I have a brake on my Rum and love the recoil reduction but its very loud. Always have to wear protection. Never tried MP. Want to do something on my first custom and would like some input. Plan on doin alot of shooting laying on tje ground for groundhogs so want to keep dust and debris to a minimum. What brakes do u guys recommend? Heard Karl makes a good brake. Let me know.

Thanks Roy

No kids for you, good!

Generally used groundhog rifles dont kick Bro, put you a fast twist 22-250 AI or Swift together and drill 'em in peace.

Gunner

Muzzle brake, you can take it off if you want. Magna-porting you are stuck with unless you cut down the barrel.

It's going on a 6.5 Sherman. Very similar to a .264 Win. It will be primarily my deer gun. Just want it to be a pleasure to shoot when I'm shooting whistle pigs all day!

Roy

Totally agree with ADDICTED,all of my rifles have brakes on them.I've found the 1's with the holes drilled at a 11-17 degree angle away from the shooter work BEST,noise is dissipated rapidly from shooter.I've shot deer,hogs and critters in general under the feeder and the other animals just look around,they couldn't tell which way shot came from.Karl at kampfeldcustom.com makes and installs mine for me.He does such and EXCELLANT job,you can't tell where the seam is on the barrel and he matches the contour of the barrel.

This is like Yankees/RedSox or Remington/Winchester. The two camps will NEVER agree.

Personally, I abhore the look of a brake and believe it to be the most dreadful contraption ever made to ruin the attractive lines of a rifle. I dislike the noise, the concussive effect, and the blast of dirt and dust as well.

I currently have 3 rifles that are MagnaPorted. They mitigate recoil to a lesser degree than the average brake, but they really excell in softerning muzzle jump. They also are a good deal quieter and kick up less dust than a brake.

BuckEyes/Wolverines, Aggies/Longhorns......

You can remove a brake - you cannot remove Magna Port.. I install mostly KDF brakes for my customers and to date - they've all been very happy..

Use a Vais brake. Hardy any increase in noise if any at all.

Those 6.5 Shermans are badazz. Hope yours is a tackdriver! But, IMO, no brake or porting is warranted until you get up to pushing heavy bullets (210gr and up) above say 2800fps. For a long range rig where you want to spot hits, it might be, but I can spot hits at 500 with my 270WSM and 280REM, and I believe those will have similar recoil to your 6.5.

Either way, good luck and have a blast!

Not true. I put a Vais on a .270, and it helped a lot in recoil, and staying down to see the hit. I was shooting 150gr partitions.

A 270 shooting 150gr bullets produces a ton of recoil I guess huh?

Don't push it. I'll make you look stupid.

We're not all teenagers like you.

I'm not stupid, so do whatever you please. I just can't imagine any load ever concocted with "270 Win" on the headstamp that would warrant a brake.

I wouldn't either when I was your age, but I was shooting/hunting for more than 40 years before you were born.

Crap happens over the years. At your age I was shooting a ,458mag and thinking it was fun. Enjoy it while you're young. You'll understand when you get to my age.

In case you aren't aware. Some people think a 30-06 has more kick than they want. A 150gr bullet in a ,270 or 30-06 has the same recoil. So, it's not like it a .223 with no recoil.

I'm shooting a muzzleloader now that has the recoil of your .375. I hate it, and will be making a change soon.

Add my age to a rotator cuff injury, and torn up cheek from cancer removal, and you'll understand even more.

With an RC surgery, I could see some pain incurring. I'm a thin guy, about 6'1" and 160lbs, and most people that complain about recoil are quite a bit bigger than myself. I'm not the meanest dude, but I'm no pu$$y either. I guess its just how you handle recoil and what your idea of "fun" is...

Forgot to add... An '06 will run 150s at what, 3k and up? A 270 will do 2850? Not a huge difference, but probably noticeable.

30-06 150gr 2910fps 8lb gun = 17.6 lbs of recoil

.270 150gr 2900fps 8lb gun = 17.1 lbs of recoil

Not surprising since it's the same brass.

Either way... My sister shoots 162AMAXes at 2850fps out of a 7.5lb rig.

Mauser Hunter: Wish I knew today, everything that I thought I knew at 18...haha

There is no denying that that a brake will keep jump down, and allow one to watch hits through the scope regardless of cartridge. One reason the 204, and 223 are popular. My 243 jumps off target, where as my 204 does not. It is not an ego thing about who can and who cannot tolerate recoil.

Doubtful.

