Brake / suppressor?

[biednick]

Yeah, better for what? Suppressors will never be as accurate as brakes. Suppressors can increase velocity. Suppressors reduce a lot of noise. Brakes are light weight and not overly long.

Any doubts look at podiums of matches from F Class to PRS, not gonna be many suppressors (yes rules etc but beyond that). Follow a lot of those guys to hunting and I bet you'd see a lot of suppressors.

Silencers don't have a significant impact on precision as long as they are well made and properly mounted. Accuracy is a different metric. There's often a POI shift when you attach or remove a silencer, and if you don't account for that by rezeroing your scope accuracy will decrease.

Most of the top PRS and NRL shooters use both depending on the situation. Brakes used to be far more popular because they were the only way to get adequate muzzle control to self spot on the clock. As most shooters have shifted from cartridges like 308 and 6.5 Creedmoor to smaller, lower recoil 6mm cartridges it's become possible to self spot with a silencer.

There's not much of an advantage to a silencer in F Class or benchrest. The shooting position doesn't usually interfere with ear muffs, and concussion isn't horrible with long barrels in open areas.

 

[highfinblue]

As far as noise, concussion, percussion whatever it is on a big cartridge that pushes you back the suppressor is definitely the way to go. They are awkward as far as size and the length it adds to your rifle, but I'm sold. Bought two more in March, just found out I'm approved. Really cool to shoot a 28 Nosler with no ear protection and it not deafen you.