I would like to know what you think is the best muzzle break out there and why. If you can please give a link to the manufacturer so I can have a look. Thank you in advance.

35-



I would personally go with the Vais Muzzle break. It does a great job of recoil reduction and cuts down on the noise some. Fact of life, muzzlebreaks increase the noise level, period. And, as muzzlebreaks go, the Vias looks good/ok. Some rifle purists will say that all muzzlebreaks are ugly and to a point they are correct.



Lastly, the Vais break is made here in San Antonio and the guy who makes them, Ron Bartlett wins my vote for all-round nice guy.



So, you have a good product and good people who make it; what more could you ask for.



P.S. You asked for a link: www.muzzlebreaks.com



Best regards,

WOW that link took me to PopUp City.

Had to Lock Down to stop it.



Some info. here

http://norcalprecision.com/barrelandbreakoptions.html

whenever I want to break a muzzle I give it a wallop with a four pound cross-peen hammer.

-tincan

Hi, tincan -

Whaddya use when you want to put a BRAKE on a muzzle? <Big G>

AC

well now, that's a WHOLE 'nother set of circumstances, and one best left out of my hands and into a gunsmiths

-tincan

Hi try www.muzzlebrake.com theese are threaded on the barrel and you can remove them and put the cap on . yes they do work very well. i have one on my 338 wm you can shoot this gun off the bench with one hand .yes they are loud . you will only forget your hearing protection 1 time . Bob

i have a threaded muzzle break on my 7mm ultra mag. the smith blended it in so well that its hardly visible to the eye. im from north carolina so i doubt you'd want to send it this far to brake it with my gunsmith. i shot the gun very, very well without it but felt days at the range would be better with less recoil. recoil is an aquired taste that takes practice to tame it thru continous shooting and style. no-one else in my group would shoot the darn thing but me. they hated the recoil. even with that i shot circles around these guys with this rifle. after braking the recoil went to less than a 270. this all cost me a 125.00 to have done. he refinished the stainless barrel and action to perfectly match the brake. if i choose he'll make me a screw on cap to use if i want to take the brake off. i've seen these 300.00 jobs out there and thats just highway robbery for this type of work. good work from a good smith doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. my man has built nearly a thousand rifles in his life either from scratch or customizing existing rifles and ive never heard him quote much over 1500.00. he got with a bunch of boy's with 4500 to 6000 dollar kenny jarrett rifles and shot circles around those guys. when i say scratch , i mean the action, barrel and stock of your choice. he'll do his magic after he order's the goods. he'll true all parts of the action and smooth everything like silk. the barrels are fitted with near perfect alignment. lapping the bolt and luggs as well. he beds the rifle and fits it to the stock. in the end you have a 1500.00 rifle that will shoot less than 1/2" guaranteed or he'll take the rifle back and redo it till it will. this ain't no bad deal.

I think that most brakes out there work and they are all noisy. The thing to look for is one that fits your barrel. I have seen some that look like a polish kielbasa on the end. I make them to fit; same contour and they work just as well. $135 installed Thread protector is extra if you want that.

Jim

jim your right about the look on most and the noise. thats what sold me on the one i have. its put on with the same barrel contour. can't see the seam after refinishing. noise is not as bad as some ive heard but still loud. great analogy on the sausage. made me laugh!!!

35, no offense but I just don't like muzzle brakes. I bought a Past Magnum Recoil Shield that you slip on your shoulder, much like a shoulder holster. It makes those long bench sessions with the magnums a lot more pleasant. If you're shy about it, wear your jacket over it!

You'll never notice the recoil hunting, but the blast of a muzzle brake you sure will!

Take a look at www.bp-tec.com

No Muzzle Rise
No Increase in Noise

Rick

I don't believe any report of a muzzle brake that doesn't increase noise, or just increases it a dB or two. Most readily available sound meters aren't designed for measuring sounds in the intensity range of gunshots (which have previously been reported to measure over 180 dB for unbraked rifle shots at the shooter's ear position.) Their microphones saturate at lower sound pressure levels, being intended for use measuring industrial noise in the range of 80-120 dB, and their circuitry averages the noise level over a longer time than the brief pulse of a gunshot, so they'll read in the 120 dB range, which is about their maximum. Their inaccuracy with regard to gunshot noise can be used to advantage if there's a neighborhood complaint about noise from a shooting range. Carry a sound meter around the range's property boundaries during firing and all you'll see is the ambient noise level.

Hi 35WLN,

There are several different types of muzzle brakes out there and most will suit your needs. I have several brakes simular to Darrel Hollands slimline that work very well. I have a couple other brakes that work almost as well and am thinking of trying the new OPS brake. Here is a link to this site that has information on several different magifactures brakes. When you get to the site, select muzzle brakes and it will take you where you want to go.

http://www.eabco.com/

I hope this answers your questions? Catch you later

The Big Dog

Ricocet
Have you shot a B.P tek ??? If not then I think you should ! I shoot mine on a 416 Hoffman all the time with out any muffs or ear plugs & it does NOT hurt my ears. I have 5 different breaks & it is the only one I can shoot with out ear muffs. B.P. told me if I thought it increased the noise level I could send it back for a refund I still have it & love it

I have 2 different rifles with muzzlebrakes that DO NOT increase the sound level.

They are made by American Safe Arms, and consist of a sleeve surrounding the rifle barrel, which retards the escaping gases vented through holes in the barrel.

