Muzzle Brakes

[TexasBob]

School me guys, I know almost nothing. 300 win mag on the APR build. I know they aren’t generally a pricey accessory so much more focused on performance vs saving a couple bucks. Don’t they kick up dirt if shooting prone?


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[softpoint]

I personally don't care for them on hunting rifles. My requirement for a brake is that they go on either a target rifle that is to fired with good hearing protection on every time they are fired, and long strings of shots where recoil may become an issue. And rifles whose recoil is obnoxious to the point that even a few rounds can be uncomfortable. They can kick up dirt and dust when shooting prone, ironically, prone is usually when the need for a brake shows up soonest...Personally, I wouldn't put one on a .300 Winchester.

[muzzlebrake]

You called?

[topher]

Always wear hear protection, I didn’t and while hunting with the 270 Browning BOSS system I shot a deer out of a hunting blind and to this day my left ear rings. That’s been over 22 years ago.

[TexasBob]

I always wear ear pro now. Didn’t as a kid and I know now why I should have


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[Raypo]

For me: a muzzle break allows me to get really comfortable with a rifle and size up a bit with the reduced recoil. Whenever I shoot I normally dry fire a few until I don’t move at all. The test is when you shoot without one then dry a few and watch your form. Pint is - a break helps me keep form. For hunting a break is a little hard on the ears, you can easily put a cap on. Breaks are very important to me. My preference of brand is little b@stard

[Slick8]

I've become a fan of them in recent years as I don't like recoil. Yes, I can tolerate it but I just don't care for it.

Talk to Robert, he has several good options.

I've used the Harrels 4 gilled brake. It has a very nice smooth finished look and being a gilled brake it won't kick up as much dust from a prone position. IMO-it's effective but there are much better at recoil reduction for a lightweight magnum. I just really like the clean look of it. I'll likely go this route and I'm planning a 300wm myself.

My dad has the Harrels radial brake on a 7stw and it's considerably more effective at recoil reduction. I believe the ports are angled just slightly back which aids in effectiveness but adds to the noise and muzzle blast. Being a radial it will kick up a lot of dust.

Here's some testing that I ran across. Not sure yet if it really helps in the decision or not.

I don't think it's discussed in these videos but I'd stay away from a gilled brake with small ports on top. The idea is to eliminate or reduce muzzle rise but if you look at what it does to a barrel in slow motion you'll think twice. I've heard that due to this it can be hard to tune a load.

http://youtu.be/rf3rLi8L67I

http://youtu.be/JuUJ6jl0AAc

http://youtu.be/-PHgt7mY5zw

[Stick1]

There are an endless amount of muzzle brake variations/designs out there, but as mentioned already, they are all based off 2 basic designs - Side ports/gills or radial/360. Generally speaking, the more aggressive the brake the more effective it will be at reducing recoil. That effectiveness has a lot to do with the amount of surface area available to handle or redirect gas.

Recoil reduction - There are no hard and fast rules as they mostly all work to some degree, but knowing how they work helps in picking one best suited for your application. When it comes to side-discharging brakes, bigger is always better(more surface area). The taller the side ports can be made, the more surface area can be leveraged. Throw some rake angle in there and it gets even more effective. Number of ports really does not matter much after about 3. Larger barrel contours do better with these styles as they offer the diameter to create larger ports. These styles often have the loudest perceived noise of the 2, but the most perceived recoil reduction.

Radial styles are the more common choice on smaller diameter barrels that are found on most hunting rifles. There is often not enough diameter to support side ports, so the radial design will make up the surface area difference by using smaller ports, but allot more of them. It is not too uncommon to see a radial outperform a gill even in some of the mid to larger sizes.

Noise - They are all loud as hell, period. The same. Some people will claim one is quieter......and it may be at the shooters position, but that noise is going somewhere just ask the folks standing to the sides or angled behind the shooter. Again, so many designs nothing is a catch all, but on average gills will be perceived as louder to the shooter than radials. Gills with rake angles will be the most effective of all, but put the most blast back on the shooter. The trade-off is that radials may appear quieter, but will have a bigger dust signature when shooting prone. It's a real concern, but I've never had it be the issue it is made out to be in an actual hunting situation.....yet.

I would never intentionally shoot any brake without ear pro, but stuff happens and there are some designs I would much rather be around when it does. I've been in 2 hunting situations this year where it happened with a 6.5PRC and a 7-300. Both were wearing Vais radials and neither one so much as caused any mild ringing. I'll be putting them on a couple of my hunting rigs in the future.

Whichever style you choose, there will be some level of compromise. You just have to figure out if the benefits are worth it, and which quirks you can live with. Lol

[Radar]

West Texas Ordnance MK2. Does not have holes on the bottom, only sides and top. I have one on my 300WSM they built. I like it. My friends at APR will be using one on a build coming up

https://westtexordnance.com/muzzle-brakes/