Thread: muzzle brakes ?

i shoot with a 7mm prc . the rifle shoots well enough and i have a Hardy suppressor onboard, because I'm soft .
However the suppressor doesn,t stop barrell jump and i loose the sight picture each time .
So, i am thinking maybe i need a brake instead ? Something thats designed to purposefully reduce recoil ( cause I,m soft ) and barrell jump .
Or a different suppressor thats known to control muzzel jump .
Opinions appreciated on above .

However , i hear that "blast" that comes of brakes is going to piss everyone off to the left and right of me ? true/ not true ?
And brakes can effect accurracy ?
Observations on the above appreciated

One last thing ... who believes that suppression ( of the sound of the round discharging ) on a supersonic round such as the 7mm prc , actually works well enough that deer in a mob are confused so as to not to scarper and you get to pick them off ? Personally , i have never ( ever ) seen that . Maybe a hind , and a yearly or maybe lost animals and mates with ear tags, will stand long enough . never seen anything like the animals being bewitched because i had a suppressor on .
opinions / observations appreciated

Those who no best , please recommend a muzzle brake that works as i need and those that also know same would be great for a suppressor .
cheers
les

You can get suppressors with muzzle brake end caps. A-Tec do them. As does Maniatis. Sounds counter productive but they do still take a lot of the bark out because it's still much lower pressure gas going through the brake vs unsuppressed. Personally, I'm still not entirely convinced because they are radial rather than directional - so I'd have thought the outward forces would end up cancelling out, letting the muzzle jump in whatever direction it was going to anyway. Happy to be proved wrong on that one though - the guys that use them certainly swear by them.

Muzzle brakes on their own are can be pretty unpleasant for those nearby. And they suck inside of the concrete booths at the NZHA range. Not a problem on the hillside when it's just you looking to bowl over one or two animals - but definitely pack ear plugs.

Mechanically they don't impede accuracy. They do affect my own ability to shoot a rifle accurately though as the cartridge gets bigger and the blast becomes more concussive and flinch inducing. ymmv.

good onya .

I use a muzzle brake on two 7mmRemMag rifles, one light, and one heavy. It does help recover the image in the scope sooner than without the brake in case a second shot is needed. It reduces the recoil much more than a suppressor. One rifle has a radial brake and the other vents to the sides. In use, I don't notice any different between them, despite the 'information' on the web about radial brakes kicking up dust. There is an extensive test on the web of multiple brakes of different styles/designs of brakes and their recoil reduction - have a search and it will turn up easily. I find a brake is less cumbersome than a suppressor on a rifle with a barrel kept at magnum length. The blast from the brake is significant. Only an idiot would fire a braked rifle without hearing protection. I use electronic muffs and warn those I am hunting with who may be close by that I am about to take a shot. I have not noticed any reduction or improvement in accuracy with or without the brake on the barrel. However, the point of impact changes with/without the brake. I bought the first brake about 20 years ago from a fitter/turner producing a few batches for the market. It was $50 made to my measurements. I think you can buy from Aliexpress for much less now but the gunsmith will probably need to drill/ream the hole through the centre to suite the calibre of the rifle. Fitting to the barrel is a gunsmithing job and not something that can be done with a Makita drill and a pipe wrench.

First thing is , with out buying anything, change your shooting technique, old your forearm with your left hand if you are a right hand shooter, having a bag or rolled clothing under the but stock when field shooting and shooting of a bag. All those things will help.
But also turning down the magnification of your scope.
Today I was shooting at 1000yrds with a 308 loaded with 208 gr eldm at clay targets ,my magnification was turned down to x15 ( my scope goes up to x30) and that is shooting free recoil with a rifle close to 10kg. With a magnification any higher I can not see the impact. ( and that gun is no5 suppressed).

If that does not work for you, yes you can buy a muzzle brake, you can go from basic radial to a more agressive directional. But your neighbours on the shooting range will hate you ( it is your confort ( kind off) against their discomfort) .

If you shoot in an open area brakes aren't too bad and are good for recoil reduction. On pumice/sand/loose soil radial brakes suck. Painful and gritty.

If you are shooting in an area with gullies and the like, or against banks and other terrain features they can direct a painful amount of noise back to you even with earmuffs. In some cases changing from a suppressor to the brake can make you shoot worse - as some people struggle with the noise and back blast over the suppressor.

Originally Posted by Friwi

First thing is , with out buying anything, change your shooting technique, old your forearm with your left hand if you are a right hand shooter, having a bag or rolled clothing under the but stock when field shooting and shooting of a bag. All those things will help.
But also turning down the magnification of your scope.
Today I was shooting at 1000yrds with a 308 loaded with 208 gr eldm at clay targets ,my magnification was turned down to x15 ( my scope goes up to x30) and that is shooting free recoil with a rifle close to 10kg. With a magnification any higher I can not see the impact. ( and that gun is no5 suppressed).

