muzzlebrake question

dr-snake said:
i owned a savage model 110 in 7mm rem. mag. since 6 month but did not get the chance to shoot it in hunting situation. on target, it have good accuracy but it does have a big recoil. i changed the recoil pad but did not get the chance to shoot with it after. what do you think about muzzlebrake. is it a good investment or a no go. i won't take any decision before trying the new pad but i'm thinking about it.
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I'm dealing with the same thing, bought a 111 in 300 win mag over Christmas and although it's not a big deal to shoot 10-15rnds at the range when I work up loads its the days where I wish to shoot 20-30rnds and can't lift my arm for a couple days after.

I have had a few accidents resulting in permanent damage to my rotator cup and neck muscles so my tollerence to heavy recoil is limited, I am currently concidering a clamp on brake from grizzly gun works so I can actually enjoy my 7lb rifle instead of viewing it as a painfull chore.

Don't let any of these jackasses tell you your a wimp because you need/want a brake on your rifle, the "toughen up or go home" crowd often have never tried what they are bashing rather just spewing back the same garbage there buddies feed them.

Pro's
1 Being able to spot hits thru your scope during recoil
2 less felt recoil to the shooter
3 makes awkward positions or snap shots less painfull
4 enables smaller folk such as youth hunters to shoot larger rifles they will not outgrow

Cons
1 loud
2 harder to clean
 
For hunting, I don't give a chit, for one shot, let them ring.
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The fact that your ears are ringing, is an indication that your hearing is being damaged, and that damage is cumulative. Many people don't even realize that they have suffered hearing damage, until it becomes quite advanced.
 
my savage 110 is 20 years old and the original recoil pad on it was most likeli a esthetical pad. that's probably why i felt a big recoil. as i said, i replaced it but did not get the chance to shoot with it after.i will try it and see.
 
before trying a muzzle brake , look at the alternatives ......

the rear pad ,
i've found that not only does the thickness matter , but the actual size of the contact area onto your shoulder makes a huge difference .

what this means is finding the largest pad possible then tapering the sides of it down till is matches up with the stock .


i forget the name of these things , but they are basicly tubes of mercury around a 1 inch in diameter , and lets say roughly 8 to 10 inches long . they are made to go in the stock , but they are also made to fit the second barrel in a double barrel shotgun .

i put 2 of these in my 45-120 , and shooting it when from being
" OUCH ... and a intense headache afterwards " to being not that bad to shoot .


barrel length also makes a difference , the longer the barrel the less the perceived recoil

adding weight to the rifle will also reduce the amount of felt recoil

using / reloading with lighter weight bullets and using reduced powder charges will reduce recoil .

rebarreling / rechambering the rifle into a smaller round that recoils less .

a guy i know had wife build up his hunting jacket in the right shoulder so it disperses the energy over a wider area on his shoulder .


i went the muzzle brake route once as my first option ...... even though it was a very nicely done , and a version with the ports angled forward , i'll never hunt with a braked rifle ever again .
one shot at a deer and my ears where ringing for days afterwards ... it was a good 20 minutes before i could hear anything at all .....
 
fiddler said:
Oh Please. Spare us the sermon. People don't wear hearing protection when hunting, but then again, I'm sure you do. Every waking hour during hunting season. Either you don't hunt or your post is some sort of a joke.:jerkit:





Anyone want to volunteer to stand next to my SVT40 with muzzle break to test whether its louder than a rifle without a muzzle break?

I didn't think so.
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Give us a break. It's a brake, not a break! At least spell it correctly.

Ted
 
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As others have said, less felt recoil, much louder for everyone around you.

At the range I find it is unpleasant to be around muzzlebrakes. When I'm hunting I don't feel recoil. I won't hunt with people who have brakes on their hunting rigs.

Everyone experiences recoil differently. It is not a mark of shame to be recoil sensitive nor is it a macho thing because a 458wm doesn't bother you - it just is what it is. As BUM mentioned, perhaps you should consider a 270 or 6.5x55, they'll kill critters well and don't recoil near as much as the 7mm mag.

As for hiking around the woods with the electronic muffs, well, that sounds kinda sweaty and uncomfortable after walking the first mile or two.
 
BigUglyMan said:
No, this is where a WTS ad in the EE belongs. If it's too much for you to handle it, get rid of it and buy something else better suited to your recoil tolerance. Guys with braked rifles are trying to shoot something too powerful for them and are less likely to be able to shoot worth a damn because they haven't got the trigger time.

