Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting No brake, no light rifle!

Today I discovered why you guys who dislike brakes like heavy rifles. My 7-.338RUM weighs less than 7 1/2 pounds. The brake was damaged so I took it off. Just to see how it would do for five shots at 100 yards, I gave it a try. I stopped at three. I was really pulling it into my shoulder with my trigger hand. The rifle shoved me back at least eight inches and maybe as far as ten inches. The group was almost okay at 15/16". Normally I hold my rifles like one would hold a BB gun. The velocity for the 132 grain Hammer Hunter Tipped was 3,600 feet per second. As soon as I can, there will be another brake installed.

Lol

Brakes cover many sins...

So, Newton's Laws finally made it to Grant's Pass.

My respect for non-brake shooters has definitely gone up. I forgot how fast 90 grains of powder pushes a rifle. I bet mathman could tell us the velocity of this rifle.

I have a Kimber 280 AI with Terminator brake that if shot without hearing protection would be a one and done. When time permits, it is getting screwed off and will be replaced with a suppressor.

Man, I have brakes or a suppressor on just about every rifle that I shoot. I also, always wear hearing protection when I hunt. I've never missed an opportunity at an animal because I was slipping plugs in my ears. Plain and simple, I just shoot better with them.

Last time I went to a public range was about 25 years ago, so, nope, I'm not "that guy" at the range. 😁

Last Sunday at the range there was a guy shooting a 338 Lapua fitted with a brake. The first couple of times he fired it rained mud dauber nests that fell from beneath the roof over the firing line.

i have a 338 Lapua with a brake and if my 338 Lapua rifle did not have a brake i would not want to ever shoot this rifle.

Yep on the hearing protection while hunting. Been that way for about thirty years.

Rich, I have a 340 that shoots mid 90's grains of RL26 and a 210 Partition, and it gets your attention.

LMAO

I’m getting to the point that if my suppressor won’t screw on the barrel I don’t want to shoot it. Kinda ruins you for naked barrels. Edk

The regs about suppressors are total bullshit.

The difference between the 7mm Rem Mag and the .340 is a whole world of recoil. That's what I was used to. A friend of mine brought me a .340 to work up a load. I looked in the book and picked a middle of the road load and walked out into the yard and casually fired the Nosler 210 grain bullet into the ground without putting the rifle up to my shoulder. What a shock. The bolt knob went into the web skin between the thumb and index finger! I sent it off to get a brake before I continued.

Use a freaking suppressor. Guys at the range will not hate you, you get sound and blast suppression as well, Also no one mentions it. Massive recoil reduction from the suppressor. Don’t get why so many resist this.

How 'bout the cost and the tax and the wait!! The guys at the range are already firing very loud toys. It's part of shooting.

I own a Thunderbeast 9. There is no way I want to add almost a pound to a rifle I spent thousands on to get light. It has a titanium action, a carbon barrel, and a custom carbon stock. Ready to go it is about 7 1/4 pounds. A brake is about five ounces.

Some guys go light so they can add a suppressor and not get the hell knocked out of them and their ears blown out. Edk

Exactly, on my third now and won't hunt without one. My vintage Win 70s don't get out of the safe much these days...

There are now magnum-rated cans out there in the 10-11oz range. I think it would be worth the extra 5oz over the brake in many instances for many users. I also just hate brakes.

I probably hunt 50/50 with naked vs. suppressed rifles, as I still have several that I don't intend to thread. The non-suppressed rifles don't see as many rounds fire each year as the quiet ones though.

With all that's been posted, I will continue to use brakes on everything except .22 LR. Guns are loud at the range. Guns with suppressors are still loud.

The .22LR auto with the Thunderbeast 9 is so quiet one hears the action and the impact of the bullet. That is fun.

Brakes suck. If you think suppressors are loud compared to a muzzle brake then you're out of your freaking mind.