I'm not talking about marriage, kids, loans, cars, the government, or jobs... I'm talking about rifles. I didn't know you needed to be 30+ and have 20 years of experience to talk about rifles. Sorry, I'll go back to speeding and listening to rap music.

You are arguing a point that the OP didn't ask.

Ever try one? I was doubtful too when my gunsmith told me that before installing it. I was surprised he was right. That's on a .270 though. I'm sure larger calibers could be different.

The Vais has a design like no other brake, and the noise it shot forward instead of just out the side like other brakes.

Exactly.

From a review on brakes.


"The Vias brake
is excellent! Very difficult to make in the home shop. Besides a series
of holes around the brake George Vias bores a series of holes to
intercept the radial holes, thereby bleeding some gas and noise out of
the front of the brake. You lose some braking effectiveness with this
method, not much, but you gain a measurable reduction in muzzle blast and noise."


http://accurateshooter.net/Blog/brakevaisx350op.png


More info from Vais himself.

http://www.muzzlebrakes.com/Faq.aspx

A 270?

What rifle is it on, sir?

Here is my experience: a Mag-Na-Port was designed to reduce muzzle flip thus offering quick target reacquisition while the muzzle brake should offer reduced perceived recoil.

The first works and the second I don't know; the only rifle I ever shot was a Wildcat called the 366 DGW which is a 416 Rigby necked to 9.3 mm. All up it weighed 11 lbs and with a 286 gr bullet at 3100 fps kicked like a 20 guage shotgun. Deduce from there.

Personally, I use neither.

IMO, if you need a brake or port of any type, you need a smaller caliber rifle.

I agree with Waputi...and with Dawaba.

That said if forced to choose I would go with the Magna Port based on experiences with a 340 Weatherby and a 358STA-equivilent wildcat,and a 375H&H.Muzzle flip is substantially reduced,they were both more manageable,and I simply have not noticed the noise from them to the degree noted with a muzzle brake.

In the end, I will choose the smaller rifle;maybe a step down in bullet weight and caliber,before I went with either one.

OTOH I can see the utlity for those who may require it to attenuate recoil to the absolute minimum level..it is sad but true that,as we age,our recoil tolerances generally diminish...if not physically, but maybe mentally as well.....it isn't that some older shooters can't handle substantial recoil....it is just that they don't want to any more.

Excessive recoil separates the men from the boys....the men go home.

A Rem 700.

Makes no sense. Why not have the power of a bigger gun with a smaller gun recoil? Best of both worlds.

I knew George and there are a lot of his muzzle gizmos around here and they will hurt your hearing with one shot!

That looks good on it, sir.

Because the added noise and blowback aren't worth it. Shoot a loudner equipped rifle with anyone off to the side(s) and I'll bet you get dirty looks, even if they're wearing hearing protection.

The only brake I have is on a 10" contender in 45/70. No apologies offerred.

I shoot my heavy hitters less at a session now than when I was younger.

Tanner your perspective relects your youthful body and I respectfully submit you speak with authority on your situation.

Mauser you speak with an authority reflecting your present situation which closely represents myself and many of the older shooters with more miles traveled.

A man has to understand his own limitations and I would sooner see a recoil reduction device in the field than an older shooter remeniscing on the porch. By the way we older men just plain kill critters with steely eyed confidence and without fanfare. It has been 52 years since I harvested my first game with a rifle. I will do what I have to do to keep doing so.

You're probably right, but I hunt alone, and go to the range at 6am when no one is there. I know what you mean, but you can't make a general statement like that. It worked for me perfectly with no harm to anyone else.

As I mentioned already. I really didn't hear any difference in noise with the Vais, but I always use ear protection.

Nail on the head. I will do anything to keep hunting. As i'm sure you and others will too. I'll never retire. I'll just fall over dead on a hunt.

To me, the only drawback of a brake is the noise. Therefore I wouldn't want one in a big game hunting situation where things could happen too fast to put in plugs.

If I were building a dedicated varminter such as a prairie dog gun, it would be no big deal to have a brake, and you could watch all your hits through the scope. Same goes with a longrange target gun. Why not brake it? You are already wearing hearing protection, and it would allow you to fire your mag all day long.

My next door neighbor put a brake on his 10-lb bull-barreled .22-250, just so he could watch the sod poodles vaporize in his scope!

"My next door neighbor put a brake on his 10-lb bull-barreled .22-250, just so he could watch the sod poodles vaporize in his scope!"

It's a nice show..

