To muzzle or not?

[scoaus]

Hi all,

I purchased my second (replacement) .300wm recently and am questioning whether to have a muzzle break installed to reduce recoil. I don't know how much difference it will make and whether the noise trade off is worth it. Has anyone done it and regretted it or vica versa?

The rifle is a 700 action, 30" barrel heavy fluted barrel, Mcmillan A5 lots of other work. Weighs approx 7.5kg (16lbs). Yes it is heavy, but so far I have found it to be a bit uncomfortable and having to find the target again at long range is frustrating.

Thanks in advance

Scott in Australia.

 

[highridge1]

Well worth it. I have a 4 port style brake on my 300 win,thing kicks like a .260 For a long range rifle the rewards far out weigh any negatives

 

[FEENIX]

Well worth it. I have a 4 port style brake on my 300 win,thing kicks like a .260 For a long range rifle the rewards far out weigh any negatives

+1! I too am a big fan of muzzle brakes. I'm not recoil sensitive but the ability to spot impacts on target is priceless.

A well designed muzzle brake not only reduce the felt recoil but also the muzzle rise/fall to allow you to spot your target and ease of target re-acquisition for those follow-up shots as required.

Good luck!

 

[300Thumbhole]

I agree with Highridge1 that the benefits outweigh the negatives.

Get some good ear protection and you won't even notice.
Don't think you'll be disappointed and you can always shoot the rifle with out the brake if you want to.

Jerry

 

[Southern Boys Lawncare]

If you brake it just make sure to wear plugs atleast to protect your hearing. Im only 23 and i have hearing damage a lot from shooting rifles since i was young. 16lbs sounds like my kind of gun though!

 

[dmj]

For years I shot the 300 win mag., 300 ultra mag and many others without muzzle breaks. All these were in rifles that weighted from 7.5 to 10 lbs. Four or Fives years ago I purchase my first 300 with a break on it. Now I wouldn't even consider a mag. without a break, or figure the price of a break into the purchase price. They make a variety of different breaks and I have shot several different styles. I'm not an expert on them and I'm sure some are better than others, but everyone I've ever shot helped made a significant difference in recoil of the rifle and helped to tame the muzzle jump. Good luck with your decision.

 

[scoaus]

Well that is a resounding yes haha. Thanks guys. Do any of you have experience with tuned breaks? I imagine the $$ going up, but by a lot and worth it?

 

[RDavies]

Hell yeah, I am a fan of brakes. If I was allowed to use them on all of my competiton barrels I would. (I cant use them on my F class or flyshoot guns)
At the moment I have a Bostrom brake with a tuner on my 1000yd light gun barrel which works great, as does the tuner. For bush guns I don't think a tuner is really needed.
As you have heard brakes do make the gun louder for the shooter, but not for people who are a distance away. When shooting from the bench I use ear plugs and muffs. For hunting, use electronic ear muffs. When you turn them up, you can hear game better than bare ears alone.

 

[reeldawg]

Check out the Defensive Edge brakes. I have radial and side discharge brakes. I like the side discharge style way better. They have to be timed.

Jay

 

[scoaus]

Great info, thanks guys

 

[7magcreedmoor]

Muzzle brakes are the duck's guts. After trying one on a custom build, they have multiplied like rabbits in my safe. Being able to watch the show while the bullet is still in flight is fantastic. I use SportEar in-the-ear electronics for hunting, foam plugs under electronic muffs on the range. My brakes are all JP Industries "Bennie Cooley" style.