I have someone to thank on this forum for recommending the VAIS muzzle brake for effective recoil reduction without the muzzle blast associated with brakes in general. I have a new one on my 375 RUM and in all honesty, it left me sort of dumbfounded. It has less muzzle report than NO brake and puts this 8.5 lb rifle solidly in the 338 Win Mag category with respect to recoil when using 300 gr handloads at 2900 fps. I also have several "reduced" loads with the 225 gr Hornady at 3100 fps that are a dead ringer for a 270 with 130 gr bullets. The rifle is a Rem 700 mounted in a Sendero stock with an Answer Products recoil pad.

The VAIS technology is based on creating turbulence in the brake instead of simply venting the gas at high velocity to the sides. As a consequence, the gas imparts much more energy to the brake and exits both laterally and down range at a velocity considerable lower than conventional brakes. Of course, the gas is still supersonic, but the energy in a supersonic shock wave is a function of the cube of velocity, so there is a big reduction in noise.

Heck, its worth $97 to order one and see how it works...very, very cool!

Sabot....glad you like it.

I've had a Vais on most of my rifles for the past 6 or 7 years but unfortunately very few will believe how well they work....it's not what they know, it's what they think they know...and don't.

This post interests me. I will admit that I have always had a prejudice against muzzle brakes. In general they are ugly and they do not reduce recoil to the point that they're worth the extra noise. If this brake is as great as you guys say, man it could really be a factor in big bore shooting and accuracy. The only problem left would be appearance, since the price seems reasonable enough.

Hi do you have the contact info for VAIS muzzle brake
Thanks

They are available through Brownell's.
George sold the rights to Ron Bartlett in Texas several years ago. Ron Advertises in that Wolfe publishing magazine that I don't read anymore.

lawndart

The price mentioned above is for the brake only and I would suggest you have Ron install it. As I recall the brake + installation with a muzzle cap is just a bit over $200 but well worth it.


Ron is a nice guy and does a great job with a very quick turn-around. You won't be disappointed.

The web-site is http://www.muzzlebrakes.com/

My complete cost with installation done locally was also $200. Mine mikes .810 on a .640 barrel, so you can definitely see it, but there are only 4 circumscribing rows of holes so it does not look too bad.

Also, please be aware that as you get into big bores with very heavy bullets the effectiveness will diminish as there is no way for a brake to cut the recoil from the slug accelerating down the bore. The MINIMUM hit you will get from your rifle will be (velocity times bullet weight in grains, all divided by 7000) squared, and then divide all this by 64 times your rifle weight in pounds. So a 500 grainer pushed to 2600 fps will still hit you with 54 FPE in a 10 lb rifle.

There is some additional recoil from the gas accelerating in the barrel to the bullet velocity, but the effect is very hard to predict...a light bullet with a large charge weight may not add any recoil at all because the brake can negate this. The effect of the gas being released at something like 4700 fps is completely eliminated...that's what gives you the big snap when shooting most magnums.

I chose the Answer recoil pad because it is designed to be used with a brake and works progressively on the 5/8ths of an inch that the rifle moves back during bullet acceleration. Basically, this design assumes that the rifle will come back about .65 inches and stop. It does. With a firm pad you will take the hit before it stops.

Finally, large amounts of slow powder work better than smaller amounts of fast powder because gas volume and a flatter acceleration curve are both assets in the recoil taming department. In my rifle a 225 grain hornady can be driven to 3350 fps by eith 99 grs of 4350 or 115 grs of MagPro. The MagPro has noticably less recoil and I have actually fired that load with one hand, just to show off.

Any effect on accuracy??

When you say they work best on lighter/faster bullets as opposed to heavier/slower, where are the boundaries?? With your description, I'd assume they work on a .300. And from your original post, there also seems to be an effect on .375s.

Do you take them off when you go hunting (you said they came with a cap)?? If so, do you need to re-sight the rifles after the brake has been removed??

From your description, it sounds like the brake has a bigger diameter than the barrel, correct??

- mike

Anything that helps a client shoot straight is worth the money IMO....

I have a Vais brake on my 416 Rem Mag and there is a noticeable difference. So far I've only fired the gun 20 times (checking the fit and sights before metalcoating and stock painting) but the point of impact changed vertically 3" high with the brake. It may have been me but this was off both a regular adjustable front rest (Hoppe's) and rear sandbag and my new Lead Sled with 50lbs of shot on it. One would think this is the opposite of what should happen. The gun shoots fine groups both with and without the brake. Does anyone else notice a change in impaact with a Vais brake?

Lewis and mho -

Mine went 2 inches high and 1/2 right with the brake, and the accuracy of 1.2 MOA stayed the same. I think when you add anything to the end of the bbl the harminics change and so does the POI.

I leave my brake on as it does not increase muzzle blast. In cold climates one must be certain that no ice forms in it! Other than that, it is a net benefit all the way around.

The diameter is larger than my barrel, but the brake needs to be .810 to be as effective as it is. I have been racking my brain to find a way to describe the innards, but my guess is that you need to look into one to see how it works. Anyway, it has a narrow expansion chamber with 4 sets of main ports at 90 degrees to it...8 rows of 4 main ports, if you will. Then there is another smaller hole cut parallel to the bore and chamber axis through each of the thin baffels that divide the 32 main ports. These smaller holes come out through the face of the brake, so you have a big hole for the expansion chamber in the center surrounded by 8 small holes. Counting this face as 1 baffle you have 4 baffles with 8 small holes interfacing with the gas flow and 32 large ports at right angles to these. That's a total of 64 holes.

The net effect must be exceptional turbulence in the brake before the gas finds a way out. The velocity of the gas as it finally exits must be quite low compared to conventional brakes. This not only means that more energy is soaked up by the brake, but it cuts the noise as well.

Other than the change in POI, it does not apper to affect accuracy.

I think that it should work as well or better on a 300 mag, because they use a lot of powder compared to bullet weight. My 300 gr loads use around 100 grs of powder and the 225s use up to 115 grs, so my ratios run from 3 to 1 down to 2 to 1. The 2 to 1 loads fell like a 270 and the 3 to 1s are like a 338 Win Mag.

Having the right recoil pad is very important, as the rifle WILL come back hard for about 0.65 inches before the brake stops it. The softer the better, since you are only dealing with a bit of compression. Answer Products has the ideal pad for this application.

With this set up I think you could get a 300 Win Mag down to a perceived 243 if it is near 8.5 pounds and has a decent stock.

Sabot......the way I explain to people is to compare the gas coming out of a typical muzzle brake with all the little holes to a "high-pressure" firehose which can be a potent force. The thing the Vais brake does, by having the parallel chambers being intersected by 90 degree holes can be compared to having the water stream from two high-pressure hoses hitting each other at 90 degrees...effectively difusing the two powerful streams to one that has most of the force gone because of the collision.

quote:

Originally posted by lawndart:
... that Wolfe publishing magazine that I don't read anymore.

Hee! Hee! Hee!

Thanks Guys. I have always abhored the idea of muzzle brakes, primarily because of the noise issue. This does sound intriguing.
- mike