To you, maybe so.. Then they can move.. FWIW, they move anyway when I begin to touch off a few .454Casull rounds from my SRH.. Funny how that helps de-populate a shooting range.. Hehehehe..


But seriously now - I have 2-3 customers who've had shoulder injuries and simply cannot tolerate much more recoil than a .223. But if they want to do deer hunting, they need a bigger round and the brakes help them get that accomplished..

Sorry for my ignorance but what calibers will a break take down to near 223 levels and what device do you use?

I am strongly considering a 7mm-08 for my 8 year old daughter with a recoil reduction device of some sort.We will be wearing good hearing protection but she can't handle even 100 grn 243 loads yet.

The noise thing is complete BS. Any rifle generates enough noise to severely damage your hearing. In fact, in my left ear I have 85% hearing loss, and I have never had a muzzle braked gun that I shot to any large degree.

You're saying there's no increased noise level directed back toward the shooter or those standing off the sides from a braked rifle?

No, I am not. I am saying a "normal" rifle generates enough noise to easily damage your hearing, so worry about a brake making your rifle "too loud" is kinda funny.

Thred got silly, the ones who know the least have the most to say......later

Back to the topic!!!!!! I wasn't asking if I should get one. Wanted to know which type and apparantly the Brake was the clear winner. Now please let me know what type. Really want one that will let me shoot prone and not have the dust blow all over the place. I also would like one that fits with the barrel contour. I heard Karl makes a good one. Any experience with his?

Thanks Guys
Roy

Any brake that doesn't have holes on the bottom won't blow up dust. I'm not sure if there is one?

I'd still get a Vais and plug the bottom holes, or just shoot on grass.

I never shoot prone, so I have no real answers.

IMO a brake that is on the end of a barrel is most likely not the way to go just sayin. The amount of port holes and the size and the degree of angle is what makes the brake work well. An add on is much better.... As with Mag Na Portthe barrel is thredded and the crown is re/mech. and most rifles will shoot better just from that step alone. There is no loss of lth. as some said. The threds are covered when brake is off with a nice little ring. As for your child shootin any ear muff will be fine for them. Now what the nice thing is let child fire gun many times get to know rifle and shootin style. BUT when huntin leave the brake home and let the hunt go as any one would. The one, two shots fired while huntin will never enter his or her mind for everything will be focused on the shot at a head of game. As the child gets older you'll just stop with the brake anyways, then the cartridge will become a different mind set and most likely move on to a better choice and the rifle will be of good use to another child already set up for a youth and yor return on the brake will come back to you. IMO again if I had a young kid and was recoil shy I'ed set up a .220swift with a 1-10 twist and shoot the heavier bullets with just a good limb/saver recoil pad and take my time with the youth. Fire shorter bench time till it got easier for the youth to settle in on the task. Good luck have fun and keep us posted.....later

Not singling you out BWalker with my quote, just addressing it as it was put to me by an audiologist. I get annual hearing exams due to the sirens at work and as much as I hunt/shoot. The guy could have been out to lunch but his explanation made sense.

-0 decibels is considered the intensity of sound that is barely perceivable to a normal ear.
-85 decibels is the level of intensity that prolonged exposure will start causing hearing damage. ( the point where hearing protection is recommended)
-140 decibels is the point that hearing is immediately damaged. (recommended to use ear plugs and ear muffs at this level to guarantee hearing protection)
-Most weapons put out approximately 120- 165 decibels.

Most people will perceive a sound to be twice as loud as another one when there is an approximately 10 dB increase. Yet that 10-dB increase actually represents a tenfold increase in intensity.

I get the rational behind brakes and they do what they are supposed to but at a measurable cost to hearing. That said I try to avoid brakes on any of my guns unless I'm 100% sure I will only shoot it when I have adequate hearing protection on.

MA............Are you saying a gun without a brake isn't going to do damage to your hearing? If it does like i know it does. What difference would it make if a brake was louder if you have to wear hearing protection without a brake to protect your hearing?

I'm sure a brake won't cause damage if you're wearing hearing protection. It seems silly to me to say a brake is louder when the shooter and everybody around the shooter should be wearing hearing protection.

I've been at the range when guys were shooting big magnums with the loud brakes. Did I get hearing damage. No, because I was wearing hearing protection like I should, and is the rules on the range anyway.

In a hunting situation if your buddy is using a brake. There's no reason for you to not have on hearing protection. He's the one pulling the trigger, and you have plenty of time to put on protection.

I think this whole loud problem is not that important. Guns are loud. Brake or not.