They're about the same to me. When I'm at the range I use ear plugs and ear muffs. When I hunt I use the muffs. Enhances woods sounds and quiets muzzle blast. Win win.

Yep…..a light or relatively light high recoil rifle needs to be firmly held! I dud the same as you, I was holding it as you would a new baby……I got beat-up and shot poor groups for a while before figuring it out!

Just out of curiosity……what it the recoil in ft/lbs and the recoil velocity on your rifle? I’m guess’n pretty sporty! memtb

Good morning, memtb,

The recoil velocity is 17.89 feet per second and the recoil energy is 36.91 ft lb according to a 'net chart.

lolololol

I have 2 rifles that came with brakes. They now wear thread protectors.

lolololol (I copied that from your post.)

I guess a good brake reduces felt recoil by 50% That's why a 25 lb Barrett 50 cal with a brake has almost nonexistent recoil. My 500 Jeffery weighing in at 12lbs with scope shooting a 570g TSX at 2300 fps. Now that's a different matter

[img]http://i.imgur.com/BD0shRU.jpg?1[/img]

I am a sissy boy when it comes to recoil and coffee. When I go to a restaurant I want half hot water and half coffee. No cream, no sugar, just half hot water.

I guess I'm just too old to be embarrassed about things that I won't put up with.

That actually sounds a bit low, considering the cartridge! If correct, that’s pretty tame…….unless you’re shooting a lot! Of course, felt recoil is very dependent upon stock fit, quality of recoil pad, ect.! memtb

I think the pad is a little thin. It's only about a half inch thick.

With all due respect, why not shoot an unbaked rifle in a smaller cartridge? With today's bullet selection, I don't see the need to shoot big cartridges and big bullets, short of packy-derms.

An example - my plain Jane 270. It likes 52 gr of Re16 under a Nos AB at 2900. Recoil calculates at 14 ft/sec velocity, 21.5 ft/lbs in a 7.1 lb Kimber MT. That's not 243 recoil but it sure isn't bad for such a light rifle. My Kimber 308 weighs 6.7 lbs, recoil almost identical in a 6.6 lb package shooting a 165 NAB at 2700. Both shoot MOA or better. I've killed alot of game with those 2 cartridges over the years.

I personally moved away from 'bigger' cartridges because I didn't see much difference between those shot with lesser 270-7mm-30 cal cartridges vs those I shot with various 300 magnums. And I'm not all that fond of forehead scars from shooting bigger cartridges nor muzzle brakes - I've had plenty of both before arriving where I am now.

I could live with an 8lb rifle shooting a high BC bullet, something like a 6.5 PRC, 280/AI, 7 SAUM, etc. I've had 8lb 280s and 7 SAUMs and recoil is very tolerable w/o a brake, and 8lbs is not burdensome in the mountains.

A brake transfers shoulder hurt to hurting ears. I would rather take it on the shoulder.

I need you to talk all of your learned experience, common sense and snarky little cartridge attitude and park it Bill

Totally kidding of course cause I still like the big guys, but this past year and a half I have gotten the Montanas in 6.5 CM, 308 and 7-08, along with the Kimber Classic in 338 Federal and man, even with sorta heavy scopes on them, those little buggers are really fun.

I will say our group took elk from 490 to 605 this year and it was a nice feeling to have a bit bigger gun (the 8lb 7 Mag with a higher BC'ed bullet) than I would have felt comfortable with the 6.5, 7-08 or 308. I know they would have worked but I still don't have the cojones to push them that far on elk.

Replace the pad with a Pachmyar Decellerator or similar, making sure you have proper stock fit…..and recoil without a brake should be a none issue. A non-issue unless…..you plan on shooting more than 20 or 30 rounds at each sitting! memtb

Yes sir - parked.

I guess I have the brake disease. I use a brake on my .257 wildcat. It uses 95 grain bullets. I used to have a .17 Remington and it had a brake. See the hits without fighting with a rifle and trying to bruise my shoulder before I even fire it makes no sense.

