Put a decent pad on the rifle and get to the range and shoot it!

quote:

Originally posted by Thebear_78:
As stated in my first post about it, I admit I wouldn't want to stand to the side and slightly in front of the rifle while its being shot, but luckily the only thing in front of me when I shoot is whatever I'm shooting at. When at the range I try to be considerate and sit well away from others. Even unbraked rifles are lout from the sides.

Any time I'm at the range I try to sit as far away from others as possible no matter what kind or gun I'm shooting. The most I"ve ever been bothered by muzle blast was with a guy shooting a 30/06 with 22" barrel. It didn't have a brake or anything but still startled me every time I was about to shoot. As to it being painfull, you should always wear hearing protection while on the firing line anyway and it doesn't make it loud enough to hurt thru decent hearing protection.

quote:

Originally posted by cobrad:
Unless a brake is integral to the barrel, I believe they are all threaded on the outside. It is the weight of the brake on the end of the barrel, and the effect that has on barrel harmonics that affect POI.

My brakes aren't big they are inline with the barrel and only about 2 1/4"s long And they don't interfear with my shooting on or off.
I know what you mean some of those brakes are really big tho. I can see where the barrel harmonics could be involed with those.

You know guys I am big time 340 nut, I'm on my 4th tube and this is what I've found.

First off if you build them right, with enough weight in the tube (>67 to .7" at the muzzle). They will for one thing be very easy to work with.

If you go the route of a retube job and without the freebore they will be very accurate.

I've found the 340 to be one of the most accurate rounds out there when it is asembled properly.

And I've found that you need to be behind the butt a fair amount. I like to put around 500 rounds or more a year thru mine.

This is really easy.

Build it right in the first place and then go and shoot it!

Forget all the gadgets and all that gack and just do it.

Mark D

Hi, Woodjack -

I've tried everal different types of brakes, recoil pads, mercury recoil reducers, etc.

For me, the most effective recoil reducers have been 1) the shooter, and 2) the stock.

My first suggestion is to get a stock which has the largest area at the butt end that your eyes and hands will stomach. The more area you spread that recoil impulse over, the easier the rifle will be to shoot. You can always put a good decelerator pad on too. I'd also try to make sure the stock has a comb which slopes away from your face as the rifle recoils, but, if I had to choose between more area and slope, I'd take area every time.

Now to the shooter... I have seemed to find that a comfortable & natural firing position lend a lot to reducing felt recoil. So does confidence that the rifle is NOT going to actually hurt me. You can get the first by making sure you try different field positions and find the ones in which you are most relaxed while maintaining control over the rifle. You can build confidence in the rifle not really being a living devil incarnate out to punch your lights out, by shooting it a lot (OFTEN) with gradually increasing loads.

I'd probably start by developing a bunch of .338-'06 clones, and using them exclusively for weeks. Then I might go up a tad, using light bullets for the caliber...200 or 210 gr. bullets. Lastly, I'd try whatever smoking stuff I wanted to stop Mastadons with.

Then, I'd probably keep using all three loads, on diferent days, at the range. Just take the load that suits your mood when you go to the range. If you go to shoot something else, take the .340 along too. Shoot it as little as 5 rounds per session. It will be how often you shoot it, not how many rounds per day, that will teach your subconscious not to fear the gun.

I'd be surprised if after a year of shooting the rifle from comfortable positions, with a good stock, you still find the recoil disturbing in any meaningful way.

Good luck, that's a great cartridge for reaching out.

I dont like recoil (must just be a sissy) so I have gone to a Sims Vibration Labs recoil pad,magna-porting, somewhat reduced loads and lots of practice with my Sako 75 in 338 Win Mag. If you want to thin out the group of friends you hunt with go the muzzle brake route.

bwest-

you must not have very good friends.

All three of my hunting buddies have muzzle brakes on thier big rifles. Even had them all done by the same guy. I still scratch my head when I hear people talk like this. Honestly thier not that much louder that somebody wouldn't hunt with you any more because you got a muzzle brake. Thats just rediculous! Well I guess you are a canadian, they do some weird stuff when it comes to guns. How can you expect someone to know about them when they can't even own them. Oh wait, I forget you will probably be able to own your rifles for at least another 5 years or so at the rate your gun laws are going.

Interesting how this thread has turned into an exchange of opinions on brakes. The one thing no one can argue is that they work. That is why I use them.

What I can't understand is why people get so wound up about them. Outlandish claims that if you have one your wife will leave you and all your friends will stop hunting with you, hell all your hair might even fall out. Seems to me they make a big deal about nothing. If you don't like them fine, not everybody does, some people like ford, some chevy. I garantee that the world won't end if you have a muzzle break. They won't disturb people for 100 yards in any direction and they won't deaffen half the county every time you pull the trigger. What they will do is cut down on felt recoil, and possibly up the noise and muzzle blast to those standing in the imediate few feet on either side. I still condend that any, and I mean ANY, large bore revolver will be much louder and have much more muzzle blast than any rifle with a muzzle break.

78, I'll second your reference to the noise generated by large bore handguns. I have used rifles with brakes for over a decade and always slip in a pair of ear plugs before I fire, if there is time, but when I forgot to put in my ear plugs before firing my .44 mag last summer, the noise level was shocking, and far greater than my .300 with brake. I shoot 320 gr hardcast at max charge out of the .44. Man do they blast!

Mark D

Didn't get back to mid-bore site until today.

I have a .340 Wea Mark V which I think kicks pretty good off the bench. It is unbraked and loud, but in the field it shoots well. My point is: why take the beating off the bench while sighting in, use a removal brake, there are many new designs out there. Then take it off for hunting. My buddy and I use this system with all out hard kickers, 450, 500, and 600 custom rifles-loads.
The thing I notice about the .340 factory ammo is the extreme muzzle blast--apparently unburned powder, actually like my .338 Lapua better in this case.
The bottom line is being able to shoot without developing a flinch or impaired hearing. All the arguments about PH's wanting unbraked rifles. etc,etc, In the field--no one cares, what they want is for the shooter to hit the animal good the first time.

Dak

what recoil? 340 wby is easy. if you concentrate on the target the recoil is unfelt. only a frame of mind for wimps.

.338/06.

Theres no shame in using the shoulder pad. I use the Bob Allen Rifle pad with my 375 RUM at the range, and I can shoot it all day. I do realize that shootig from field positions, standing, kneeling hurts less than from the bench, so I am not worried when I am about to pull the trigger in the woods. It was mentioned earlier that gettin smacked in the eye will make ya flinch, and I am the same way. If my shoulder gets sore, I stop shooting. But, nothing sucks more than sitting down at the range and gettin scope smacked in the face hard after 3 shots. thats a waste of gas, and the range fee. Always use good form...