Around braked guns (mainly short barreled AR type rigs) the annoying part to me isn't the noise because like you said Mauser, I'm wearing ear protection at the range. The thing that gets to me is the concussive blast that hits people to the sides and behind the shooter. Dang near enough to send me home packing. I haven't been around too many longer barreled rigs with brakes, so the blast from those might be less offensive.

Yeah, it's a pain. That's why I hit the range real early before anybody is there. Our range is free, and always open.

I suppose the 375 under the tin canopy isn't too pleasant either. Good thing I don't have to use the range... Colorado is nice like that.

The fact is, brake or not, every time you touch of a rifle un protected you are damaging your hearing.
Some guys say its a pain to carry protection in the foeld, but i find it takes me a few seconds to insert a set of plugs that I always wear on my neck.

Btw I don't currently own a braked gun, and I am not arguing for them or against them.

Get a removable muzzle brake, have your funsmith make a thread protector (don't lose it), and it's all good news. Brakes are great when you're shooting varmints as watching the point of impact is half the fun. You're probably at a bench or bag and wearing earmuffs, anyway. When you're deer hunting take off the brake, put on the thread protector (check your poi without the brake), and go hunting. NEVER hunt with the brake on, and no earmuffs. They're brutal

I'm not arguing for or against brakes nor am I obtuse enough to claim an unbroken rifle won't hurt hearing. All guns will do hearing damage without protection and some may even damage hearing with only one layer of protection.

What I was trying to say is that the potential damage associated with the increase in noise of the braked rifle over the same rifle unbraked is significant due to that 10 fold increase in intensity.

I also never shoot without hearing protection except in a few rare cases when ive had to hurry to get a shot on game. I typically have a set of ear plugs on a lanyard lashed into a shirt button hole while hunting.

"Personally, I abhore the look of a brake and believe it to be the most dreadful contraption ever made to ruin the attractive lines of a rifle. I dislike the noise, the concussive effect, and the blast of dirt and dust as well.

I currently have 2 rifles that are MagnaPorted. They mitigate recoil to a lesser degree than the average brake, but they really excell in softerning muzzle jump. They also are a good deal quieter and kick up less dust than a brake"

Ditto!
G

Just for what it may be worth. An acquaintance of mine has two nearly identical custom Remingtons - one in 7mm UM and one in 300 UM. Both have brakes made by the same person - but the 7mm's brake's ports are canted 18 degress to the front. He claims the noise difference is VERY suignificant, with the canted brake much more bearable.

Similar to the chamber in the Vais that aims the noise forward.

Had a buddy in the military that bought a 7mm UM Sendero with a brake. That thing was nasty !!

I have one of each. One is a 30-338 that I had Magna-Ported so my Ex could shoot comfortably on her first elk hunt. It weighs 7 Lb 2 Oz and is very comfortable to shoot. It doesn't seem to be any more noisey than un-cut but that is always subjective.

I have a Rifles Inc 30-06 Ackley with Rifles Inc's break that weighs about 6 1/4 lbs and appears to recoil about like a 6MM or 257 Roberts, again very subjective. The noise and concussion as mentioned above is abusive. I am going to send it back for a muzzle cap after using the rifle ( with plugs )this year.

Mag-Na-Porting is invisable and adds no length to the barrel ! Brakes are UGLY and noisey .

Cutting holes in the barrel is not an aid to accuracy.

I was really conserned about magna-porting the 30-338 but it had no affect on accuracy at all. That is only an example of 1 and my only experience.

I have had several rifles Mag-Na-Ported , with no effect on accuracy what so ever !

This is exactly what needs to be done to a rifle with a brake. Cap it when hunting and enjoy the benefits at the range when using hearing protection.

Im told the point of impact changes when using a brake vs the thread protector.

I've had both.

If you forced me to take one it would be a Muzzle Brake cause you can take it off.

But I say learn to shoot without either.


Really


Snake

I've shot medicman's 45-70 contender, and the muzzle tamer ports on that barrel are necessary when shooting the 500 grainers at warp speed, believe me. I wear hearing protection every time I am at the range, so no biggy.

I have a B.O.S.S. equipped Browning in 300WinMag, and to begin with, I just had the ported BOSS, and I shot several game animals unprotected in the ear department. WOW! It was LOUD! Almost painful. It shot like a dream, and the recoil was about like a 243, but my ears actually hurt after only one shot. I got the CR model (Conventional Recoil) and although the recoil is a bit more like a 300 Magnum, at least my ears don't bleed when I shoot it.