Someone said we exchange pain at the shoulder for pain in the ears. Not if one uses electronic hearing protection.

No brakes on my 7 1/2 lb (with scope) 375 Weatherby or my 12 lb 500 Jeffery. Not a big fan of recoil, but I don't like brakes, don't have issues with folks that do. If my 375 Weatherby recoil bothers me, I just shoot 2 or 3 round through the 500 Jeffery then go back to the 375 Bee. Then it doesn't recoil at all lol

Your post made me smile.

That’s a pretty light Weatherby, my .375 AI weighs 9 pounds 1 ounce fully loaded, scoped and slung. The recoil with that 9 -1 computes out to 59 ft/pounds…….I suspect that yours easily goes beyond 60. That’s a pretty good thump from the bench! 😁 memtb

Wow! That’s all I got! 😁 memtb

My 500 Jeffery generates 110 ft lbs of recoil. Took awhile to get used to. It's all relative.

Now that is a healthy dose of recoil! 😉 I’m guess’n that you don’t shoot it from the bench a bunch! 🤔 memtb

You boys are some tough gents.

Nearing my 71st birthday, it’s not as easy as it used to be! 20 rounds at one sitting from the bench would be nearing my limit for quality shooting. And, quality shooting the following day would be very difficult! Heavy recoil comes with a heavy price…..but these aren’t Prairie Dog rifles that 100’s of rounds would be fired in a day!

In addition to the tender shoulder the following day…. I simply can’t afford to burn that many components! memtb

I used to hate brakes until I learned that not all brake designs are equal from a noise perspective. Some brakes subject the shooter and those around the shooter to immense noise. Some seem to be about the same or less then an un-braked rifle from the position of the shooter.

OK, you have my attention. Which ones are less?

To give you my very limited experience with brakes……the Gentry “Quiet” Brake is indeed more quiet than a conventional brake! Though, my experience is limited to 2 cartridges, a 30-06 and a Rem. 8 MM Mag…..which were indeed much more quiet than the brake that I tried on my .375 AI.

I wish that I had tried the two different designs on the same rifle/load……then perhaps, it would have been a much more valid comparison! memtb

I used to make aluminum brakes for myself just for testing. The gunsmith asked me to make one and thread both ends. He asked me to make it with angled ports. So I made one with four ports and about a 20 degree angle. I put it on 257 weatherby. On my recoil slide it went about three feet with no break. With the brake turned so that the vents were facing forward the rifle went about 12 in. With the ports pointed backward. The rifle went about 6 in. So even if the ports are forward a brake is better than no brake.

I'm specifically asking about the brakes that sound quieter than an unbraked rifle from the position of the shooter.

I’m not certain if one brand is better than another but…. I suspect that without ear protection, all of them get quieter after a few shots fired! 😉😁 memtb

I'd be happy to take those off yer hands then.

You made me laugh out loud. Thanks.

HAHAHA

Here is a helpful recoil calculator, to keep things in perspective.

https://jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmrecoil-5.1.cgi

Years ago I had a 375 H&H with a Answer Products Quiet brake.
The holes in the brake are angled, the idea being it will vent the gases aways from you.
There wasn't much quiet about it.
Dave

I shot my 460WBY, with had an original Wby brake, at an indoor range just for the heck of it. And yes - the 460WBY was permitted at the facility that used a dirt backstop. I took one shot and all the florescent lights immediately went out. As the auto starters were relighting the bulbs, you could see a cloud of dust falling down from the ceiling. My initial reaction was like "Holy [bleep]". I was curious to see if the blast from that rifle/brake would result in the same issues if fired again. Round number two was launched, and the place went momentarily black again. The third shot was just for laughs and brought the range officer around. He asked what I was shooting so I showed him the rifle that I had just cased. I inquired again if there was a rule against rifles like the 460WBY and he said, "no, only 50BMG is prohibited", but he did ask me to refrain from any further fire with the rifle. LOL

Brakes can cause issues on the range.

