I'd bring the Heym to the big bore shoot just to let the no muzzel break guys have a TREAT! However, when it breaks somebody's colar bone and then goes air-borne to wack the shooter standing behind on the head with its cannon sized Krupp Steel barrel,I'd probably get sued! Heym does use high grade Tar ( hand rubbed of course) as a high tech but affordable finish to help you hold on!
BTW- where did the idea come from that you can master a big bore with a brake on at 50ft-lbs of recoil, then shoot full power no brake while hunting at 100ft-lbs? Now thats a real good idea! Except, the gun will behave completely differently and how are you gonna ever learn to control the recoil and reload fast enough if all your practice is at low levels. Practice and hunt at the same power level or youll never master the gun. Either brake on or off doesnt matter. Remember the motto of the Roman Legionairs. Train as you fight and fight as you train!
I'm also pretty much in the same camp as dave, and very comfortable with recoil in the 100-125ft-lb class, however, most of my shooting is well above that level and I exclusively use a Muzzel brake in that range ususally integral so they never come off. I've fired guns in the 200-250ft-lb range without a brake and you had been know what your doing there or your gonna get hurt.-Rob

quote:

BTW- where did the idea come from that you can master a big bore with a brake on at 50ft-lbs of recoil, then shoot full power no brake while hunting at 100ft-lbs? Now thats a real good idea! Except, the gun will behave completely differently and how are you gonna ever learn to control the recoil and reload fast enough if all your practice is at low levels. Practice and hunt at the same power level or youll never master the gun.

Absolutely .....

Rob, it seems as though your Heym proves that a poorly designed and built heavy caliber rifle will kick the snot out of you. No thanks!

IMHO, a brake on a big bore really comes into its own when working up loads from the bench. That process can burn up a lot of ammo, and a brake makes it much more enjoyable.

Also, I don't have your experience with monster big bores. I use my heavy rifles only for hunting. They must strike a balance between power and manageability. I need to be able to carry them without too much discomfort for several miles per day, and I need to be able to get off fairly quick follow up shots.

I have decided that the .500 A-Square, which I have been using most recently to launch 570 grain bullets at 2,500+ fps, is the ideal rifle for that purpose.

For that rifle, I don't need and won't use a brake in the field. For a 250 ft.-lb. rifle, I wouldn't use it in the field in the first place!

Mrlexma- The Heym is truly poorly designed, executed and does kick the crap outa you. If it had a brake it might be at least controllable. It is a shining example of the worst gun in my collection. I keep it for the sole purpose of serving as a reminder of everything thats wrong and a brutal correctional tool for the "shootaways" of the world.
I like the .500a2 and have hunted extensively with one however, mine has a integral brake and I practice with exactly the same loads as I use for hunting. Besides which I've never found a gun that shot to the same POI with a break and without it( some not even close). So real load development needs to be done with a brake on or off, not interchangeable. Personally, like you, I want as light a gun as i can get and still deal with its recoil. Brakes let me get away with gun weights I'd never attempt otherwise. I'd rather carry a 9lb 50oa2 and deal with the recoil for 1-2 shots than carry a 13lb gun 10 miles anyday. The PH's I've hunted with all seem to prefer putting their fingers in their ear to those lovely tall grass follow-ups on wounded Mbogos. To be clear, its a individual decision to use a brake or not, I'm just providing my viewpoint and experience. To each his own. just realize Some guys will never be able to handle a Gibbs or .500a2 class rifle without a brake or loading down. finally,a good pad helps but not even remotely as much as a good brake. Hope this helps. -Rob

quote:

The PH's I've hunted with all seem to prefer putting their fingers in their ear to those lovely tall grass follow-ups on wounded Mbogos. To be clear, its a individual decision to use a brake or not, I'm just providing my viewpoint and experience.

Rob,

To make use of from your experience…

I’m taking my 600 OK to Zim in August…

I’ve questioned myself on whether or not to use the X-brake while hunting and am leaning towards using it….