I think that the OP would be better served with a 270 than the 7RM from what he is saying. Muzzle brakes belong on rifles far away from where I'm hunting. I had a hunting partner shoot his braked 300WM while I was next to him and the noise caused real pain. I didn't liek brakes before, but now I really hate them.
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Obviously you haven't heard that the modern whitetail deer are more bulletproof than ever. They require more power out a given hunting rifle and a 30-30 will just bounce off their hides!
Of course the 338 LPM and cartridges like it are used for ultra long range hunting and shot while prone more often than not.
Instead of using a break, you could just double the weight of your rifle.
 
We have been through this all on other threads - but I agree with Guntech (and others) in that in my view, braked or unbraked, you should be wearing ear and eye protection everytime you have a gun in your hands.

Go to a gun show and talk to the long timers - you tend to repeat your questions in a louder tone...... damage is commulative. Dont end up deaf because of rifles.

There are too may good alternatives - electronic insert protection, external muffs... the muffs they keep your ears warm also and amplify the ambiant sounds. I actually prefer them when I stand hunt or even when walking. You can hear the crunching of a grouse walking...

I also dont understand this fixation of standing beside someone with a brake....do people walk side by side with rifles when hunting??? really? I guess they might - eems to be counterproductive.
One very good PH I was hunting with jumped up in the back of the truck we were riding (in another country ) and shot his unbraked 375 above / beside my head to shoot a critter....... you think that was quiet?

Dont shoot next to someone ------ it is such an easy thing to do. On the line - if you have a brake, move over; if you are sitting next to someone with one - move.

As I have said before - may semi-autos have brakes/ flash reducers built in. Sit beside an AR and not only do you get a warm brass shower, but a nice blast as well. I get up and go and have a coffee until they are finished or move on to another site.

Brakes have their place- but protect your eyes and ears - they are worth more than any animal or gun.

And yes - I wear my muffs, everytime I hold a gun...... all day some times. It is no big deal after a while - they become part of you.

A PH once didnt want me to wear them as I would miss animals and be dangerous - after the first 2 days he shut up and let me do my thing (with very good results I might add)

You want to use a brake - try it - it may not be for you. I may not like semi -autos throwing brass on me - so what. Someone else might.
 
Dont shoot next to someone ------ it is such an easy thing to do. On the line - if you have a brake, move over; if you are sitting next to someone with one - move.
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Not always easy to do at a crowded range, when all benches are in use.

As I have said before - may semi-autos have brakes/ flash reducers built in. Sit beside an AR and not only do you get a warm brass shower, but a nice blast as well. I get up and go and have a coffee until they are finished or move on to another site.
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My way of dealing with people that don't use brass catchers on their semi autos is simple, I politely inform them, that any brass that strikes me will be returned in the same manner that I received it. It's actually funny watching someone trying to shoot an AR while watching to see where his brass is going, and wondering if it will suddenly come flying back at him. I have never actually thrown brass back at the shooter, but the fact that I might, throws off their concentration as much as getting hit with brass throws off mine.
 
The more rounds you can shoot with a particular rifle, the better shooter you will become. If excess recoil prevents you from shooting, then take appropriate actions. Installing a muzzle brake will reduce recoil tremendously.

The muzzle brakes I install are threaded on, and therefore a thread protector can be made if you decide to remove the brake for what ever reason, ie. hunting situations. It then becomes a win win situation.
 
farshot said:
We have been through this all on other threads - but I agree with Guntech (and others) in that in my view, braked or unbraked, you should be wearing ear and eye protection everytime you have a gun in your hands.

Go to a gun show and talk to the long timers - you tend to repeat your questions in a louder tone...... damage is commulative. Dont end up deaf because of rifles.

There are too may good alternatives - electronic insert protection, external muffs... the muffs they keep your ears warm also and amplify the ambiant sounds. I actually prefer them when I stand hunt or even when walking. You can hear the crunching of a grouse walking...

I also dont understand this fixation of standing beside someone with a brake....do people walk side by side with rifles when hunting??? really? I guess they might - eems to be counterproductive.
One very good PH I was hunting with jumped up in the back of the truck we were riding (in another country ) and shot his unbraked 375 above / beside my head to shoot a critter....... you think that was quiet?

Dont shoot next to someone ------ it is such an easy thing to do. On the line - if you have a brake, move over; if you are sitting next to someone with one - move.

As I have said before - may semi-autos have brakes/ flash reducers built in. Sit beside an AR and not only do you get a warm brass shower, but a nice blast as well. I get up and go and have a coffee until they are finished or move on to another site.

Brakes have their place- but protect your eyes and ears - they are worth more than any animal or gun.

And yes - I wear my muffs, everytime I hold a gun...... all day some times. It is no big deal after a while - they become part of you.

