Muzzle brakes

tmvikings · Jan 16, 2017

I have a Tikka t3 300wsm and after reading a lot of posts on here it seems a lot of people have Muzzle brake on 300's. I'll admit on the range it's not all that fun to shoot, but hunting it's no issue at all. I bought a limb saver for the range and that made it very manageable. With a good brake you will reduce felt recoil and Muzzle flip, but add a lot more noise. Might even improve accuracy and allow for faster follow up shots if needed? But is the added weight and noise worth it?

elkantlers · Jan 16, 2017

If I have to put a muzzle brake on a rifle to shoot it comfortably It will be gone. There are too many low recoil calibers that will flat out knock critters down to shoot a hard kicking rifle. That and they are too dang loud.

specneeds · Jan 16, 2017

If you are thinking and asking about a muzzle brake then it is probably worth it. Have your gunsmith put a brake and thread protector on and you can have your cake and eat it too. I shoot an unbraked old stock vanguard in 300 Weatherby and a 7 mm RM tang safety Ruger with a custom brake as my primary deer and elk rifles. The 300 is accurate and fun to shoot but the 7 is like magic it is so precise and easy to shoot. My brake was a surprise gift and I wouldn't have chosen to do it but it makes a difference in accuracy. My SIL has a similar rifle with a brake and mercury recoil reducer and it kicks less than a 243. It is a little heavy but he has taken several deer over 500 yards with it.

You may not want to shoot right next to other hunters but who enjoys that noise even without a brake.

bobbydean · Jan 16, 2017

Get hearing protection and do not shoot on a range.

I enjoyed the less recoil until the hearing loss occurred. Start hearing protection from Day 1.

mdhunter · Jan 17, 2017

I love to hate my muzzle break. I actually bought 6.5x.284 without a muzzle break just to get away from the noise. That said, the 300 wsm shoots so well I keep going back to it.

sbhooper · Jan 17, 2017

elkantlers said:
If I have to put a muzzle brake on a rifle to shoot it comfortably It will be gone. There are too many low recoil calibers that will flat out knock critters down to shoot a hard kicking rifle. That and they are too dang loud.

Agree.

Tikka06 · Jan 17, 2017

Upgrade your recoil pad to a limbsaver. I did on my superlite 30-06 and it helps.

MJE2083 · Jan 17, 2017

I had a ported 12ga shotgun once, blew out everyone's ears in the duck blind.

bowhuntmontana · Jan 17, 2017

I have a t3 in 300 win mag. I put a brake on it this summer after a lot of research and consideration. For me, it was a good choice. It reduced felt recoil by 40% in my estimation. I was doing some other small tinkering with my gun to improve accuracy. The brake is not necessarily an accuracy tool, but it made spending time at the range much more enjoyable and my shooting improved considerably.

Folks are 100% right on hearing protection. Brakes are loud. At the range, I double up with ear plugs and ear muffs. Hunting, I always use ear plugs now.

Cornell2012 · Jan 17, 2017

tmvikings said:
Might even improve accuracy and allow for faster follow up shots if needed? But is the added weight and noise worth it?

I'd be more likely to flinch from the loud noise than the recoil. Even infrequent shooting in the field without hearing protection is enough for ear damage. If I remember correctly, there is a thread floating around on here from a year or two ago about exactly how bad breaks are for your hearing.

Edit: found it. https://onyourownadventures.com/hun...816-Muzzle-brakes/page2&p=2390959#post2390959

MKotur325 said:
Here's a link to a study that was performed with the Styer AUG with and without the Muzzle Break.
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/236945881_Sound_Pressure_Level_of_the_Steyr_AUG_Rifle

It showed an increase of 5-10dB sPL depending on angle. Decibels are a not a linear scale. an increase of 10bD is typically held as TWICE as loud. Also, the study found an average sPL from all angles of 168dB which is about 40-50 dB higher than the generally accepted pain threshold, and approx 28 dB higher than the level for permanent hearing loss from short burst noise. I believe all measurements were taken at 1meter from the muzzle.

