Custom barrel, what caliber and should I brake?

[Dutch/AL]

I'm trying to make some decisions on an extra barrel from Fox Ridge for deer hunting. I can't decide if I should get the barrel Mag-na-ported or muzzlebraked? It seems that there are people who like them and some that don't. Should I get it and why?

Also, I was considering a 7 Mag but I'm not decided. What caliber would yall get and why?

I'm hoping to make a good decision on which barrel to get so that after I get it, I won't wish I had gotten something else. Thanks for any advice you could give.

[ciscoman14]

Hey Dutch,

I am also trying to decide myself about caliber/muzzlebrakes. I am looking for a Elk gun for next fall.  Have you checked out the barrels at Virgin Valley??  They have a brake that twist to turn on/off.  Looks good.

[Dutch/AL]

Hey Ciscoman, yes I have found the VV website and have it saved to favorites. I want one of their barrels, but they have so many options available on them, I don't really know what I need and what I don't. I figured I would buy a Fox barrel first and shoot it awhile, and then a year or so down the road order another barrel from VV. I really like the twist on/off muzzlebreak. Looks trick.

[JJFly]

Deer 280Rem
Elk 338-06

Either in a factory heavy taper is good.  Still use factory forends if you desire.  Put a rubber washer between the stock and barrel and BAM she's free-floated.  No need for a break on either barrel the recoil isn't bad at all, put the money into a high quality scope instead!  Guys, you just don't gain that much going to a MAGNUM.  I've got a 7mm Mag full bull blah blah blah all tricked out VVCG's barrel.  It shoots!  Don't get me wrong here... but it doesn't do anything my 7-08 factory barrel won't or my 338-06 custom (but plain jane).

[southern utah]

My favorite barrel is a factory T/C stainless heavy 26" in 300 win mag  NO BRAKE. Brakes and or comps are just to loud and my hearing is worth more than  the less recoil. I use composite stocks and have no problem with the recoil. At the bench I use a sissy pad on my shoulder but hunting no problem. I was told by big time hunting buddy of you can't handle the recoil go smaller. If you think recoil is a problem - touch of a braked barrel and the noise will make you flinch worse and ears rings for hours.
Topped with Leopold Vari X III  3.5-10, Burris DD base and Signiture rings ( another choice would be VVCG base and Warne QD rings). Composite forearm has VVCG hanger bar system.

[444encore]

If you're looking for a hunting gun. By all means, stay away from brakes of any type. Your ears will surely hate you the first time you fire  it without protection. 444 Marlin is a great all around barrel if you hunt in a heavily wooded area. While .308 is quite useful and easily controllable if you hunt on open terrain.

[Jagdzeit]

I'm not going to mention calibers, as there are so many that will do the jobs you guys are going to do. What I am going to mention though is muzzle brakes.

I have a few rifles with different brands of brakes on them. Honestly, I have removed all of them, even my 30-378 Weatherby, and replaced them with thread protector rings. Some day to be replaced. Except on a 300 Win mag I have. On it I have installed IMHO ~~THE VERY BEST~~ and quietest by far, designed and  made by a gentleman named George Vias, Vias Brakes. They are quieter than anything I've EVER used and also tame the recoil on BIG calibers up to and including .50 BMG. I don't have his phone number on hand. If I remember correctly, he is located in Texas. But if you do a search on Vais brakes or George Vais muzzle brakes. There is a ton of positive info and a LOT of shops that are using his product. Check it out before you buy any other brake.