If that does not work for you, yes you can buy a muzzle brake, you can go from basic radial to a more agressive directional. But your neighbours on the shooting range will hate you ( it is your confort ( kind off) against their discomfort) .

some good advice there thanks for that.

Originally Posted by No.3

If you shoot in an open area brakes aren't too bad and are good for recoil reduction. On pumice/sand/loose soil radial brakes suck. Painful and gritty.

If you are shooting in an area with gullies and the like, or against banks and other terrain features they can direct a painful amount of noise back to you even with earmuffs. In some cases changing from a suppressor to the brake can make you shoot worse - as some people struggle with the noise and back blast over the suppressor.

So. i,m hearing , earmuffs ( i do shoot now with the electronic type ear muffs most times ) but i note the likely hood of annoying my mates who dont have em .

Originally Posted by Pommy

You can get suppressors with muzzle brake end caps. A-Tec do them. As does Maniatis. Sounds counter productive but they do still take a lot of the bark out because it's still much lower pressure gas going through the brake vs unsuppressed. Personally, I'm still not entirely convinced because they are radial rather than directional - so I'd have thought the outward forces would end up cancelling out, letting the muzzle jump in whatever direction it was going to anyway. Happy to be proved wrong on that one though - the guys that use them certainly swear by them.

Muzzle brakes on their own are can be pretty unpleasant for those nearby. And they suck inside of the concrete booths at the NZHA range. Not a problem on the hillside when it's just you looking to bowl over one or two animals - but definitely pack ear plugs.

Mechanically they don't impede accuracy. They do affect my own ability to shoot a rifle accurately though as the cartridge gets bigger and the blast becomes more concussive and flinch inducing. ymmv.

thanks for the info on the A-tec and Maniatis , i,ll look em up

Yep they piss you off alright if someone is using one next to you, if i was shooting in a comp and someone had one next to me id just pack my stuff up and go. Puts me right off when your having to contend with the blast from next door...

Suppressors (or the lack of them) have zero effect on game, we've culled enough goats with and without to put paid to any fancy theories. If you've ever had a shot go past you (in close proximity, e.g. under the targets at a range you'll know that the sonic Crack makes it very hard to hear the muzzle report).

The biggest thing with brakes when hunting is the dust they kick up and the fact that everyone in the party needs ear protection.

I live in both NZ and Australia.
In NZ my Large Game Centerfire Rifle is a Tikka 6.5x55 with a DPT suppressor.
In Australia my equivalent Rifle is a Tikka 6.5 CM with a Brake because Suppressors are illegal.
I can tell you right now , that I shoot the Australian Braked Rifle better because of the recoil reduction the
the Brake offers over the Suppressor.
I very rarely shoot with other people, so the noise factor is somewhat not applicable, I also always use hearing protection no matter what I’m shooting , I have lost enough of my hearing through work related activities, I can’t afford to lose more .

I love suppressors , but please don’t discount Brakes.
If you asked me to choose from a purely shooting accuracy standpoint the Brake wins every time .
Overall usability standpoint then I would lean towards the Suppressor.

Brakes and suppressors are both quiet down range compared to nothing. I have found a lot are disoriented and unaware what happened. A good rear facing directional brake sends the noise backwards.

Originally Posted by Tentman

Suppressors (or the lack of them) have zero effect on game, we've culled enough goats with and without to put paid to any fancy theories. If you've ever had a shot go past you (in close proximity, e.g. under the targets at a range you'll know that the sonic Crack makes it very hard to hear the muzzle report).

The biggest thing with brakes when hunting is the dust they kick up and the fact that everyone in the party needs ear protection.

Yes that my experience as well. Having shot with shot clean barreled 303s from my early days I don't notice any change in animal behavior today with suppressors or brakes. The sound from behind the gun is nothing like the sound at the bullet impact.

Originally Posted by LJPRMC

thanks for the info on the A-tec and Maniatis , i,ll look em up

I've got an A-tec H2 with the muzzle brake which I got for my 7rm for long range target, it's a heavy gun and to me even thou it was a good suppressor I didn't find the brake had much effect on recoil/ muzzle jump.
On that gun I started with a DPT magnum overbarrel with extra modules then the A-tec and feel there's a difference but it's not huge.
Have since moved the A-tec on to my Rem 700 in 308 20inch heavy barrel, another heavy gun, i still lose sight picture briefly. Just my experience.

BTW A-tec H2s and alot of their other models are mostly muzzle forward.