Muzzle brake question

[kyron]

I need some professional opinions. I am looking a a muzzle brake for my 7mm STW. The brake I am looking at only comes in .223 with 1/2-28 threads and .308 with 5/8-24 threads. My barrel is not currently threaded but is large enough to support the 5/8-24.

Would I get a better brake by getting the 223 brake and drilling the center with a 5/16 drill bit or just using the .308 brake as is?

 

[Kevin Cram]

You'll get better performance from a muzzle brake that is bored out for your caliber. I bore my brakes .020" over caliber diameter. On the flip side, if your barrel is large enough diameter for a 5/8-24 thread that leaves more material on your muzzle than a 1/2-28 would and induces less chance of stresses in your muzzle. The larger clearance hole will make the brake less efficient as more gas is exited straight out rather than being re-directed by the ports. You can go either way with this one, or look at some other muzzle brakes that are 5/8-24 and will need to be bored out to your caliber.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I agree with Kevin. Having been through some mistakes with muzzle break selection recently...Don't short cut. There are some good ones and many that are not so good.

Steve

 

[bigngreen]

I would rather have a little over size hole vs a 1/2in thread on a high power rifle, best is to have a 5/8 and bore the hole to spec.

 

[kyron]

Thank you all for your advice. I might try contacting the manufacture and see if they will make a 5/8-24 with a smaller exit hole. If not I guess I'll keep looking.

Thanks again

 

[RockyMtnMT]

The small Pain Killer will make your rifle an absolute pleasure to shoot.

Steve

 

[kyron]

The two brakes I was primarily looking at were SJC Titan and the JP recoil eliminator. Both have excellent reviews and are frequently used in various competitions. And both are only about $100.

Thought if neither of them will work with me, or if working with me doubles the cost, I will be sure to drop an email to Mr. Allen.

 

[FEENIX]

The two brakes I was primarily looking at were SJC Titan and the JP recoil eliminator. Both have excellent reviews and are frequently used in various competitions. And both are only about $100.

Thought if neither of them will work with me, or if working with me doubles the cost, I will be sure to drop an email to Mr. Allen.

There are plenty of effective muzzle brakes out there to choose from. I have the mini version (Benchmark Barrels - Muzzle Brakes) of the one on the video on my .300 WSM and it works like a champ ...

[ame]https://youtu.be/FE7HujR0DRA?t=5[/ame]

Here's another from http://www.piercisionrifles.com/brakes/

[ame]https://youtu.be/2kl5DHAbDoI?t=24[/ame]

... and another ...

http://www.muzzlebrakesandmore.com/Video_s_and_Pictures.php

[ame]https://youtu.be/GxEbWQq6SHU?t=3[/ame]

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I had to replace the 5 port muscle break on my 338 Lap imp. It was simply unbearable to shoot more than a few shots. It now has the medium PK on it turned down to min dia. I can shoot as many shots as I want now. Turning it down lessens the effectiveness of the break and it still is much better than the 5 port muscle break. It is well worth the extra money for a good break. Just let an 80lb kid shoot his deer with my rifle prone on the side of a mountain. 285g projectile at 3117fps. No problem.

Steve

 

[engineer40]

The two brakes I was primarily looking at were SJC Titan and the JP recoil eliminator. Both have excellent reviews and are frequently used in various competitions. And both are only about $100.

Thought if neither of them will work with me, or if working with me doubles the cost, I will be sure to drop an email to Mr. Allen.

I have 3 of the JP Recoil Eliminators. They are good. Are you sure they don't offer the thread pitch you need plus a smaller exit hole? Two of the three I got with the exit hole smaller than I needed, then I drilled them out. If you are looking on Midway or Brownells, go straight to JP's website and look at all of their sizing options.

Plus direct from their website they usually have decent black Friday deals and that is just a couple weeks away.

One last thing. The threads on the barrel are not the only thing that should "handle" the pressure that the muzzle brake gets subjected to. Make sure there is enough barrel diameter that there will be some shoulder for the muzzle brake to tighten up against.

Hope this helps.

 

[kyron]

engineer,

Yes I am sure. they only offer 5/8-24 threads with a .350 exit hole. And they are not alone in that. I have done some more looking and that is near universal. JP does offer the small exit hole with 5/8-28 threads.

The problem with that is I want to thread the barrel myself and don't have lathe. While I can easily find a die to cut 5/8-28 threads, a thread alignment tool is another subject entirely.

However I have also in doing some more research found that there seems to be a fair bit of agreement that the exit hole of the brake being that much larger than the bore of the rifle makes not zero difference but very close to it.

Would you guys agree with that or is my research incomplete?

 

[kyron]

Steve,

That's pretty cool. I know that most of the time you get what you pay for, but I also know that when you pay more your just paying for a name. When it comes to muzzle brakes I really see a large number of brakes with top notch reputations that are much less money than the painkiller. I have no doubt it is an excellent brake, maybe even one of the best. But I do doubt that it is double the price better.

I hunt with this rifle, I enjoy just going to the range and trying to maximize my accuracy and precision. I also shoot F-class with it (yes, with an STW), and I plan to try my hand at some tactical matches. I am very new to all of this. I have been shooting for sport for less than a year. I have been trying very hard to buy once and cry once, and at the same time not buy things that are over priced.

 

[bigngreen]

Your about to go down a rough road especially if your wanting precision, a brake that is threaded of center or canted absolutely can create havoc with accuracy, you can get the correct dies that are classified threads but it will cost you more than having a gunsmith thread it correctly. You will notice the difference between the hole a gunsmith would normally cut and .350 on a STW, I've changed a number of guns from a properly fitted brake to on for a suppressor adapter with a large through hole and it's definitely noticeable. I hate to even suggest it but you may be better of with one of those clamp on brakes than a poor installation.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Steve,

That's pretty cool. I know that most of the time you get what you pay for, but I also know that when you pay more your just paying for a name. When it comes to muzzle brakes I really see a large number of brakes with top notch reputations that are much less money than the painkiller. I have no doubt it is an excellent brake, maybe even one of the best. But I do doubt that it is double the price better.

I hunt with this rifle, I enjoy just going to the range and trying to maximize my accuracy and precision. I also shoot F-class with it (yes, with an STW), and I plan to try my hand at some tactical matches. I am very new to all of this. I have been shooting for sport for less than a year. I have been trying very hard to buy once and cry once, and at the same time not buy things that are over priced.

You can buy once and cry until you get a good one after paying more than double the original had you bought the good one first. I speak from experience. My rifle was difficult to shoot more than 6 times with the 5 port muscle break ( which has a good reputation) and now I can shoot it all day long. Worth the extra $100?

I know what I think.

Steve