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Barrel porting vs. muzzle break vs. suppressor ?

Agreed...but there have been many times hunting and shooting from prone where it was not practical for a spotter/guide to take up a position behind me. Happens more often than one would think...terrain and concealment dictates such.
It's a concerted effort for both shooter and spotter - spatial awareness.
 
I think your best option is to have barrel threaded. Then use the options at will. My Griffin suppressor has a quick connect that becomes the a muzzle break when the suppressor is off. If you decide against both those ideas just screw on a thread protector. Be sure to practice with all options so you get a poi for all options
 
I have had several rifles with the Magna Porting done to them and I really like it. I currently still have a 416 Rigby that is Magna ported and its great to shoot. I think either is a viable options but as others have stated adding a break is a win win situation. You can easily remove it if you want to. Once you rifle is ported it stays that way for life. Good Luck
 
I have guns that are magnaported, and guns with muzzle brakes. If you have a gun that you want to maintain it's clean lines and astesticts go magnaport. If you want more recoil reduction I suggest something like the Lil bastard tunable muzzle brake they are absolutely amazing. Just bought one to put on a Savage ultralite. If are not gonna wear hearing protection which I highly recommend that you do, then a good suppressor is the best way to go if you don't mind the extra weight and length. Here is a picture of my ultralite ensemble if my wholesaler ever gets it back in stock. If the rifle actually weighs 6lbs. my total weight should be 7lbs 10oz.
 

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So I am thinking about re-barreling one of my Ruger 77's to 300 Win. Mag. Since I am getting older, I also thought that should consider some kind of porting to mitigate some of the recoil. It would mostly be a hunting rifle although I would like to try some long range shooting as well.

What are the current ideas on porting vs. muzzle brakes vs. suppressors
Some good comments on this issue. My personal preference is to use a suppressor because it lowers the sound, it pushes it down range, there is little to no concussive blast and helps with recoil flinch.
Brakes are loud. Porting is loud and permanent. I always shoot with a suppressor. And with ears except when hunting. The felt recoil on a can is fantastic. At my age (70+) it is a real blessing. Not the least expensive way to go but I feel it is forth it.
As for the ebrake, I have tried two different types and they both increase the sound and recoil. The reason is that they take up volume in the first (blast chamber) chamber.
My favorite is the Deadair Nomad ti. lowest sound level and lightest weight. I use them on WSM's and SAUM's.
 
Some good comments on this issue. My personal preference is to use a suppressor because it lowers the sound, it pushes it down range, there is little to no concussive blast and helps with recoil flinch.
Brakes are loud. Porting is loud and permanent. I always shoot with a suppressor. And with ears except when hunting. The felt recoil on a can is fantastic. At my age (70+) it is a real blessing. Not the least expensive way to go but I feel it is forth it.
As for the ebrake, I have tried two different types and they both increase the sound and recoil. The reason is that they take up volume in the first (blast chamber) chamber.
My favorite is the Deadair Nomad ti. lowest sound level and lightest weight. I use them on WSM's and SAUM's.
 
I would not port a rifle nowadays as a brake is much better at reducing recoil. You can keep the barrel contour if the brake is machined to the same OD. Whatever brake you choose, don't do a radial as they are horrible when shooting prone. Brakes do increase sound back to the shooter and those to your sides so ear-pro is a must.
A suppressor will reduce some recoil but not as much as a brake. Of course it's job is to reduce sound and it does that well. I would say my suppressors reduce about half of the recoil my brakes will. My 28 Nosler with a suppressor feels like a 30-06 where it feels like a 243 with a brake.
I would go with some type of QD system. I'm running the Area 419 Hellfire series on most of my rifles which allows me to have a brake on and then switch to a suppressor in about 20 seconds. The Hellfire Match is a much better brake than most of the QD brakes on the market. It's just not as fast as twisting a suppressor over a brake.
 
At the range, when someone shows up (and sets up near me) with a muzzle brake on a larger caliber rifle, 90% of the time I usually pack up and leave. I'll come back another day or later that day. Even with double protection, it's horrible. I won't be focusing like I should for sure. Like mentioned earlier, the concussion effect doesn't seem to be mitigated by hearing protection.
 
Always wear double and shooting large caliber hand guns or magnum rifles. In ear and over ear. I want to save the little hearing I have left. And don't get me wrong. I like supressors. I need 2-3 more, then I am set
.. they're addicting. One more is never enough
 
suppressors as much as I like them, they are a hassle for hunting. extra weight & extra length mainly. Also every single nice setup ive had a load worked up to sub .5moa @ 500+ on will shoot like **** with the can removed due to harmonic changes. so you might as well weld that suppressor on and commit to it 24/7 imo.
That said nothings as efficient in recoil reduction as a well designed brake
To this notion...I agree 100%. I use a brake on almost all of my hunting rifles. In Pennsylvania if you see a buck, you're only going to see it for a few seconds if you're lucky. You have to make a quick shot. Applying ear protection at the moment is really not a quick option. Unfortunately shots have to be taken with a brake most of the time but only on rare occasion while hunting.
 
To this notion...I agree 100%. I use a brake on almost all of my hunting rifles. In Pennsylvania if you see a buck, you're only going to see it for a few seconds if you're lucky. You have to make a quick shot. Applying ear protection at the moment is really not a quick option. Unfortunately shots have to be taken with a brake most of the time but only on rare occasion while hunting.
Then again, if you can affort it (not me) there are in the ear, electronic ear protection plugs, allow you to hear the deer, and block the high dbs. Again, some choices we can make, some we can not
 
Breaks are great because, unless you have it permanently attached to the barrel you can remove them and put a thread protector on the barrel, or if you have the right suppressor, use a break that allows you to quick twist the suppressor on, so you get the best of both worlds.
Porting is an option that will work to reduce recoil, but it doesn't allow you any options.
I am a big fan of the suppressor with the ASR muzzle brake quick mount. I have one suppressor for my 300 win mag, and it also works on my .270, 5.56 & 7.62. I bought ASRs for each gun, so now they all have the same brake and can accept the same suppressor.
 

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