Muzzle Brake...

[MJO]

Would you consider putting a muzle brake on a 25-06 or a7mm-08?  Why?

MIKE

[GRIMJIM]

Possibly on a handgun length barrel. Not on a rifle though. Those cartridges don't have enough recoil to warrant one for me. I might see it on a semi auto for a quicker follow up shot but not on a single shot rifle.

[Graybeard]

No never neither on handgun or rifle length. If you need recoil reduction in either you really should just find a lighter recoiling gun. I hate and despise brakes on barrels and figure if you can't deal with the recoil then just get a lighter recoiling gun.

[MJO]

I ahve never shot either of these barrels so I was looking for opinions.  No go on the brake,  thanks, MIKE

[Grumulkin]

Yea, actually I would consider a brake on a 7mm/08 handgun and not because I can't handle recoil.  My 7mm/08 handgun barrel started out as a tapered 15 incher with iron sights.  I didn't want the iron sights and didn't want holes in the barrel plugged up with screws.  It was about as cheap to have the end of the barrel cut off and a brake installed as it would have been just to cut off the end of the barrel and recrown it.  The end result; it looks nice, shoots well and has quite low recoil.

Now, for all those who complain about the noise.  You should wear hearing protection while shooting at the range and while hunting whether you gun of choice is braked or not.  If you're wearing hearing protection, it won't matter whether or not the gun is braked.

[Lone Star]

If you're wearing hearing protection, it won't matter whether or not the gun is braked.

Wow, I can hardly believe that statement.  Actually, no kind of ear protection will protect you from the back-blast from a brake on a high-powered rifle fired off a bench, especially if the brake does not overhang the end of the bench.  I have often felt the pressure wave in my sinus - it is not a pleasant sensation.  This does not even begin to address your poor fellow shooters sitting on adjacent benches - who receive the full force of the sideblast so you can enjoy a slight reduction in recoil. 

All that said, I am not as emotional about brakes as some others in this thread, and IMO brakes can perform valuable functions on some rifles.  To me the biggest advantage is to reduce muzzle rise on varmint rifles so that you can see where you have hit (or missed).  This helps immeasureably in the field, and it is far easier to correct for a miss when you can see the bullet strike, rather than rely on your spotter's often less-than-helpful comments.  Covering the ground with a towel, etc. will eliminate much of the back-blast as well as reduce the size of the dust cloud....


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[Grumulkin]

Wow, I can hardly believe that statement.

Well, go ahead and believe it.  I shoot a braked 460 S&W Encore handgun and E.A.R., Inc. electronic hearing protectors reduce the noise to a very comfortable level and are comfortable to wear all day.  I would wager that the blast and noise from this handgun is more than about any braked rifle short of a 50 BMG.  Of course, those around you should use some type of hearing protection as well.  Also, it's erroneous to think that even a rifle without a brake won't damage your ears because it will.

[Lone Star]

Grum, I can't believe your statement because I know from my own experience it isn't true - yet you are insisting on telling others how we will feel.   Also, this is a rifle  forum and the OP was talking about rifle cartridges with higher muzzle pressures than most handguns.   Perhaps if you fired high powered braked rifles off a bench you'd understand the issue better. 

There is a reason  that so many posters in this thread and others - at least some  of whom you must respect - hate brakes.  Perhaps it is not a stretch to think that they wore hearing protection when they shot their braked rifles and still dislike the effects.  Try not to insist that just because you have no problem with brakes, that no one else will either.   

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[Grumulkin]

Oh, I won't insist on how others will feel.  Some can handle recoil and some can't.  Some can handle muzzle blast and some can't.  Some can handle brakes and some can't.  Some are wooses and some...no I won't say that.

In addition, I'm aware that this is a rifle forearm.  You should be aware that a 460 S&W Magnum loaded to SAMI maximum pressures has every bit as much "muzzle pressure" as a rifle and the blast and noise is greater than in the majority of hunting rifles commonly used.  Also, I frequently shoot various rifles and handguns, braked and unbraked from the bench including a 458 Lott and a 500 S&W Magnum handgun so I know something about blast, noise and recoil.

What cracks me up is the way people talk about brakes for hunting and imply that a rifle or handgun without a brake is not much problem from a damage to hearing point of view.  The point I would like to make is that braked or unbraked, if you shoot any firearm without hearing protection damage to hearing will occur.  The noisier the gun and the more one is exposed to the noise the faster the damage will occur and the more severe it will be.  If you're willing to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on firearms, set aside some funds to acquire hearing protection that you can wear while hunting.  Also consider wearing ear plugs plus ear muffs while at the range.

[alsaqr]

 

I hate and despise brakes on barrels and figure if you can't deal with the recoil then just get a lighter recoiling gun.

Never liked guns with muzzle brakes and never will.  There is a guy who comes to the range with his braked 7mm STW.  That range has a shed over the shooting benches and the concussion is enough to make one cry.   Now I just got to Burger King and have a Coke till he leaves.  The man can't shoot worth a damn and complains about the recoil.   Never saw him make a group smaller than 3."   

[Redhawk1]

Would you consider putting a muzle brake on a 25-06 or a7mm-08?  Why?

MIKE

No, not needed....