Answer Products Quiet Brake. Bitch Slap

Vias Brake. Bitch Slap

Harrels Brake. Bitch Slap

Defensive edge side port brake.
Bitch Slap. Bitch Slap bitch Slap Bitch Slap Bitch Slap.
And Bitch Slap.....

Have a new one on my 28 Nosler.
Can't remember the name right now .
Tactical precision? Something like that.
Looks like something the squareheads developed for the tiger tank 88.
It's actually not to bad .
I was surprised for 84g of powder.
dave

Bitch slap.

85 grains of 7828 in a 300 Weatherby with 180 grain bullets and this Vias brake works…

Vias made excellent brakes.
Not any more.
84g N570 ...28 Nosler
175g Accubond

Pussy bitch slap.
dave

How many do you want? Then you don’t have a howitzer brake on the end of the barrel…

Bitch slap or not, I'm affeard to shoot this one without. The barrel may whip around and slap the back of my noggin!

Mountain Rifles Inc .30-378Wby

A guy walks to the woods carrying his long bow in one hand. On his back, along side his small backpack is a quiver with a few wooden arrows. The back pack carries a canteen and enough food for one day. Is he hunting?

A guy drives to the woods in a pickup. He gets out throws on his small backpack with a canteen and enough food for one day. He has a quiver with a few arrows attached to his compound bow and heads into the woods. He has a range finder on his belt. Is he hunting?

A guy walks out his back door and heads for the woods with his open sighted .30-30 rifle. He has a canteen and a little lunch in a small fanny pack. Is he hunting?

A guy drives to the woods in his pickup. He gets out and grabs his .270 with a 3-9X scope sighted in for 100 yards. He takes a few cartridges out of the box and puts them into his pocket. He puts on a backpack which has a rangefinder and enough food and water for a whole day; and a little more if he decides to stay in the woods. Is he hunting?

A guy drives to the woods in his pickup. He gets out. He puts on his binoculars which he installed in a bino-buddy. He then puts on his backpack which contains enough food and water for a day. On his belt is a rangefinder. He picks up his long range 7STW with a Swarovski z5 5-25X52 sighted in for 300 yards mounted on it. Installed on the fore end is a bipod. Is he hunting?

A guy drives to the woods in his pickup. He goes to a clear-cut he scouted earlier in the year. After pulling off the roads at an abandoned landing he gets out a portable benchrest and sets it up. He then places a range finder on it to one side. Then he sets out a front rest and a rear sandbag on the bench rest. He carefully places a .30-378 Wea Mag carrying a Nightforce 12-42X56 scope sighted in for 100 yards. He can adjust the turret for the range at which he sees game. He gets out a set of Minox 15X58 Big Eyes and mounts them on a tri-pod. Is he hunting

I hold a rifle like it was a BB gun. I want technology to make it enjoyable.

Precision armament

Ugly MF.
Looks like it would vent that crap right back on to you.
But of all the ones I've used.
Least amount of bitch slap.

dave

7.5 lb with scope 375 Weatherby, no brake, 300g A-Frames at 2800 fps. It's a pussycat



12 lb 500 Jeffery with scope, no brake, 570g TSX at 2300 fps. NOT a pussycat

Jack Lott would like that. He thought a .450 Lott was perfect: A 500 grainer at 2,300fps.

Not a fan of brakes fir several reasons but I don't own any rifles that need them.
As far as shooting beside on, as long as my gear stays in place I don't worry about them.
Was on the line the other day with a friend who was shooting a 375 Enabler, blast was tremendous but our platform is wood so no worries .
I would have moved if we were in the dirt, though.
Cat

As I get older I prefer lighter rifles and smaller calibers that don't need a brake. Hunting elk, deer and antelope I don't need anything larger than 7mm RM and at just under 8 lbs with scope its a perfect elk rifle. For deer and antelope I prefer Mountain Rifles at under 7 lbs with scope and loaded.