Muzzle Brakes?.

[MadMoose]

What's your opinion of them?, will they effect accuracy?
My wife had neck surgery and I'm worried about the recoil re-injuring her.
Her rifle is a Tika T3 Lite .270 WSM.
I/she doesn't care about the looks as much as being comfortable shooting it.
I would like to get something that takes as much recoil away as possible. She love to hunt and loves her rifle and doesn't want to give up either of them.

MM

[sadsack]

Moose: Muzzle brakes do help reduce recoil. You might want to have a sorbothane recoil pad fitted as well.
I've helped several shooters with shoulder and neck injuries enjoy shooting again by installing a muzzle brake and a soft recoil pad. The brakes do have some draw backs (minor in this case), as I'm sure your going to read about here shortly. I'd say go for it if it helps her to enjoy hunting and shooting with minimal pain.

[Gunfighter123]

Hello Moose,
A well designed MB will not effect accuracy at all and some of the better ones reduce recoil by 50%. The only drawback is they usually make the firearm louder and most will have more concussion/muzzle flash --- but that really applies to someone in front or directly to the side of the firearm.
Good luck --- GF123

[drail]

Be sure to have good ear protection. And if your wife has had neck surgery she absolutely needs to consider something with light recoil. It's great that your wife is a shooter though. You are a lucky guy.

[Mike215]

I'd go for a muzzle brake and a damn good recoil pad.. But hey, who doesnt love louder noises, and LOTS more muzzle flash! :p

[hoghunting]

I don't care for muzzle brakes because of the increased muzzle blast, but in your wife's case, it is needed. A good muzzle brake and a Kick-Eez sorbathane recoil pad will work wonders. Glad she's feeling well enough to start shooting again.

[Socrates]

A PAST shoulder recoil pad is a better idea. Spreads the impact out, drastically reducing the effect, and, it's about 30 bucks...

[MadMoose]

Thanks for the replies guys.
Has anyone ever tried any of these Muzzle Brakes, had any experience or has heard anything about these?. http://www.eabco.com/cssmb.html
I checked out the "Kick-Eez sorbathane recoil pad" as well as the "PAST shoulder recoil pad" and every little bit well help.


MM

[FALPhil]

MadMoose wrote:
What's your opinion of them?, will they effect accuracy?


I have never heard of a muzzle brake effecting accuracy, except for the B.O.S.S. device, which was actually a brake and a harmonic tuning device. However, brakes can affect accuracy by their design. Here is a good article on the subject:

http://accurateshooter.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/muzzle-brakes-bertalattos-test-results/

[Alleykat]

.243!!! That's the real answer! :)

[Inspector3711]

Some folks don't like a brake and for valid reasons. To be effective with a brake a person must master ignoring concussion and even some particulates. Once this is accomplished, in my opinion, greater accuracy can be obtained, .223, .243, or .300Ultra..... The cartridge is irrelevant.

[Bowhunter]

MM, This is my first post here and hope I can be of help in answering gunsmithing questions, etc. I am a retired gunsmith among other things. Some of you familiar with the Ruger forums will know me. Alleykat is on the right track. I would recommend a Magnaported .243 with a soft recoil pad. It doesn't get any better than that for a lady shooter. My wife is not a hunter but does have chronic neck problems and I would recommend this package for her!................Dick;)

[HankB]

A .243 with a muzzle brake and a soft recoil pad in a gas-powered semi-auto will have FAR less recoil than the .270 she's shooting now.

I've found that Browning semis in particular have a mild recoil - by spreading the impulse out over time, the peak is substantially reduced. Combine that with a muzzle brake and a good recoil pad, and you'll have an exceptionally soft shooting deer rifle.

[bcarver]

+1 what hank said.
I have a Browning bar .243 with a limbsaver recoil pad.
It is mild.
I have a .270 win bolt with a brake and recoil pad by answer products.
It shoots even lighter than the .243. A 243 Browning bar with a muzzle brake will be sweet.

[Alleykat]

Several years ago, when the Win Mod 70 was offed with the BOSS system in .243, I bought one for my youngest son, who was 10-yrs-old at the time. Really nice rifle, but any brake is going to be pretty loud. If you can stand the blast, a braked .243 would be about like shooting a .223.

[HankB]

Forgot to add that I Mag-Na-Ported my .375 H&H. There are four slots EDM'd into the muzzle. The recoil is reduced only about 20% - less than many muzzle brakes - but subjectively, the effect on muzzle blast is minimal.

Muzzle rise, onthe other hand, is easily halved.

Overall, on the .375, it made the difference between being able to fire a couple of boxes of ammo from a seated bench, vs. not being able to.

[MadMoose]

I have a Win mdl 100 semi auto .243 that was pasted down from my Grandmother to my Mother and then down to me. I need to have the barrel checked?. This gun has been shot a lot and I'm wondering if the barrel my be shot out?. I reload and I just cant seem to find any combination that will shoot consistent groups with this gun. If I could get a new barrel for this gun, it would help with the less recoil for deer hunting but, my wife also likes to Elk hunt and the .270wsm is much better suited for that.

Keep the Idea's and experiences coming guys/gals. I hope to get it figured out by next hunting seaason;)


MM

[Old Guard Dog]

I picked up a Rem 700 7MM mag, and thought I would lose my shoulder the first time at the range!!

Put on a Limbsaver recoil pad, and now it's fun to shoot. Without it, I would have sold the gun.

[roach4047]

She shouldn't have to give up either hunting or shooting but she should take adequate time to properly heal. Simply following the Drs. directions regarding the matter should ensure a proper recovery and few if any limitations to her activities. The key is proper healing and all will be well.

I'm unsure if a new rifle is an option but I can say that AR-15's chambered in .223 and their bigger brother AR10 in a variety of calibers simply by their design offer very acceptable levels of recoil. A 12 year old boy @ the range a month or so back had a blast and never complained once after 20 rounds when we let him have a crack at it. The recoil on them can be described as more of a push than a slam or jolt it seems. I'm sure if you've shot one you know exactly what I am talking about.

Roach