EDIT added...
http://www.muzzlebrakes.com/About_us/about_us.html

Stay Safe,
Franz

[pete50]

I have a T/C custom shop 30.06 at 23" including the T/C brake. I have never fired my rifle in the woods and experienced " a ringing in my ears the rest of the day" I would NOT buy another barrel without adding the brake when purchasing custom work, period. The brake makes the barrel much more shootable at the range during practice, therefore, I am a better shot. I flinch no more from the sound during practice as I have my muffs on. It is louder, but I'm not firing a lot of multiple round strings in the woods with my single shot encore. I am recoil sensitive and I feel the $50 for the brake was money very well spent. As an example, my rifle has never been weighed, but is considered light by all who handle it. My friend has a 30.06 ruger 77. The rifle kicks the snot out of us when we go to the range. As a result, we dont shoot his much, and he misses a lot of deer. I shot 47 times with my encore same day, no problem at all. The rifle appear to weigh in at about the same weight. I know a lot of variables exist that I have not mentioned, but I feel the brake is the major recoil reduction. I see people post about brakes all the time, but at the range, I see few if any besides mine. I am speaking from experience with my encore. I couldn't be happier, I shoot in the woods all the time when hunting, and I'm not deaf, or working on it. Good Luck!!!

[444encore]

Pete, I'm glad to hear you don't have any problems shooting a braked rifle without ear protection. But something tell's me you don't have normal ears.  Understand me now, no offense intended, but I have three rifles with brakes and I invite you to shoot any one of them without ear protection. If you can walk away with unharmed ears then you are truelly the exception.

[Jagdzeit]

Pete, I'm glad to hear you don't have any problems shooting a braked rifle without ear protection. But something tell's me you don't have normal ears.  Understand me now, no offense intended, but I have three rifles with brakes and I invite you to shoot any one of them without ear protection. If you can walk away with unharmed ears then you are truelly the exception.

I don't know about Petes brakes. But the Vais braked .300 win mag I mentioned in my earlier post is shot without any ear protection when hunting, and I have NEVER had any problems. Even when between heavy trees. Of course I use a headset when benching any weapon, braked or not.  
Oh yea, The factory one on my weatherby 30-378 nearly blew out my left side the first time I shot it without any protection. It felt like someone stuck an ice pick in my ear. Talk about pain. It's still ringing after about 4 years. Did a bit of damage on that one and is still sensative. So if the Vais was as loud as the rest on the market, I couldn't shoot it without protection.

Stay Safe,
Franz

[444encore]

Franz, Pete mentioned early in his post that he has T/C brake. Of T/C brakes I know of would be either "Muzzle Tamer" or Magnaport. Both of which direct muzzle gasses back at your head.

[Jagdzeit]

Franz, Pete mentioned early in his post that he has T/C brake. Of T/C brakes I know of would be either "Muzzle Tamer" or Magnaport. Both of which direct muzzle gasses back at your head.

Yea, I see what he said, And I agree with you. I've fired rifles and pistols with the magna port system. All very loud. The T/C system is one I haven't fired. But if it is the same as the Muzzle tamer, It's no differnet than the majority. VERY LOUD. I was just reiterating what I mentioned in my earlier post.
Pete just doesn't know he's working on being deaf yet. Give him some time. Hell be saying "Huh" like the rest of us.

Stay Safe,
Franz

[pete50]

