Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Muzzle brakes?

Hey fellas, what are the guidelines/practices/rules about shooting a braked rifle for plains game?

Or does it vary from PH to PH?

Just something for me to consider.

Thanks!

PHs hate them, they consider you a pussy if you use one and laugh behind your back. That said they need the money so they just plug their ears. If you need a muzzle break, then you need to step down in caliber.

Out of respect for the ph and tracker(s) skip the muzzle brake.

When I did some we guiding years ago I truly disliked muzzle brakes or ported barrels as they are evil unless you are directly behind the shooter.

With the quality of bullets available to us now there is no need for a rifle with massive recoil for plains game.

They are really a problem if someone is holding the shooting sticks for you or you are shooting off someones shoulder. I have had issues with even un-braked rifles kicking up dust when shooting prone. Use a removable brake or switch to a lighter recoiling rifle.

Good to know, thanks fellas!

I had one PH tell me if I ever got rid of my braked .300 Weatherby, he wanted it.

Skip the muzzle brakes in the bush. You won't feel the recoil when hunting and adrenaline is pumping. But one thing is for sure, if you hunt with one, EVERYONE around you will suffer your choice.

I think they should be outlawed.

If John Taylor, Walter Bell, Ian Nyschens, etc. can each shoot 1200 or 1400 elephants with big bores and no muzzle brakes, they have no purpose, especially for plains game

As noted multiple times, PHs hate them.

That said every hunting rifle I own has had the Mag-Na-Port process. Everything ... my 7 mm-08, my .two 270s, my two 30-06, my 50 Cal Muzzleloader, my .300 Wby and my .375 H&H

The MNP process cuts recoil maybe 5-10%....really not that much of a reduction.. but that's not why I do it. I am not bothered with recoil, ESPECIALLY not in the field....but I do it because it cuts down on the muzzle jump and makes it a more direct backwards push against me instead of up and back.

With everything below my 300 Weatherby I can stay in the scope at the shot and actually watch the animal's reaction at the shot. That is a huge advantage, especially when hunting alone.

The two guns that I take to Africa are the .300 Wby and of course the .375 H&H. Both have also had the process…but in consideration of the PHs that hunt with me I had them skip the horizontal side ports and just do the two vertical ports. Still helps keep the muzzle down and with a lot less noise to the people on the sides of me.

So I still get reduced muzzle jump but with almost no added noise for my PH. They are pleasantly surprised when I shoot the first time.

Call me a pussy if you want but I just think it’s smart to be able to recover from the shot more quickly and get eyes/scope back on target faster

On one of my trips to RSA I had one on to check zero. The PH suggested that I leave it on for the hunt. First animal was a big Kudu. He forgot about the brake. The muzzle blast distracted him so much he asked me where the bull was. He lost track of it in his bino's. I told him it went straight down. He said chamber another round. I told him that I had already done that....... I took it off that night for the rest of the hunt.
Like mentioned most PH's don't care for them. Nor the trackers.
Bruce

What did you say? 😁

😂

Whether or not the PH's like or dislike them should not be YOUR determining factor. It's YOUR hunt and you're paying the bill. While as a general rule they may or may not "like" them, as a professional, they will make accommodations for their use just like they make accommodations for each clients hunting skills/abilities and physical abilities/endurance. If you have one on a rifle that you want to use, by all means take it.

The Gentry "Quiet" muzzle break has ports slanted forward throwing much of the concussion forward of the shooter.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

THIS...word for word.



And IMHO if you need a muzzle brake, you need a different rifle/chambering.