The sound level is 4 dB LESS than the same rifle without the brake.

Long story short...it took several years of legal wrangling (and seed money supplied by Browning firearms) to get the BATF to admit that 4 dB noise reduction is NOT a supressor (at first the BATF would cut every barrel the company sent them in half with a torch). Any more than 4 dB reduction is considered a supressor in the eyes of the BATF.

I have a .375 wildcat and a 404 Jeffery that wear these, and I enjoy shooting them.
The outside sleeve makes the 375 look about like a 12 guage barrel, and the 404 Jeffery looks like a 10 guage barrel.

Accuracy is good on both rifles.
The brakes are about $150 per rifle (installed...more if you ask for stainless).

When the brakes first came out, each new caliber had to be sent to the BATF for testing (i.e. the first 416 had to be tested, the first 375, etc)...my Winchester was the first 404.
Now they have covered so many calibers it is unlikely anyone will have to have their rifle tested by the BATF (for example, my 375 wildcat didn't have to be tested since the .375 caliber was already certified).

Garrett

Cropduster, I haven't, and I'll admit to being closed-minded about muzzle brakes. I'm just not interested. And I hadn't thought of sleeved brakes, either, I had the typical open brakes in mind. Some makers have been claiming favorable noise levels with them, and those are the ones that are the result of inaccurate measurement and wishful thinking. What's going on with the sleeved ones is that they're inefficient suppressors that just bring the noise back to the original level. Not a bad idea.

Gee, I've found something BATF and I agree on. I think anyone that doesn't know its spelled B-R-A-K-E shouldn't have one. Also, anyone that has a B-R-A-K-E that supposedly allows them to fire from the bench without muffs or plugs is already deaf.

The following comes off as harsh. Some of this should be made plain to people who like brakes. Please don't take it as mean or nasty, I am trying to make and important point. I am relating my perspective, yours may may differ, I respect that.



Brakes are an intersting gadget. This sport is fueled by gadgets. If everyone bought a bolt action 30-06 and hunted for a lifetime with that one rig, things would get boring. I certainly am also fascinated by new guns, cartriges, and accessories. That said:



BRAKES suck! They increase the hearing damage, which is already a big problem. They damage the hearing of the non shooter. Shooting any firearm with out ear protection is stupid. Shooting a rifle with a brake and not muffs is insane.



A hunting rifle with a brake is not a practical rig. Hunting with muffs is not practical. If you have to put on muffs and warn others, you are not hunting in the real world. Unless you get the shot off quickly and accurately, you loose the game, in my experience. All this screwing around you see on TV is not the real world. At least where I hunt. You don't have time to wait for perfect braodside shots, earmuffs, and camera crews. See it, size it up, and shoot all in a couple of seconds. If some guy shot a rifle equipped with a brake near me on a hunting trip, without warning, I would never hunt with him again, end of story. It is bad enough with a normal muzzle.



Guys with brakes on varmint rigs amaze me. What is the point? It doesn't kick enough to bother you in the first place. With the brake the noise is vicious. Are you going to trade your ears for a ground squirrels??



How about the guy at the bench next to you. He is shooting a something or other eargasplitzen louder boomin with the latest brake. You can's shoot well because of his concussions. I end up quenging and anticipating his next shot. I end up flinching. Mostly I end up leaving. Using a brake at the range is plain inconsiterate and selfish. Besides, if you take the thing off to hunt you will probably change the point of impact. So why mess with the thing?



The hearing damage is a big deal. IF you are not carefull you can end up like me. The vast majority of my hearing range is gone. I only hear the lower frequencies. I have constant ringing. My balance is screwed up. The wife and co-workers are constantly annoyed with my inability to hear and asking for others to repeat, while I read their lips, otherwise, I can't figure out what they said. I also get what they said wrong a lot of the time. It makes an odd impression to stare at someone's mouth, you should look at their eyes. It is embarassing and troublesome. Often people think you are being sarcastic or goofing with them. Picking up a conversation with a background noise is near impossible. Hearing aids are helpfull but will never get you back to normal. I am 41 years old.



I have never and will never own a rifle with a brake. If it really pounds you that hard, it is too much gun. Seems to me recoil is not a problem unless it damages you or makes you flinch. If you want to start a flinch habbit the concussion and flying debris caused by a brake will do it.



All conventional side vented brakes increase noise to unacceptable levels. The plethora of designs and marketing claims addressing that issue fly in the face of the laws of physics. This is all gimmick marketing. You can't get around the noise factor, period , end of story.



The semi silencer idea sounds great. So far I have not seen these in person.



So, have fun with your brakes. Just don't shoot anywhere near me. Maybe I'll see you at the audiologist?

Man, that's an earful. Thing is... I completely agree. I will say that I had a gun with a brake. The operative word there being "had". My Wby Accumark in 30/378 with the factory brake was terrible. It has to be the loudest brake out there. One thing I will say, is that I was very concious of how loud it was and tried to avoid other shooters if possible, or if necessary I let them shoot and then I'd shoot. There was more than one occasion that I let a youngster finish what they were doing and get clear before I let loose with that thing. The gun came with it from the factory so it's not like I chose to have it installed. I ended up sending the gun to Shilen and having them rebarrel it in 338/378 and leave off the brake. It's a much more tolerable gun now. It's still loud, and of course it kicks 3 times as bad, but you learn to live with it. For me, it was more than an even trade. I'll take the recoil over the noise any day. Even if I am shooting off of a bench.