Braked Rifles... What are people using.

M70-338

M70-338

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
79   0   0
I'm considering adding a brake to my 7mm Finnlight. Thought about welded or clamp on but that would require me to always wearing hearing protection unless I remove the clamp on brake, which would take too much time in the field.
This leads me to a threaded brake that can used at the range and can also be quickly installed if ideal long range opportunites present themselves while hunting.
I'd like to know what people are using and what works best. The designs and choices are overwhelming! Are some vastly superior to others? Enlighten me.
 
I haven't seen a rifle yet that shot to the same POI with the brake on or off so quick changes in the field are pretty much out. Since a 7 Rem doesn't kick much differently than a 30-06 you would probably be better served with a different recoil pad, strap on pad or padded jacket for practice and just taking those few shots in the field plain. Either that or use the brake all the time and resign yourself to using hearing protection for every shot taken, no exceptions. You can't even guarantee that the loads worked up with a brake will still shoot as well when the brake is removed, so a lot of un-braked shots will be needed regardless.

"Ideal long range conditions" is pretty much the same as saying prone. Given that, eliminate everything with vents on the bottom side unless you want to be blind as well as deaf. The sand, dust and debris that muzzle-blast will throw in your face are no joke. That leaves you with the gill style brakes. The Holland is quite good if you can get it, but just about anything will reduce the already light recoil of a 7mm down to .243 levels. That leaves a couple other considerations; spotting your own hits and noise. Finding a ideal balance where reduction of muzzle jump allows you to see bullets land isn't that easy to achieve. There are so many gunsmiths that don't shoot much, and of those how many prioritize long range shooting/hit spotting and make their own brakes? Kirby Allen comes to mind, and he is quite approachable. Tell him exactly what you are trying to do, describe your rifle and let him pick one from his line-up for you. The noise factor is multipled by any vents pointing back toward the shooter, no matter how slightly. The shock wave that goes through your body from the brake is in many ways just as disturbing as a little tap on the shoulder.
 
People using brakes are using too much rifle. Having nearly been deafened by a guy with a brake snapping off a shot when I wasn't prepared, I feel justified in my hatred of them. Brakes are a crutch for people with too much cartridge or not enough rifle weight. If you insist on owning a 7lb 338 that you can't handle without a brake, shoot it somewhere else.
 
Those lightweight rifles are sort of fun to shoot, once you shoot them enough to realize that the abruptness of the recoil which sends all those alarm signals to your subconscious doesn't translate to getting your arm ripped off, or pissing blood for three weeks. Its more like getting hit by a high speed, very loud bag of potato chips. I've got a 7 pound .338 and after the initial perception is overcome it really isn't much different than anything else. Mind you, its still no .243.

Where recoil and light rifles has its biggest effect is in difficulty to shoot accurately. They are sensitive to having a consistent hold.
 
BigUglyMan said:
People using brakes are using too much rifle. Having nearly been deafened by a guy with a brake snapping off a shot when I wasn't prepared, I feel justified in my hatred of them. Brakes are a crutch for people with too much cartridge or not enough rifle weight. If you insist on owning a 7lb 338 that you can't handle without a brake, shoot it somewhere else.
Click to expand...

This reflects my feeling as well. If I cannot shoot it well without a brake, it is not for me.
Regards, Dave.
 
Since you're not asking whether or not to get a brake, but rather what brake to get, I'll tell you what little I know.

Before anyone comments that we didn't need these brakes on .308's, or that we are "recoil sensitive", don't. I'm not asking for advice on that topic, so please keep it to yourself.

We just had 3 Tikka T3 lite's in .308 brake'd by BlackRose in BC. We're all very happy. They work well, and look great. About 180$ per rifle for the brake and the threading, IIRC.

-J.
 
I have owned rifles with brakes but never hunted with one. too loud without good muffs on. my 8 mag is magna ported and doesn't seem much loader than it would be without the porting and it helps control the muzzle flip. doesn't really reduce the recoil. nicest brake I have used was a kd slimline that came on a 280ai. was not near as bad as some other brakes I have tried. all in all I rather have no brake and live with the recoil. I use a sissy pad for the range and don't feel the recoil when hunting anyways. a lot of my shooting is with bigger mags and the past pad tames them right down or a least cuts the bruising.
 
I have a few rifles that have MB. Shoot some pretty big magnums, but have had some small rifles that were brutal. Not every 7mag is created equal. A muzzle break would still be down the line of what i would try to tame recoil. Probably start by changing to a premium recoil pad if it doesn't already have one, check your length of pull as too long a length of pull leads to felt recoil, shoot smaller projectile if you load...buy lighter ammo if you don't, then and only then would i go to a break. Often the felt recoil is a function of these things, perhaps add in stock shape. A straight stock that recoils straight back would yield less felt recoil, in much the same way a high monte carlo or excessively high scope above the bore leads to more felt recoil. Stock changes are as much cha-ching as a break...so meh. I shoot from a lead sled for sighting in.