All things considered my 20” barreled 600 OK is pretty loud without the brake…

Is my using the X-Brake going to make my PH have to shove his fingers in his ears even farther???

Rob, I'm lucky (or something mechanical went right with the installation) because none of my braked rifles changes point of impact with or without the brake.

And I do hear you when it comes to rifle weight. To keep the recoil down, my .500 is closer to 12 lbs. than 10, and at the end of a long day, it's heavier than Rosie O'Donnell. But that's the price I pay.

My PH in Tanzania last year told me that around 70% of his hunters are using brakes on their big bores these days. Now, given that most hunters don't use anything heavier than a .458, I found that surprising.

He also told me that he hates the damned things! Too much noise and potential hearing loss were the chief complaints. If care can be taken to insert plugs or fingers, then that can be lessened, of course. But the problem is that sometimes that's not possible.

trophyhunter5000, FWIW, I have a removable X-brake that I use on my .500 A2, and it seems quieter to me than other brakes.

I think that the lack of porting on the sides of the brake helps. The blast is directed up and down, and none is directed sideways. Purely unscientific, but to me it's less bothersome than some of my other brakes with holes drilled every which way and all around.

If I were going to use a brake in the field, I would feel less guilty about using the X-brake.

Trophyhunter500- My guess is he'll just stand behind you, put his fingers in his ear and start smiling! He will begin thinking about those Sundowners he will be slurping and not worrying about any pissed Mbogo Follow-ups. I've only heard good comments on the X-brake and I have no issue using one. Its definately true the loudest brakes direct the gasses back towards the shooter on a level plane with your ears. The worst guns with a brake will always have the highest muzzel gas pressures too. Luckily the .600Ok with most powders has pretty low muzzel pressures so its less painful than a .378 Wby for example. Avoiding this design should provide most of the benefits without the blast. Isnt engineering wonderfull? Maybe I'll design and sell the "Quiet Brake" with little blast deflectors for those whose hearing isnt yet too far gone. What!-Rob

Thanks for the replies Rob & MR...

The X-brake really makes the rifle more comfortable and controllable…

Matt V.

Another way to moderate recoil in the 505 is to use a faster burning powder and a filler. nick Caicos has loads for RL 15 on this forum in the reloading section.
personally, i have never felt a lot of difference with a PAST recoil pad when shooting rifles with 505 type recoil levels, though i agree they do sem to work with the Lott and similar.

That's one of the reasons (the other primary reason being bolt face diameter) that I changed my mind at the last minute and am having my CZ 375 H&H converted to 500 Jeffery rather than 505 Gibbs. I can shoot loads between 100 and 105g of powder without fillers. Of course, loaded up to it's full potential, the Gibbs is capable of more performance (but ouch!) I don't want to do that. Fillers might be a good answer for the 505 Gibbs, as long as they don't cause any issues. Recoil numbers from recoil calculator at

http://www.handloads.com/calc/recoil.asp

Based on CZ 550 rifle weights without cartridges, scope, sling, etc.

Chucks (light load)
404 Jeffery 416 Rigby 458 Lott 500 Jeffery 505 Gibbs

Rifle Weight 9.75 lbs 9.75 lbs 9.75 lbs 11.25 lbs 10.75 lbs

Bullet Weight 400 400 500 535 525

Velocity 2100 2400 2300 2000 2300

Powder 90g 100g 90g 100g 135g

Recoil Imp 5.32 6.03 6.70 6.52 7.66

Recoil Vel 17.58 19.93 22.12 18.67 23.50

Recoil Energy 46.6 60.12 74.11 60.87 90.07


Regards,

Chuck

Guys, who makes the X-brake? I can't find it on a web search.

Dan I believe it's AHR that has that design and install

Wow, AHR is all of 15 miles from me. Tidiest workbench I've seen. His rifles aren't bad either. thanks