Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Your thoughts on muzzle breaks

i used to put a muzzle break on every gun i owned. now that age has crepped up on me, i am really starting to despise them.they are allright shooting from a bench with REALLY good hearing protection,but these new shooting rests have taken the need for the break.i have never liked them for hunting though. what are your thoughts??

Used to have a few-- No more...

A horrible device....

WHAT???

Great for seeing your hits, a must for LR shooting. Wear ear protection and the noise shouldn't bother you. If it does, stick the rimfires...

A break in the muzzle would be a very bad thing, and would require shortening and recrowning the barrel.

Muzzle brakes, on the other hand are a hideous invention designed, at best, to compensate for poor shooting technique amongst the overgunned.

They likely have utility for heavy fire of heavy weapons, in a military tactical sense. For normal sporting arms, they are generally a mark of narcissism, ignorance, or both.

I don't think much of them, in other words... .

Dennis

I dont like em either but my 500 S&W has one and my 30/378 Weatherby has one.....I just wear earplugs and shoot by myself.

All 12 of my rifles have Gentry muzzle brakes on them,even my 22-250,I like them I don't care what anybody else says about them.My arthritic shoulder says they work GREAT.

Hate them. Don't want to be anywhere near one when it goes off.

I won't use one because I feel they are excessively loud. If I couldn't shoot a rifle without one I'd get another rifle.

Just my two bits.

After reading these threads reminds me of a study the federal goverment did on college students. Whether or not they had pre marital sex. And the survey revield that some do and some dont. ha ha ha.

muzzle brake or muzzle break??

United States Patent 7237353
Abstract:A muzzle break for a gun comprising a baffle, a series of slots in the housing of the muzzle break in which the slots exhaust gas of a pressure wave deflected by the baffle during firing of the gun.

U.S. patent office spells it "break" but who cares!

i was mainly thinking hunting rifles here,because most of the time you dont have time to put hearing protection on after you spot game.

I have had two of them, but will not own one now, nor hunt near anyone with one on his rifle. PH's and guides universally hate them and for good reason. I also would shoot a lesser recoiling caliber before having one installed again.

never again

All reduce recoil pretty much the same but they are very different with regards to what your spotter thinks about them. Having tried a few I have used the Holland Ultra brake for everything. Unless you see it hanging on the muzzle you dont know its there if your shooting next to me. This comment also comes from others on the line with me for matches. Now on the other hand I have shot by brakes two lanes over that were bothersome and annoying as all heck.

I like them on tanks, howitzers, and .50 cal sniper rifles, everything else, no.

338rcm-personally I choose to do like many others here have. I will not have a brake on my rifles. I've yet to find a rig that I can (and will) fire on a consistent basis that I would hunt with that needs to have brake on it.

My thoughts are brakes are for cars, not rifles...grin

But, to each his own if that's what you wish to do then by all means.

Dober

Im all for em. Helps people who cant handle recoil handle it and put shots where they belong. Yes, makes them louder, but its not like there quiet to start with.

A 300 Magnum of almost any flavor is loud for sure, but with a muzzle brake they are exponentially louder to the point of immediate and noticeable injury from the first shot on out. A rifle of decent and correct weight, shot from a reasonable shooting position, with a good recoil pad and a stock that fits the shooter reasonably well will not hurt the shooter and can be shot with excellent accuracy assuming even a modicum of practice beforehand. I can take an Advil or asprin if my shoulder hurts after shooting (it does not BTW) but the same pill will do nothing for my permanently damaged ears or those of my friends. Even in an excited hunting situation, where recoil will nearly always be a non factor, one DOES notice the painful noise from a braked rifle and I think these actually cause MORE flinch as a result, not less as would be supposed. Pain is pain and the body will try to steel itsself and avoid such when possible.

Mark, all should copy and heed your words on muzzle brakes. Shoulder pain goes away in days while hearing damage never heals. Put that way, it is a pretty easy decision. Ward