So, 4 different shooters tried all 3 brakes with 10 rounds of ammo for each brake. 2 shooters were newbies, 2 were seasoned.
Everyone picked the CADEX Brake over the Area 419 and Tikka TAC brake. Recoil and tracking were the best with the CADEX Brake. No question when you do a blind test, and everyone agrees. But there is a downside. In ranking best to not quite as good, here goes:
Cadex Brake.
Pros: Easily the best finish of the lot. Well Radiused edges, flawless colour finish, and an actual easy to see witness mark.
Performance: My 20lb .204Ruger has more recoil. Seriously this brake makes the 6.5 kick as much as a .22lr, and no that's not Hyperbole. Brake was a performer in accuracy as well. Best 5 round group shot 239" @ 100M and just under an inch at 275 (.792)
Cons: Easily the heaviest brake. Somewhat finnicky to time, but not if you take your time and verify that everything is lined up and not canted up down or sideways. Install difficulty compared to other brakes is more involved to align perfectly. Also, It should have it's own zipcode. If weight is an issue look to the 419 brake. Or the Tikka Tac brake. Or lift weights. Sound is also loud.. i mean LOUD LOUD LOUD. the Concussion was easily enough to make one lose bladder control or at least squeeze a drop or 2. Perhaps it would be best to pee first before trying to videotape. Also the blast was brutal. did I mention the blast was brutal? If not, the blast was brutal.
Summary: If you like AWESOME performance, have great bladder control, and want to keep stellar accuracy and have nonexistant recoil, combined with so muscle building potential, this is your brake.
Value: 9.75/10 (I think a longer threaded barrel (inside the brake proper) would make timing and install easier something to consider when purchasing this product. Be patient or have a gunsmith do it, it's just that simple)
Area 419 Brake Love this one. I love the compactness, perfect for barrier work as it is close to same OD as muzzle. In terms of size and weight itt makes the CADEX brake look like the Roseanne Barr with 2 boxes of krispey kreme donuts in her mouth. at once. Or possibly Dizzy Gillespie at full chooch. Great brake to install, self timing makes it so easy even a brainless Liberal could do it without instructions; that is if they are allowed to even touch a firearm. Fit and finish was close to the CADEX, but the colour seemed a little inconsistent, and inside the baffles was a rougher texture than the CADEX Brake. But quite good indeed. Groups at 100M were equal to the CADEX, growing to 1" at 275M. I fully realize that a different load could make a better group, but for control purposes, every brake shot the same ammo so the results are the results. Blast and concussion were quite reasonable considering the performance. Quieter than the Cadex by a country mile, but the tradeoff is performance.. which is what we buy a brake for isn't it?
CONS: Not many. This is a well thought out product. Based on it's size and recoil reduction, this is a 1st class product. Where it fell down was in comparing it to the CADEX brake. But that is to be expected given the size of the A419 brake. I believe if you have one of these and are satisfied, keep it. But tracking vertically was disappointing. I expected... more. or is it less? The vertical muzzle jump was more than the CADEX. From a premium price standpoint... you make the call.
Group size was a little larger, but load tuning could change that.
Value: Solid 8.5/10 (if the vertical tracking was the same as the CADEX, this brake would have won. Alas, these fellas need to address that)
Tikka Tac Brake:
Pros: Cheap. Fit and Finish are ok. This is a product made for a price point and it shows. It's not terrible, nor is it anything to write home about. It's ###y in the same way an ANVIL is ###y. Meaning it works, and does it's job. Full stop. Accutacy at 100M turned in a very good .246", and the .275M came in at 1.22". Good result for a budget piece. Easiest to mount and time.witness mark was the barrel band strut, only a crush washer and viton o ring were needed to make this setup work as intended.
Cons: Tracking reflects the price point. More recoil than either the CDX, or A419 Brakes. Vertical movement was also more. This is honest criticism, but keep in mind this is the cheapest brake, and even when comparing a Yugo to a Veyron comparisons have to be made, and decisions as well. For the Money spent on the Tikka brake it does a good job. the issue is, when spending double the coin, do you get a better brake? YES!!! So if you double the cost of a Yugo, you can buy a Veyron. Who wouldn't jump on that deal?
Value: 6/10
so that's it in a nutshell.
I will close with some thanks to GBT for sourcing the brake, and ST for loaning me his A419 Brake to compare (I already had the Tikka Brake)
Please feel free to add any comments or questions or critiques as the case may be. The Criticism I have is that my phone flipped out on me because of the cold, so I was unable to show the video differences of the brakes. We need warmer weather for that as the battery was most intolerant of -25. I take full responsibility for that oversight.
