Muzzle brake on a 300 Win Mag?

[ken snyder]

I do not feel that the angle of the ports or whether it has a radial appearance has much to do with the noise concern. From what I have seen it is an issue of directing the shock wave forward. I had the opportunity to help put in a logging road that was above some homes. The man that set the charges to blast the side of the hill set the charges so that the rocks would be blown away from the homes instead of on them. I am pretty sure that the better brakes take advantage of the same principle. Also keep in mind that Muzzle Brakes are not silencers and that if they fell into the silencer category they would be very highly regulated by law. If they had an actual muffler effect then proper permits and the such would be required on them but directing the shock wave forward is legal.

 

[ken snyder]

I am also going to say Physics is physics, it will allow us to play with it but will not allow us to break its rules. The shorter a barrel the better a brake works the shorter a barrel the noisier it gets. The heavier the bullet for a cartridge the less the powder charge is and less recoil for rifle weight.

If a person wants the absolute most recoil reduction possible I will still recommend the older WW I and WWII designs, physics said " no more" a century ago

 

[IdahoCTD]

The heavier the bullet for a cartridge the less the powder charge is and less recoil for rifle weight.

This isn't true. The heavier the bullet the more the recoil and a brake wont change that. That's physics. The higher the case capacity for a given bore size the the better a brake works and the smaller a bore is the better it works. They work by redirecting the gases so the more gas the better they work.

I haven't tested the shorter barrel theory but it might have more to do with the weight of the rifle with a shorter barrel rather than the brake being more effective. I'm a long barrel heavy rifle guy because I want the most accuracy I can get.

The direction of the ports does effect the recoil reduction and the noise. The shell hammer design used on the military 50 BMG's for years and years has ports that angle back heavily. It's not because they are quieter.

 

[ken snyder]

That is absolutely 100% guaranteed incorrect. For recoil energy both bullet and gunpowder velocities are squared while their weight is multiplied not the other way around.

 

[Franklin]

I agree with idahoctd. You would have to drop the powder charge considerably to get a heavier bullet to recoil less than a light one. Go to jbm ballistics and play with their recoil calculator.

 

[ken snyder]

I disagree, go to Physics. the one thing that many are over looking for recoil is "time" getting part of a story really isn't much of a story at all! Pretty much the same thing as putting a cotton ball over a very slow leak on your air compressor or releasing a lot of air all at once in front of a dusting gun. Obviously the cotton ball will not move with the slow leak and fly across the shop when the volume of air is released in a fraction of the time - Kind of like a 350 cubic inch car Engine is always 350 cubic inches no matter what the compression ratio and the obvious charge density for Energy output. Take the time to build your own recoil sleds play with different designs of sleds and see if you disagree with the actual physics behind "FELT "recoil. It is extremely fun when when you start asking "what is actually going on here" - Do not let it fly over the top of your head with popular urban myth but what the heck he said she said!

 

[IdahoCTD]

Here is the physics:
The Physics of Everyday Stuff - Gun Recoil

As it says in the link primary recoil cannot be changed unless the weight of the gun changes, bullet weight changes, or muzzle velocity changes. As the bullet weight goes up so does the primary recoil. Secondary recoil can be altered by a brake but as mentioned it it caused by the gases as they leave the muzzle. Heavier bullet = lower powder charge = less gases. Because a muzzle brake redirects gases to work if you have less gases you have less to work with. That's why as the case capacity goes up for a given bore size so does the effectiveness of a brake.

I had physics in college too.

