This is the question. Ruger 77 MkII, 30-06. I'm considering the brake add-on, not losing barrel and rifling to porting. Anyone have experiences to share for the good or bad?

Ruger#1

It has been my experience that anything that reduces recoil will improve accuracy. Some people dont like brakes because of the noise factor. If it improves your ability to shoot that rifle...I would say its worth the dollars.

swede

I'd suggest you consider some other way. A better recoil pad, or a new stock.
That "increase in noise" is actually a very nasty shreik that will damage hearing in short order.
Another way to go would be to handload with a faster powder. The less powder it burns, the less the recoil.
I've owned and played with a couple of rifles with brakes. One was an '06, and the other a .280 Mtn. Rifle. My current .280 doesn't need one. E

Why brake a 30-06?

Try and shoot a few rifles with brakes before you put one on you own. I hate brakes, and cannot see any reason why you couldn�t learn to shoot your rifle just as well without it. Brakes are also very annoying for the guy shooting next to you at the range, not to mention deafening to you if you hunt without hearing protection.

Tron

Kevin, to make it shoot like a .243, like braking a 300 weatherby to make it shoot like a 30-06. A bud of mine is talking about braking his 243.

Eremicus, what brake did your rifle have if I may ask? The Magna-Brake people say that the vents in theirs are angled away from the shooter to minimize the noise increase.

Thanks,
Ruger#1

Ruger,
Let me join the others and encourage you NOT to put a brake on your .30-06. The increase in muzzle blast is incredible and the long term results are far more damaging than the effect of any recoil.

Ruger# 1
I have HAD the following rifles with Muzzle breaks, all KDF, 257 Wby 2 300 WBY, 416 Wby, a 308 Mod 7 rem, and a 300Wby Blaser bbl. After my wife and I had a "close encounter of the third kind" with a black bear all my muzzle break rifles were traded, except the mod 7 308 [It was acquired form a friend who is dead now].
They are just too loud when hunting with others IMHO. For range use or field use where everyone has time to double up on ear plugs, and muffs they are ok.
I will say this; my first 300WBY was a thin bbl'd Fibermark, I put a KDF on it so my wife could hunt with it. It was light weight, and easy to carry. The KDF lowered the recoil to the level of a 243. It made the 300 kick WAY less than a 308WCF. They do work, but they are too loud for me.

Ruger I think I would go over to the www.bp-tec.com site and talk with these guys, they claim that they can tune the brake to either a negative
or neutral recoil,with out alot of noise increase

Thanks all, I think I'm gonna go with the consensus here and forget about the brake. I might go get a good recoil pad installed like was suggested... will be cheaper for sure.

Ruger#1

My $0.02, is while you're about the task of replacing the recoil pad, you bore a hole in the stock and fill it with a recoil recucer. Mercury or otherwise is good, or just add lead shot. The idea is two fold, to add a little weight to your gun and also to improve the overall balance. Most every rifle is on the muzzle heavy side anyway. Balance will improve both handling and recoil too.