This is all with a 5.56x45 (.223rem) rifle. I would assume slightly higher numbers with our traditional big game cartridges

elkantlers · Jan 17, 2017

I know a guy that got Tinnitus from shooting a braked rifle one time without ear protection. He always wears ear protection when shooting this particular rifle but in the heat of the moment he forgot to put them on and now he pays the price. Constant ringing that he says drives him nuts while trying to fall asleep.

nhn2a · Jan 17, 2017

Perfect timing for this thread. I have a Tikka T3 Lite in 30-06. After sighting in a new scope and doing some practice with it this past Friday, I felt like I had been in a car wreck. I started researching this same topic and found out about the limb savers. I bought one immediately and put it on this weekend but havent had a chance to go shooting with it yet. How big of a reduction do you think you got with the limb saver? You mentioned that it made the recoil "very manageable". If so, why are you considering the muzzle break? Is it still that unbearable? For me I never feel the recoil when hunting but I do agree that it makes sighting in the gun and practicing with it less than enjoyable.

Frenchy · Jan 17, 2017

I can't stop rubbing my right ear while reading this post. My buddy's wife shoots a 300wsm with a break on it and this past year while I was set up next to her helping her settle in on a buck I got my ears rang pretty good. I knew she had the break and even had ear protection in the car for that reason, but in the heat of the moment forgot to grab them when we headed out for the stalk.

I am no fan of muzzle breaks. Noticed hearing loss at the age of 30. Not the result of muzzle breaks, but sure were contributing factors.

Gr8bawana · Jan 17, 2017

elkantlers said:
If I have to put a muzzle brake on a rifle to shoot it comfortably It will be gone. There are too many low recoil calibers that will flat out knock critters down to shoot a hard kicking rifle. That and they are too dang loud.

I also agree that I would rather have a rifle I can shoot comfortably without blasting out the ears, rattle my teeth and knocking my shoulder back to last week. No thanks!

tmvikings · Jan 17, 2017

nhn2a said:
Perfect timing for this thread. I have a Tikka T3 Lite in 30-06. After sighting in a new scope and doing some practice with it this past Friday, I felt like I had been in a car wreck. I started researching this same topic and found out about the limb savers. I bought one immediately and put it on this weekend but havent had a chance to go shooting with it yet. How big of a reduction do you think you got with the limb saver? You mentioned that it made the recoil "very manageable". If so, why are you considering the muzzle break? Is it still that unbearable? For me I never feel the recoil when hunting but I do agree that it makes sighting in the gun and practicing with it less than enjoyable.

The limb saver works awesome, when I first shot my rifle I shot 18 or so rounds to site it in and paid the price with a good bruise. Bought the limb saver and all was well next time out shot 20-25 rounds with no ill effects. I take it off for hunting because it messes up the LOP and gets in the way as it can snag on clothes. Its not necessary when shooting at animals you don't feel a thing anyway.

LopeHunter · Jan 17, 2017

Not scientific but my observation is the increased decibels and the wider sound pattern when touch off a round in a rifle with a muzzle brake will scare more animals than the same caliber without one. No issue if hunt alone and one shot one kill every time. Otherwise, you may cause a stampede for the next canyon.

nhn2a · Jan 17, 2017

tmvikings said:
The limb saver works awesome, when I first shot my rifle I shot 18 or so rounds to site it in and paid the price with a good bruise. Bought the limb saver and all was well next time out shot 20-25 rounds with no ill effects. I take it off for hunting because it messes up the LOP and gets in the way as it can snag on clothes. Its not necessary when shooting at animals you don't feel a thing anyway.

If the limb saver does that good of a job, what are you trying to accomplish by using the muzzle brake? Not being sarcastic, just trying to see if I'm missing something. I saw your comments about accuracy and potential follow up shots but even without the limb saver/muzzle break I've never had an issue with either out of the Tikka T3.

TimeOnTarget · Jan 17, 2017

Brakes do what they are intended to do. They reduce recoil amazingly. A suppressor will reduce recoil and also quite a rifle down.

Moretime · Jan 17, 2017

I have a t3 light in 300WSM as well. I know what your going throw decisions decisions. I go to the rang and shoot and develop a flinch very quickly and I thought the muzzle jump was as much a problem as recoil. I went with a limb saver pad and a Vais brake and I can sit and shoot all day now. I'm not trying to promote Vais and I have no other experience with brakes but they do advertise it's a quieter brake and I had to make two quick shots without hearing protection on a mule deer this year and it wasn't that bad.

tmvikings · Jan 17, 2017

nhn2a said:
If the limb saver does that good of a job, what are you trying to accomplish by using the muzzle brake? Not being sarcastic, just trying to see if I'm missing something. I saw your comments about accuracy and potential follow up shots but even without the limb saver/muzzle break I've never had an issue with either out of the Tikka T3.

Guess I want it all- The cake and to eat it too. Maybe they will make a break that is not twice as load as no brake.

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