have no idea how the shot went. Now when we watch the videos of guys shooting these really aggressive brakes saying how easy you can spot your hits with 300 and 338 magnums, its true. If you use a really good brake like a Terminator or Beast and dig the bipod in with a perfect prone position you can spot your hits. I literally have never killed and animal from a position like that. In Montana your shooting up down or your in sage brush or tall grass. So you will most likely be taking a shot from a less than perfect position. You will not be spotting your hits with those heavier calibers. My favorite elk round is still a 30 like the 300 Norma Improved or 30-28 Nosler but I like them a little heavier personally to make them behave. This is just food for thought for when your planning a rifle. Just another way to look at recoil.

Very true. I shoot a 7mm rem mag with no brake that is a little on the heavy side, but I still have to really focus on recoil management to spot hits on steel. Recoil management takes a lot of practice to get good at it, with an unbraked magnum.

 

[Savage 12BVSS]

Used my first brake on a 7mm-08 20" bbl. recently and it never lifted me off target. Wow that was a pleasant shooting session, will be using brakes more now and experimenting with different types. A new convert I notice Terminator and beast names mentioned a lot on here will look into them, I used a radial but with no holes from 4-8 o'clock downward.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

I am a huge 30 cal fan. But Im kind of making a case for the 7mms in the lighter rifles. If your after a 7lb and under rifle that is. I just find that you cant tame down the big 30s when they get that light. I like my 30s in the 8-9 lb range

 

[DJ Fergus]

I've got a 8lb scoped & braked 7mm rm. Rifle alone weighs 6lb 11 oz. 180s @ 2830 or so is very tolerable to shoot. Surprisingly tolerable.

 

[TX Badger]

Alex,

How much difference do you see in muzzle jump with less drop to the butt? Logically it seems like to would get a straighter push, but I have not shot any chassis systems where this can be adjusted to really test the difference.

 

[Ingwe]

I can't understand the "muzzle breaks are loud" argument, when we wear hearing protection anyway. Or, "My Guide or PH won't allow MB's." Are you serious? Put your fingers in your ears then! Braked or not, rifles are LOUD

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Less drop helps some, but since the center of resistance is always below the center of force on a hunting rifle its going to rise. Its not something you really notice between common stock designs since its very little. To get your shoulder up high enough to be in line with the center of force your cheek would be quite high then the scope would have to be up there too. Just not practical in a hunting rifle.