You have not said your purpose, but a finn-light is not usually a target rifle. Realize that one never feels felt recoil when shooting at game animals...big bore exception of course.

Another thing that helps with handling recoil is practice. A shoot twice and go hunting guy that has a box of ammo last 10 years will feel recoil much worse.
 
Last edited:
Many, many, moons ago, I had a friend with a Galil in 223. That was the loudest gun I had ever heard. Now, this is long before brakes became the fashion. In hindsight, his brake was the culprit. I had never heard a gun anywhere close to that one in volume - and I had some pretty hefty cannons. I don't know that I'd use a braked gun for hunting unless I had electronic hearing protection or hearing aids (which cut out extreme noise), as I think you could set yourself up for permanent hearing loss, which, believe me, is no fun. Tinnitus will drive you nuts faster than a nagging wife.
 
Surprising how many people comment here with absolutely nothing productive to say. I have a factory weather by brake that is threaded on. It is louder, but I use hearing protection while hunting so I don't notice.
 
Currently I have a custom 338 win mag that came with a brake (custom made). It also came with a thread protector so I can run the gun without it. It is a nice feature to have but I will say that POI shifts 2moa up and 3moa right with the brake on. That being said you wouldn't want to quickly take it off and shoot at game. The brake is still very nice when putting a lot of rounds down range and in this case accuracy seems to be the same with / without. I'd suggest getting a brake threaded on and having a thread protector made if you really want the brake. Shoot winter through summer with it and lose it for hunting season. I'm having this setup repeated with a 7mm I'm having rebarreled. I chose a holland quick discharge brake because of the good reviews. If you want a holland brake I know of a place that stocks them. PM me if you want the name of the place.
 
X3,, if you need a brake to shoot your rifle well, you should be stepping down in caliber/ cartridge/ power whatever,,to something you can manage,,
 
Finnlights, from my experience and research have a few documented issues, which are interrelated to a degree. All are also worth your consideration in making your decision. All have presented on my rifle and have caused me to analyze the possible solutions, which may be of some assistance to you.

1. Light weight = surprisingly potent recoil relative to the calibre and of course that comes with the related complications. Here is where a 7mm is feeling like more than a 7mm, I know my .308 feels like more.

2. The recoil lug system and some peculiar hollow areas in the stock do not do their jobs as well as one might hope. This has been a reported cause of potential accuracy issues.

3. The fluted barrel heats up quickly and POI shifts can be significant with follow up shots.

How are they interrelated? And what does any of that have to do with a muzzle brake?

By many accounts, a McMillan stock has been able to remedy the recoil lug/stock hollow issues, which have caused many owners accuracy issues (I am ordering a McMillan for my Finnlight as soon as I decide on a few details). I have seen the stock remedied by altering the stock, but this may not assist with fit. When you consider a custom stock, you can order the stock to be the right fit and have a high quality, properly fitted recoil pad. This may assist in felt recoil. You also may be able to make some weight considerations. Finally, with and without the brake will shift your POI and in a rifle that can already shoot differently on shot 2,3 etc as the barrel quickly heats up, it adds another potential complication in the form of recalling which POI to expect at each point.

I would suggest trying a recoil pad first, as the one it comes with is a hockey puck. For me, this alone made the difference between discomfort after 5-10 shots and no problem shooting a box in a sitting, and my LOP is not ideal either. Measure the LOP to perhaps add the recoil pad with a preferred width in mind. The better the fit, the better your comfort. What is the weight of the rifle overall and the scope/ring setup? Perhaps adding some weight there could help also. A butt sleeve with extra rounds and a scope level could also be functionally relevant and add weight. Finally, the custom stock idea with custom LOP and maybe some ability to increase weight might be an idea.

I would at least consider those things before going for a brake. A 7mm may be able to be tamed to within your comfort zone with another change or changes. Brakes are loud for hunting and your companions. A brake may also do unnecessary damage to your own hearing over the years. They also shift POI. Last resort in my books. Lastly, revisiting shooting fundamentals and recoil management may round out a complete approach.

Good luck!
 
I have a Win.M70 EW in 300 win mag. that beat me up at the range and while I tend to agree with the "if you can't handle the recoil,step it down" thinking,I really wanted to hold on to this rifle and get some use out of it so I decided to brake it.I went with this muzzle brake because of the claims that it doesn't increase sound levels when used in a hunting scenario. http://www.muzzlebrake.ca/
Dogleg brings up a good point about porting on the bottomof the brake and debris blowing back at you,something I didn't take into account and will surely regret down the road.
 
I brake'd my .243 just so I could better see my hits on groundhogs/prairie dogs...

Had my barrel chopped and threaded by a gunsmith who manufactures his own brakes.
'Looks good and functions great
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom