Hunting Washington Forum
Equipment & Gear => Guns and Ammo => Topic started by: HighCountry10 on January 10, 2008, 09:04:52 PM
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I am considering sending my rifle off to Texas to VAIS Arms to get their Muzzle Brake installed on my Browning A-Bolt Stalker in the 300WSM. This muzzle brake is suppose to be the quietest muzzle brake available,cuts recoil for 300WSM by 50%, and most of all eliminates to aggressive "hopping" this rifle has upon recoil. Sean at Hooked On Toys in Wenatchee reccomended them and said he has been very pleased with the many rifles they have sent off to them.
Any opinions or information aboout muzzle brakes in general or this muzzle brake specifically that anyone has would be greatly appreciated.
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I owuld be interested to know this as well. My Tikka T3 in 300WSM is a mule, and "flips" the muzzle pretty good! Sims recoil pad made it about 40% better though!
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IMO, muzzle brakes should only be installed on range rifles. They are just to loud and dangerous to your hearing in hunting situations, especially if you are hunting with a partner. Even the ones billed as "quiet". Have you ever really noticed the recoil of any rifle when you have been hunting?
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If you haven't tried installing a Sims recoil pad, you should try that first, before you add a set of sissy slots to the front of your rifle. (Just kidding bout the sissy slots). I have a sims pad on my 325 wsm in browning stainless stalker and it doesn't kick bad at all. My buddy also has a sims pad on his 300wsm stainless stalker and he's fairly recoil sensitive, and he shoots it from the bench just fine.
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I have a few rifles ;) and I can say that if you hunt solo a brake may be up your alley, but if you hunt with anyone.......ever, you are gonna get punched by your pards. sure muzzle brakes are not "louder".....but they are operating in a whole new frequency range. 130 db's at 30hz is loud.....130db's at 15K hz is painfull.
brakes are for cars and target guns. a bunch of felt recoil could be your stocks shape, or your technique. I have owned the hardest recoiling rifle most guys will ever touch and never noticed it in the field, on the bench I just snuggle up with a bag of shot between me and the rifle.
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In regards to recoil pads I already have a Pacmeyer, how does this one compare to the Sims?
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My cousin touched off his brand new custom made 7mm mag on an elk a few years back, muzzle break and all. He missed the shot, and walked around all day with ringing ears, couldn't hear crap. At dark he zipped up the rifle in it's case and was done with it. He had never shot the rifle without muffs on. He finished the hunt with his old 06'.
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In regards to recoil pads I already have a Pacmeyer, how does this one compare to the Sims?
IMO Sims is hands down better
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IMO Sims is hands down better
i have them on 3 shotguns and my a-bolt 30-06 after trying a few different pads on my shotguns. they ahve helped my shooting greatly, especially on the a-bolt. maybe i'm sensitive to recoil, but that abolt kicks like a frickin mule...not too bad for me with the sims pad. 300 rounds a day throught the 12 gauge doesn't bother me at all either.
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Thier local also, There in Shelton Wa.
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the pachmeyer would be better on a really light rifle or a super magnum, it is much firmer than the sims. on any rifle in the 8lb 300win class the sims is WAY better.
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I have a few rifles ;) and I can say that if you hunt solo a brake may be up your alley, but if you hunt with anyone.......ever, you are gonna get punched by your pards. sure muzzle brakes are not "louder".....but they are operating in a whole new frequency range. 130 db's at 30hz is loud.....130db's at 15K hz is painfull.
brakes are for cars and target guns. a bunch of felt recoil could be your stocks shape, or your technique. I have owned the hardest recoiling rifle most guys will ever touch and never noticed it in the field, on the bench I just snuggle up with a bag of shot between me and the rifle.
I have a 338-378 Wby that kicks harder than almost any gun out there. It actually kicks harder than the 378Wby my cousin has. I have shot my gun twice without the break and it sucks. If someone is man enough to shoot it without one my hat is off to them :dunno:
I have a 375 ulta mag and did not have a break on it for a while but decided it was worth it. It improved the muzzle jump alot and now the gun kicks like a 300Win mag.
I shoot a 300Wby and dont think it kicks at all and it is a ultralight.
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you don't have to be all that manly, like I said, snuggle up with a bag of shot on the bench. if you have to have a brake to shoot in the field perhaps you might need to shoot from the prone once into the wind.....that would be enough to fix most guys.....unless you hunt in goggles. 8)
how many times have you shot the braked 338 w/o plugs in?
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I've shot my 338 twice without. Only reason to shoot any gun without is when your trying to kill something otherwise I use plugs and muffs on any gun I shoot. :dunno:
I know people who hunt with ear protection even for guns without a break.
