Brake question

My 9yr old son is shooting a cva scout 243.. hes alil recoil shy... id like to curb that issue for him so hopefully he doesnt pick up any bad shooting habits at a young age.... the gun is already treaded for a brake... i have a 30cal brake laying around... will there be any issue using that on the 243? Or should i get a different size

Chromeslayer said:

My 9yr old son is shooting a cva scout 243.. hes alil recoil shy... id like to curb that issue for him so hopefully he doesnt pick up any bad shooting habits at a young age.... the gun is already treaded for a brake... i have a 30cal brake laying around... will there be any issue using that on the 243? Or should i get a different size

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The .30-cal brake will work, but not as effectively as the one with the best clearance for a .24-cal.

I have all kinds of muzzle devices and have been using them since 2003.

It is not the most effective IMHO, but if you are on a budget, it is probably the best-priced self-timing brake since the rifle is already threaded, https://www.rossbrakes.com/shop, and for a tuner brake, https://www.harrellsprecision.com/products/tactical-tuner-brakes

There are a lot of effective muzzle brakes out there, depending on your budget. Good luck!

Run with it and watch the classifieds here for a 6.5 cal brake. What thread pattern is the barrel threaded, 1/2-28 or 5/8-24?

Supress it.

And if the thread patterns don't match. They make adaptors. Cheap too. You most likely know that. Just in case ……. My biggest isssue with the shyness is alway having that ear pro on. Makes a huge difference. Good luck.

Is there any particularly reason you/he want to shoot a .243? It would probably help for him to shoot a .22 RF, or possibly even a smaller centerfire cartridge, like a .22 Hornet or .218 Bee for another year.

Chromeslayer said:

My 9yr old son is shooting a cva scout 243.. hes alil recoil shy... id like to curb that issue for him so hopefully he doesnt pick up any bad shooting habits at a young age.... the gun is already treaded for a brake... i have a 30cal brake laying around... will there be any issue using that on the 243? Or should i get a different size

Click to expand...

A 30 cal brake may help but may not be as efficient as a 6mm brake,if he's recoil shy maybe the best way to go is to use a sound moderator they screw on the the same as a brake.

Chromeslayer said:

My 9yr old son is shooting a cva scout 243.. hes alil recoil shy... id like to curb that issue for him so hopefully he doesnt pick up any bad shooting habits at a young age.... the gun is already treaded for a brake... i have a 30cal brake laying around... will there be any issue using that on the 243? Or should i get a different size

Click to expand...

Brakes are loud if he has his head set poorly located or due to buck fever forget to put it on hearing damage most likely going to be the result, a shoulder pad will solve the problem as will a suppresser.

Best case scenario is to put a suppressor on it, if you have the financial means. Some people don't know that suppressors actually reduce recoil. Some do so fairly well. Inhave two friends that got cans in under a week, just this week.

If a suppressor isn't an option, the other thing you could do on an budget is to add weight to the rifle. Go to tractor supply and buy their bulk pack of copper coated lead BBs. Take a screw driver and remove the butt padd on the rifle. If there is a foam insert inside the stock, take it out. Fill the stock with the BBs, and put the butt pad back on. You can add up to 4lbs to the rifle which will reduce recoil by about 30% depending on starting weight.

If you are going to put a muzzle brake on ,just know that studies show that youth and new shooters are actually more adverse to the noise than they are the recoil, so use well placed foam inserts into the ear when practicing and headphones when hunting, when he get to that point.

The cheap Caldwells headphones that have a sound magnification work great in a hunting situation as you can 'whisper ' to one another with hearing protection in place.

It will work and it actually won't lose much effectiveness

What threads? I may have a 6.5 that I used on a smaller diameter barrel that I'd send your way.

But just know that brakes are loud. So that may cause other problems. If you're shooting it's nit bad, but off to the side and it can be really bad depending on the brake design.

If you can run a suppressor then I'd go that way instead.

woodmaster said:

Brakes are loud if he has his head set poorly located or due to buck fever forget to put it on hearing damage most likely going to be the result, a shoulder pad will solve the problem as will a suppresser.

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An effective muzzle brake has two purposes: reducing felt recoil and muzzle rise. The latter is often not realized. There is plenty of hearing protection available. I spent my first 10 years in the USAF at the flighline generating aircraft sorties in the late 1980s - early 1990s - F-4s and A-10s. Prolonged exposure in high dBs is damaging. At the time, we were supposed to use foamies + headsets over it, but it was not enforced—most only use of the two. Most who only use one have their hearings significantly damaged.

I maintain the good habit to this day, except with better equipment. I also wear hearing protection when using high-noise household equipment and tools. Most people I know only use hearing protection when shooting and do not realize other high dB exposures.

Chromeslayer said:

My 9yr old son is shooting a cva scout 243.. hes alil recoil shy... id like to curb that issue for him so hopefully he doesnt pick up any bad shooting habits at a young age.... the gun is already treaded for a brake... i have a 30cal brake laying around... will there be any issue using that on the 243? Or should i get a different size

Click to expand...

If he's recoil shy, maybe look at a Boyd's At-one gun stock. It has an added pad available and an adjustable chin rest. Spring loaded adjustable shoulder pad as well. Plus they are very well made for nominal price.

epoletna said:

Is there any particularly reason you/he want to shoot a .243? It would probably help for him to shoot a .22 RF, or possibly even a smaller centerfire cartridge, like a .22 Hornet or .218 Bee for another year.

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That was my first thought. At 9, I was still shooting a BB gun. It should be a natural progression from one caliber to the next for good shooting habits to be carried over and up, but that's just my 2 cents worth.

Al Diamond said:

That was my first thought. At 9, I was still shooting a BB gun. It should be a natural progression from one caliber to the next for good shooting habits to be carried over and up, but that's just my 2 cents worth.

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I started my two sons shooting .22 LR at age 5. At 9, they were shooting 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser
with 120 grainers in preparation for their first hunt at 10. I had them use PACT recoil pad (like the young lady in the picture below) in the process. This was before I started using muzzle brakes. My WAG is @Chromeslayer and is prepping him for his first hunt.


This young lady was shooting a .375 H&H with a muzzle brake and recoil pad.
(Source: https://www.blackbearheaven.com/9-year-old-girl-record-brown-bear-record-girzzly-bear.htm)