A PH once didnt want me to wear them as I would miss animals and be dangerous - after the first 2 days he shut up and let me do my thing (with very good results I might add)

You want to use a brake - try it - it may not be for you. I may not like semi -autos throwing brass on me - so what. Someone else might.
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+1.
The original Poster asked opinions on whether or not a muzzle brake was a good idea. He didn`t ask to have himself a new arse ripped because people think he is shooting something too powerful for him. Or that if he puts a muzzle brake on, he is purposely trying to blow his or his fellow shooters ear drums out. Wow! What happened to each to his own, if he would like to shoot a 7mm Rem Mag, go for it. If a brake helps him shoot the rifle better/more comfortably go for it.

I personally have no experience with a muzzle brake, but I am going to soon. I have just purchased a 7mm STW with a brake installed. I will see how I like it. I am think it will be a great thing if it reduces recoil and makes shooting it at the range a more comfortable experience. Whether or not a person is recoil sensitive, shooting with less recoil is always a bonus.
 
first rifle i ever bought and owned was a model 70 338 win mag.. i was 12

i tried to shoot the rifle and only became more and more scared of the rifle until it was very unpleasent to shoot. not only was i scared of the gun i was not able to shoot it with any sort of accuracy.

i sold it and bought a 270wsm ruger and loved it until i shot it out and then sold it.

what i found out in my few years of owning rifles is that size doesn't matter if you can't shot it accurately.

now to this day i don't own a gun that i can't shot without flinching.. call me a wimp or whatever you wish but i learned to shot with what im capable of shooting.

my advice to my fellow cgn is the put the rifle up for trade for either a 7 08 or a 308 based cartrige and like we heard get more trigger time in and work your way up to the higher recoiling rifles
 
Let's get some perspective here. According to my reference for recoil in the above discussed calibers I find that;

- .270 Win 150 gr bullet @ 2,900 fps = 17.1 ft/lbs felt recoil (8.0 lb rifle)
- 30-06 150 gr bullet @ 2,910 fps = 17.6 ft/lbs felt recoil (8.0 lb rifle)
- 7mm Rem Mag 150 gr @ 3,100 fps = 19.2 ft/lbs relt recoil (8.5 lb rifle)

Is there an appreciable difference? Sure the 7mm is a tad heavier in both recoil and rifle mass, but.....

Brakes are not something one would use to give equalize the above noted rigs. They are pretty well equal in terms of felt recoil for comparable loadings.

Now the 7mm-08 or the 6.5x55 would be excellent alternatives in terms of reducing felt recoil while giving up almost nothing ballistically. IMO.
 
Op has a 7mm mag - why should he sell it and try a different round? You may as well say - shoot a 243 with reduced loads for 10 years and when you get good try a 7-08 for another 10 years..... then when you can really shoot well, maybe you can get the blessing of people around you to shoot what you wanted to in the first place.

There are many people who shoot 7mm mag. Let them -

Get and shoot the rifle you want to try, crack your forehead, bloody your nose, shoot it like a lazer, maybe you shoot it well, maybe not - put a brake on, take it off--- shoot some more. Laugh about it later.

Thats how one all learn what works for one's self. No one can tell you different.
 
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this is a pics of the first time i shoot with the 7mm rem mag in question. i first shoot the 2 on the left to see how it react. i reload and shoot the 4 in center with the original recoil pad witch was more esthetical then absorbing. as you can see, it's not a question of accuracy or "be afraid of", i'm really asking this for comfort. and again, as i said previously, i changed the recoil pad but did not get the chance to shoot it after. maybe it will be a lot different now.
 
For hunting, that is acceptable accuracy out to 200 yards or so. keep at it and you will master the tool.
The worst rifle i had to shoot at 16 years old was a 444 Marlin. now i shoot my 11 pound BRNO 375 H&H comfortably. That marlin scared the crap out of me!
There is an appeal to big rifles that i cant seem to ignore, and magnum does have a ring to it. call me whatever you will, brakes work and they are loud, but so are big rifles.
the only rifle i ever had a break of sorts on was a Howa 1500 in 338 Winchester with Magna-porting.
My friend owns a Browning A-bolt 300 Win mag with a KDF style brake that while loud recoils about the same as my 25-06.
You will probably only shoot once while hunting anyway.....right?
 
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You know, we may all be barking up the wrong tree. We have no idea what shape you are, tall, short, heavy, lite, long arms, long neck.
Stock design and fit have a lot to do with felt recoil. Perhaps you could shed some light on this and the smart people here could have some suggestions that would help.
 
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