My next brake- which one?

nagol

nagol

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Here's the story folks, I have a 300wsm that needs a brake and a shoulder that's been rebuilt and almost due for a rework.
So.. I'm looking at recoil mitigation, I know 300wsm isn't exactly a hard hitter, but my body still complains.

Currently looking at the PA hypertap and MTD comp.

Anyone happen to have experience or an opinion?
 
Depending what the muzzle thread pitch is, Insite Heathen first gen are pretty solid recoil reducers, even those cheap Browning Recoil Hawgs do a great job.
I have an MDT here, and I've tried it on several rifles, they work ok on larger bores with lots of gas behind them, but everything I tried it on accuracy went to #### lol
 
Brakes should not cause less accuracy unless something is out of alignment, a diameter off or not concentric. I installed several hundreds of brakes over 50 years and accuracy was never a problem. Pre threaded barrels and a diameter that fits all is not the best way to go.
 
guntech said:
Brakes should not cause less accuracy unless something is out of alignment, a diameter off or not concentric. I installed several hundreds of brakes over 50 years and accuracy was never a problem. Pre threaded barrels and a diameter that fits all is not the best way to go.
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I agree, and it's the only brake that ever did this to me, on several different rifles.
The jam nut to brake threads are kinda sloppy and loose, so I thought that might be the reason. So I cranked it tight onto the brake and installed it with shims to time, same thing, groups got sloppy.
My favorite is a Badger Thruster timed and tapered to the barrel by a smith and opened up to 30thou over bore. Never had a problem with those, and probably the best recoil reduction I've come across, they work very well, but all that costs a bit more then off the shelf brakes.
Insite Heathen thou for off the shelf, I was very impressed with their brake, fit/finish, and how tight they bore to cal...6mm brake wouldn't fit a 277 bullet, made in Canada too.
Haven't tried their Gen2 brake yet thou.
 
I have tried a few different brakes and have had great results with Insite models as well as Area 419 models. I think many have advantages over each other but if recoil is the primary concern then do your homework and the Heathen is great!
 
This will help you understand how a brake works by looking at it...

Think of the baffle (wall at the end of each cell) like a sail on a ship. The larger the surface area, the more the gases can push the brake/rifle forward... reduces recoil

The more 'sails' you have, the more the gases can push on the rifle forward ie 5 sails are better then 4, better then 3, better then 2, then 1 (assuming you have enough gas to work the sail). With a magnum, I think the most 'sails' I have seen was 6.. with 5 being quite a long brake already. If using a smaller case, less sails as there is no benefit once you run out of gases.

The larger the area of the ports viewed from the side, the larger the volume of gases can escape sideways... as little going out the front is good. Yes, ports getting larger in area going forward should be a great idea... but I really don't know how much better in the real world.

ports should NOT point forward if you want max recoil reduction. 90deg port has little to no gases back at you and is the baseline to compare. The more the ports are inclined backwards, the higher the recoil reduction due to the 'jet' effect but the higher the possible concussion and gases into your face (no go for me).

The brake with the highest level of recoil reduction will be the largest physically, lots of sails (or cells) and for me, vent 90deg to boreline (they are sometime called TANKER brakes). I have found the calibre bore to not change recoil affect much if any BECAUSE, I use brakes that vent pretty much all the gases sideways. I use the 30cal for all rifles from 22cal on up. I much prefer knowing that there is plenty of space around the bullet so a brake strike is close to nil.

By using variations on the features above, brakes can have similar recoil reductions but look quite different... compromises include size/weight, gases to your face, length

There are some great brake comparison videos on youtube where shooters use a moving cart to demonstrate reduction

Jerry
 
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Each cell is defined as having an end baffle.. wall at the front and rear of the "cell" with exit ports usually to the sides. A radial brake like the KDF usually only has 1 cell.... lots of ports (holes) but only 1 end baffle that the gases hit. So a KDF is great at redirecting gases away from the front which is helpful but the real recoil reduction happens when the gases push on the front baffle and propel the rifle forward.... and having only 1 baffle makes it poor for recoil reduction vs multi cell brakes (think multi sails)

Jerry
 
For many years with many happy and repeat customers on hunting rifles I used a slight variation of the KDF brake. It looked good and recoil reduction was very good and the noise factor considerably less than a 'gill' brake.
The ports are every so slightly slanted forward with the intention of possibly pushing the sound level slightly ahead.

This is on a very light barrel
thin barrel brake 1.jpg
thin barrel brake 2.jpg
brake crown.JPG
 
So I’ve had the Bergara factory omni port brake on a 6.5 PRC and replaced it with the MDT brake, it’s decent. Then I just recently bought a 300 wsm that had a “grill” style brake on it as noted above but replaced it with a Precision Armament hypertap brake. Very impressed with it. I also have one on a Sig Cross 6.5 Creedmoor and it’s fantastic. So far the most effective brake I’ve used.
 
My choice is Spearhead Machine fit finish and tolerances are top tier

Contact them they will do right by you

If you are looking for performance over aesthetics you could consider moving up to a larger dia brake

Trevor
 
nagol said:
Here's the story folks, I have a 300wsm that needs a brake and a shoulder that's been rebuilt and almost due for a rework.
So.. I'm looking at recoil mitigation, I know 300wsm isn't exactly a hard hitter, but my body still complains.

Currently looking at the PA hypertap and MTD comp.

Anyone happen to have experience or an opinion?
Click to expand...
Myself and friends use terminator brakes on calibers from 300wm to 338 edge and they are fantastic, side discharge which makes for less dust when shooting prone.
 
I have a Fat bastard, Little bastard, couple of radials, and Spearhead. The Fat bastard works the best, and the Little bastard isn't far behind. They work very well, but are VERY loud to the shooter.
 
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