As I stated in my earlier post, I use hearing protection at the range, but not in the woods while hunting. In the woods, I dont notice any appreciable difference in noise or recoil from one rifle to the next. In the "heat of the moment" I just dont notice. I do beleive that braked barrels are louder than non-braked barrels. We are talking about encore rifles here. I guess I made an assumption that we are not dove hunting or shooting skeet where you are firing a lot of ammo over a period of time. :oops: For me, under normal hunting conditions of firing one or two quick shots, the brake is not painful or harmful to my ears. My ears do ring after shots, but it quickly goes away. Most of the time it's gone before I get to the deer I shot  :-D. I dont feel as though I'm special, but truthfully, if a rifle caused as much pain or ringing as previous posts have suggested, I'd get rid of it. The brake simply reduces recoil. That makes me shoot more at the range comfortably (at the range, we wear hearing protection). Shooting more makes me a better shot. Better shots mean fewer shots in the woods, without hearing protection. Fewer shots in the woods means not so much noise. Not so much noise means I wont go deaf from this infernal braked rifle. By the way, it is a muzzletamer from T/C. I have spoken to numerous other shooters about this subject. Some folks simply do not like braked barrels, no matter what. That's OK. I went into it without ever having shot one prior to the purchase of a BOSS equipped Browning 7MM. Now, having been shooting with a brake for a while, I like them a lot. The extra noise is OK, since I fire hundreds of rounds at the range, while wearing hearing protection, but probably less that 10 over the one month long deer season here in WV, without hearing protection. As stated earlier, I had no preconceived notions about the muzzle brake before I got one on a rifle. Hey, I got a great deal!! The hwen shooting, I noticed it was louder, but I wear hearing protection at the range so no big deal. What I really noticed was the reduction in recoil over similar rifles without the brake. I am sensitive to recoil and noise when shooting ( I actually wear muffs and plugs at the range). The extra noise has not bothered me when hunting and shooting in the woods. The reduction in recoil is worth the price in a big game caliber rifle. It made a me shoot more, making me a better shot, etc. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

[Crayfish]

For Deer hunting, I would have to go with a 7mm-08 or a 280Rem.  Neither will kick hard enough to warrant a muzzlebrake, so don't put yourself (or anybody trying to shoot next to you at the range!!) thru the increased noise levels!

Since both of these are 7mm bores, the bullet weights available will generally range from 120 to 175gr for hunting type bullets (with 140gr being the most common).

Good luck with your search!! ... Crayfish

[DaddyPaul]

I fired ONE unprotected shot from a BOSS equipped A-Bolt .300 win mag in a creek bottom in Georgia in 1996.  Seven years later my left ear is still ringing and it fried some of my high frequency hearing as well.  Gone, never to return.  I will never own another braked rifle of any kind, period.  I don't care how quiet it is touted to be.  I will stick to my 24" factory .270 Winchester barrel for now, no brake needed.  I have to believe repeated shooting with a brake equipped rifle is doing damage, it may be a little at a time, but eventually it will take its toll.

[Lefty Behind]

Where are you in WV?  I'm in Mineralwells, just south of Parkersburg.
Just for the record, I don't really care for brakes.  The only gun I presently have with one is a 14" 45/70 Contender.  I'm glad you like them, but they're not for me as a rule.
My ears ring constantly.  29 years on the PD and shooting a lot did it I believe.  I wear hearing protection at the range, but not while hunting (except for groundhog and crow hunting).
  Lefty

[pete50]

Lefty,
I'm north of wheeling. I work for a PD up here also. 11 years so far. Not as much shooting practice as I'd like. I've been to several classes in Parkersburg for Drug Interdiction and the like. Always stay at Blenner Hassett Hotel. Next time I'm coming down, I'll bring my encore and we can go shoot.
I see a lot of people replying to my comments about the brake on my gun. I dont notice it, but several guys at the range have told me it is very loud. Likewise with my 7mm Boss Rifle. I guess I dont shoot enough without protection to notice it. All rifles seem loud to me. When I shoot my other rifles in the woods w/o brakes, they make my ears do the same thing as my braked encore. I must also say that I would never-NEVER-be at the range without my hearing protection. I stop if guys are shooting - and put the muffs on while still in the car, lol. I try to guard it carefully.
Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they were comfortable and had experience with it now that I see a lot of people with injuries from them. I would NOT own a rifle which I could not hunt with safely. Killing my ears does not qualify as safe in my book. I dont wear muffs while hunting, and I've never seen anyone else, either. I dont understand owning a hunting rifle that I couldn;t hunt with :?  OH well.

[Lefty Behind]

I just retired in August.  Let me know the next time you're coming down and I'll buy lunch.  
If you ask for "Todd" they'll direct you to me.  When you meet Collins (the training officer), tell him you heard his nickname is "shoat".  He'll know where you got that one!  Hehe
      Lefty