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School me on muzzle breaks

Brakes work great. But they can be loud and some outfitters will not allow clients to use brakes. So when you have brake put on make sure its removable and comes with a thread protector.
Why an outfitter would want his customer to be rocked by a shot and unable to follow up is a mystery. I would either find a different outfitter OR buy him a set of electronic muffs. Yeah brakes are loud. Pretty sure that's why God made muffs and plugs
I ran hunts for 15 yrs. Worst case scenario is a guy with a 30-378 without a brake. Knew he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn before he pulled it out.
Some guns currently in use have the recoil energy equal to being SHOT with a small handgun at close range. How can that be a good idea?
Buy a good brake and if someone gripes that it's too loud, take it off and make HIM shoot it for ya.
 
Yes get a good brake installed and life will be good again. They are not all created equal. I learned this the hard way. I had a 5 port Muscle brake installed on my 338 Lapua imp and it was intolerable. Recoil was still very stout. It is now wearing a medium Pain Killer turned down to min dia (which reduces the efficiency of the brake) and I can shoot it as much as I want. I let an 80lb kid shoot his deer with it this year. I am now settled on the PK and do not plan to try any others again.

Steve
 
Why an outfitter would want his customer to be rocked by a shot and unable to follow up is a mystery. I would either find a different outfitter OR buy him a set of electronic muffs. Yeah brakes are loud. Pretty sure that's why God made muffs and plugs
I ran hunts for 15 yrs. Worst case scenario is a guy with a 30-378 without a brake. Knew he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn before he pulled it out.
Some guns currently in use have the recoil energy equal to being SHOT with a small handgun at close range. How can that be a good idea?
Buy a good brake and if someone gripes that it's too loud, take it off and make HIM shoot it for ya.
yeah i got into it with him a bit because he wanted me to take off my sons boss and i was unwilling to do it. It would change point of aim. And i fid not want my 15 year old getting having an issue with recoil on a 7000 dollar guided moose hunt. It xame down to the fact that the contact i signed did not specify "no muzzle brakes" as his new ones do.
 
yeah i got into it with him a bit because he wanted me to take off my sons boss and i was unwilling to do it. It would change point of aim. And i fid not want my 15 year old getting having an issue with recoil on a 7000 dollar guided moose hunt. It xame down to the fact that the contact i signed did not specify "no muzzle brakes" as his new ones do.

I have personally guided thousands of hunts. Outfitters hate brakes because they are LOUD. I hate guns without brakes because most guys can't shoot without them. A 300 Win at a normal sporter weight is no fun to shoot for most......so they don't shoot them a lot.......so in GENERAL do not shoot well.
I would rather hear a loud shot (I own and religiously use elec muffs) that kills a critter than have to chase a wounded animal for 3 days.
Any outfitter not smart enough to be using electronic muffs is not anyone I am going to spend money with. I wear mine any time a rifle is outside of it's case. Customer should have them on as well. I have several cheaper sets anyone I hunt with uses.
Not using muffs even WITHOUT a brake is SILLY and tells me an outfitter isn't truly qualified to earn MY business.
An outfitter not using a SAFETY DEVICE that also increases my chance of success doesn't earn my money. Ever try to whisper to someone a range call even after an UNBRAKED shot when neither one of you can HEAR?
 
Toddc pretty much got it down. To shoot today without ear protection makes one a sado/masochist and a deaf one at that. I suppose worse would be for one to shoot without a suppressor/brake and no hearing protection; he or she could very well be a hunter on a diet...

Someone brought up Precision Armament's M4-72. I just put one on a medium bore and so far its equaled an earlier brake on the same rifle. However, the "test" circumstances were awful and heavily favored past experience with the earlier brake. Even so the M4 seems much more efficient. Hopefully I'll get to try it again soon; I do precious little shooting at -50F.

I should mention that a 338 needs a clearance hole of .361. The old break revealed that and the one I received from Precision arrived with a .361 bore. I used their "accu-washer" system. Simple as it comes; worked great.
 
I run a Terminator T3 brake on my 300 WSM shooting 230gr bergers @ 2800fps. It has less recoil than my 308. I would recommend any of the Terminator or APA brakes. They seem to be the at the top of the list for recoil reduction.
 
I should have mentioned that I've had a few different makes of brakes; it's the one area that I'm confident I can remove and install without disrupting the earth's gravitational force. In 2017 I'm having a new barrel installed and it will most likely wear a Terminator T4. All brake testing is on rifles 338 Edge and up. Another brake I will be trying is the Alamo Four Star. There's sure enough brakes out there!
 
IMO the best way to incorporate a muzzle break without sacrificing accuracy is to have it milled into the barrel. I am not a fan of adding a big hunk of junk to a threaded muzzle. The break milled into the barrel will shorten your tube to the extent that you'll probably have to find a new node but it wont' be nearly as much trouble as it will be with an after market muzzle break screwed onto your barrel and it won't add weight to your rifle. gun) - - - - - - - - - - (X)
 
Yes get a good brake installed and life will be good again. They are not all created equal. I learned this the hard way. I had a 5 port Muscle brake installed on my 338 Lapua imp and it was intolerable. Recoil was still very stout. It is now wearing a medium Pain Killer turned down to min dia (which reduces the efficiency of the brake) and I can shoot it as much as I want. I let an 80lb kid shoot his deer with it this year. I am now settled on the PK and do not plan to try any others again.

Steve

Steve do you by chance have any pictures of your PK? I am looking to get one for a 300WM and have heard good things about the PK, but I am hesitant as I do not want a giant "slab" on the end of my barrel. (Yes, I know function is more important than looks...but at the same time I want it to look as good as it works). Thanks. Scott
 
I love my Vais brake's that I have on my 338 LM and my 6.5 creedmore. I feel it tames the 338LM down to the equivalent of a .308
 
Go to "The Precision Rifle Blog" and search for Muzzle Brake Tests. You'll find good data there in recoil reduction and point-of-impact change.

On that data I bought a Little Bastard brake for my 6.5 Creedmoor Ruger Precision Rifle. It is a great brake.

Eric B.
 
morning, I have had vais muzzle breaks on several rifles including a 7mm RUM.

very good brake. look these brakes up u will like them.lightbulb:)gun)
 
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