 

[ken snyder]

The recoil energy caused by the acceleration of the bullet is only about 1/2 or even less than the total recoil energy. and it is by itself not a measurement of felt recoil or recoil by itself for that matter. There are a lot of very simplistic definitions found on such things as Wikipedia and brief articles here and there and they are not intended as an education on a subject, they are a basics primer to satisfy a little bit of curiosity. I cant actually say that you are wrong but that the understanding behind it is. I will give one very good example many have a Barnes #3 reloading manual and many have a 300 RUM ( page 414 ). look at the bullet energies you will notice that the 250, 220, 200 grain bullets all have less energy than the 140, 150, 165, and 180 grain bullets. What does bullet energy have to do with recoil, it is called conservation of energy or an impossibility of getting more energy out of a bullet than what you put into it. and if you take a quick glance at the average charge weight differences there is perhaps 20 grains difference of weight and that gas produces the other half of the recoil energy as it leaves the barrel. in this small and verifiable list the heavy bullets all by themselves without gas weight velocity energy is far less than the lighter bullets now add that extra 20 grains or so. Absolutely heavier bullets produce less felt recoil. As far as gas density I do not think that you will have to go too far to find a pilot and ask him what effects just plain old air density has on his airplane and it is nothing more than the energy too lift. A very good and very simplified Wikipedia explanation might be this: E=PAT or Energy is a product of Pressure area and time for the rifle and it has a responding felt recoil

 

[IdahoCTD]

Absolutely heavier bullets produce less felt recoil.

I don't know anyone that will agree with you on this. I know my .416 Rem. Mag kicks considerable harder (felt recoil) with 400gr bullets then 300gr bullets and my .458 Lott with 300gr bullets is a pussycat compared to 500gr bullets. I think what you are trying to express is recoil velocity and not recoil energy. Both effect felt recoil but recoil energy is what people complain of more and if you look in the physics equations in the link it's pretty easy to show primary recoil is higher with heavier bullets.

 

[ToKeepAndBear]

Have you considered a suppressor? They are legal in many states for purchase and in a number of states for hunting. I have had mine for about six months (Thunderbeast 30p-1). It makes it so much more pleasant to shoot compared to nothing (more recoil/noise) or a brake (extreme noise/blast). I still wear plugs when target shooting but it provides hearing safe numbers while hunting with no ear protection. I plan on deer hunting with mine this fall in TN. I personally find it easier to spot hits with a suppressor than a brake. I have a brake but never use it anymore.

It is very nice for introducing shooting to neophytes. A much less intimidating experience when it sounds like a .22LR vs a cannon! Worth the money and the wait.

 

[jakes10mm]

I'm new to the power, and recoil, of the 300wm. I have two rifles, 9.5# and 7.25#. So far, I've only loaded hot 180gr loads and pretty pleased with the handling of both rifles. I will be testing some 210gr Bergers which could change my vote to "seriously thinking". I've been hunting and shooting fairly stout 45-70 loads for years. The 300wm is snappier, but much less punch than the 45-70 with 350gr and 400gr bullets.

 

[Rusty54]

I took it one step further and added a 16oz recoil supressor to the buttstock of my rifle, as well as a break.
I'm not recoil shy but I do have disk problems in my neck and they don't need undue agrivation.
My 300WM I only use for stationary hunting too so I don't care what it weighs, currently it's 13.25lb unloaded.

 

[Big Jakes]

I have a .300 win mag and I have a que industries adjustable muzzle brake on it. It shoots pretty well and the brake kills about 40 percent of the recoil.

 

[WildRose]

I respectfully disagree. This is bad juju, don't do it. 100 pounds of counterweight is way too much, you want to reduce the recoil to a manageable level not eliminate it. I shoot my .300WM and .338Wm during load development and on most instances, I can get by with 10-15 pound weights ... sometimes no weights. The bottom-line, something has to give ... the weakest point (i.e., stock, etc). lightbulb

As far as developing good shooting technique, I find it difficult since I cannot get a good consistent check weld and LOP. After I am satisfied with my load, I switch to the bags.

Just my thoughts for your consideration. Happy safe shooting/hunting.

Get yourself an empty old shot bag. Fill with shot, sand, gravel whatever is handy. Tie it off well and use a piece of trotline cord tied to it, run through your front sling swivel and tie it to the front of the trigger guard.

Hang the bag off of the front of the bench with the bottom just resting against the ground.

That eliminates most of the felt recoil of most weapons and eliminates the need for something like the lead sled which allows you to assume a normal shooting position.