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Back when the 338 RUM came out 00-01? the pard and I ran out and bought 2. Mine was a 700 LSS, his a 700 Stainless Synthetic. I started loading some 225 partitions with alot of RL25, figured they were just what we were needing for bear.They were, but they kicked so god damn hard,it turned us both into trigger jerking idiots.A local gunsmith recommended Ron Bartletts Vias "quiet" brake, we both had them installed. " any competent gunsmith can install one, no need to send it to Texas". Long story short, they weren't much, if any quieter than a boss, kdf, of Weatherby Accubrake, the recoil reduction wasn't near advertised either. Needless to say, both hit the next gun show never to be seen again. They are also ugly as hell and 2'' on to your barrel. I think I would try a pad, either a Sims or a Decellerator, alot cheaper too. Later
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Thanks for the thoughts and opinions guys. I am not neccessarily recoil sensitive and have never really been a guy to modify my rifle beyond its original condition but wanted to correct a few things with this rifle. This rifle is shooting real well just wanted to attempt to make it more comfortable to shoot. I do use a lead sled to sight in off a bench so no worries there, it is when I begin practicing shooting off my pack, prone, standing (realistic shooting situations while hunting) that I begin to notice it.
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HighCountry10, we all tend to get a little sore when someone hits us in the shoulder 20x in a row. With my .338 I am usually good off a bench for (3) 5-shot groups, on the 4th group I start twitching a little. Now, I'll shoot 2 or 3 groups, switch off and plink with a .22 or .204 for a bit, then come back to the .338. You can also throw in a snap-cap and dry fire for a time, when you feel yourself starting to flinch.
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I have two muzzle brakes. I have one built and installed by John Ricks from Shooting Star Rifles on the coast. Works absolutely amazing and is beyond loud. I use it on my varmint 7mm STW. Love it but it blows dirt and crap every place. If you use it with a short 9" Harris it will burn the paint on your hood. I used a nylon fuzzy blanket once and it melted all the fuzz down to the base thread. I also have a Gentry Custom on my daughters rifle. Don't buy it. They claim it is supposed to be quieter. It also does not reduce recoil as much, but it deffinately works just fine. They want another 60 bones for a cap and most will include it with the cost. I wanted her to have a full power rifle that she could grow into. After a few years the brake is coming off. I HATE MUZZLE BRAKES FOR HUNTING, but I love the recoil reduction they provide.
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If I was going to have a "Vias" muzzle break installed, and was mailing it off anyway, think I would send it to the man Himself. George Vias.
High Tech Gunworks
182 S. Cole Rd
Boise ID 83709
208 323 7674
Very very loud, even damaging to the unprotected ear. And if your shooting prone, they will throw dirt-by design.
But you can see your hits.
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I have a brake on a Weatherby that was made by a gunsmith in Pilot Rock, Or. that does not have holes on the bottom. It works very well, but is loud like all of them....but I wear different types of hearing protection depending on the situation while shooting or hunting.
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Varmint brakes are usually blind on the bottom to keep from blowing stuff around.
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i had this break installed on a 300wby, sold it one season later. There is no dought that it tamed the recoil and a very nice looking brake, but the roar of the muzzle was unberable on your ears. more than i was willing to put up with. just my experiance. I won't do it again
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No experience w/ a VAIS but I have a break on my 300 win and I truly love it. Now, the noise is a bitch but the recoil reduction is awesome.... between the Pacmyr and the break my gun recoils similiar to a 257 Roberts.
I always carry plugs while hunting in the off-hand chance that I have ample time to put em in. I do 1/3 time or more.
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I have a few hunting rifles including a 7mm WSM with a custom made muzzle brake from a local gunsmith. I like the recoil reduction but hate the loud noise. For a person who has had three reconstructive inner ear surgeries I can not expose myself to unnecessary loud noise, so I can't shoot the 7mm WSM without ear protection. One of my other rifles is a Tikka T3 lite in 300 WSM. I chose to go a different route for that rifle. I had my gunsmith add a Sims recoil pad and a mercury reducer in the front end of the stock. The positives are that it reduced recoil and muzzle flip, but it did add some weight to a rifle that was intended to be a pack rifle. I believe mercury reducers are more common in shotguns but it seems to work pretty well so you might check into that.
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Theres other answers.
Install a break for loadwork, then remove it and install a "cap" for hunting situations that you will most likely fire one or possibly two shots, where hearing protection will not be worn.
Most 'Smiths can/will manufacture both.
Thats right, most high quality muzzle breaks are threaded on, very few use your existing barrel anymore, but there are a few.
