7.5 lb .300 Win Mag Recoil - Brakes

[treillw]

Thinking about getting a 7.5 pound with scope .300 win mag and shooting 215 grain bullets out of it. How badly will it recoil with a muzzle brake? This T1 terminator break is pretty impressive. Does anybody have any real world experience to backup the claims that a break can reduce the recoil from a .300 RUM down to a .243? Is the noise bearable with plugs and muffs, or do you still go deaf?

The barrel that I want to put the brake on is .600" in diameter. Any other suggestions on brakes?

T1 Terminator Muzzle Brake on a 300 Remington Ultra Magnum compared to the recoil of a 7 08 & 243 - YouTube

Thanks!

 

[ReddingArcher]

I dont have any experience with brakes but kick around the idea of putting one on my 300 wm Tikka Superlite. In all honesty though I dont find the recoil that bad. Im shooting 200 grain eldx bullets out of it and was thinking it was going to be pretty punishing. I may still put the brake on just to be able to stay on target a little easier but having to have ear plugs in all the time is kind of a bummer for me. I'd try shooting without the brake and see how you do, you may find you dont need the brake.

 

[treillw]

I dont have any experience with brakes but kick around the idea of putting one on my 300 wm Tikka Superlite. In all honesty though I dont find the recoil that bad. Im shooting 200 grain eldx bullets out of it and was thinking it was going to be pretty punishing. I may still put the brake on just to be able to stay on target a little easier but having to have ear plugs in all the time is kind of a bummer for me. I'd try shooting without the brake and see how you do, you may find you dont need the brake.

Thanks for the heads up. How much does your total rifle package weigh?

 

[wyosteve]

I shoot a custom .338 Win. Mag. that weight 6 1/4 lbs. scoped with 4 rds. It has a brake. Shot my elk with it last year with no plugs/muffs and my ears didn't feel any worse for wear. If I have the chance, I'll stick plugs in my ears, but it is tolerable and actually better than a .338 I had years ago that was just Mag na Ported. Recoil is about like a 12 ga. with 3 in. heavy loads imo.

 

[treillw]

I was messing around with a recoil calculator I found online and some guns that I've shot, comparing their recoil. I thought that somebody might find this useful. I assumed a muzzle brake efficiency of reducing the recoil by 50%. I think that is a fairly realistic number, based on what I have heard. I redneck engineered the recoil reduction that Terminator is getting from their T1 brake shown in their video. It seems a little optimistic to me, but my methods are certainly not an exact science. Comments on my numbers are welcomed!

 

[ReddingArcher]

Thanks for the heads up. How much does your total rifle package weigh?

I'll put it on the scale tomorrow but if I recall its 7 pounds 13 ounces.

 

[jwb300]

I shoot a 300WM of the same weight without a break and it is fine. I found that after around 10+ rounds off the bench with a breaked 300WSM I will have ringing for a few days. Always use good plugs and muffs.

 

[treillw]

I shoot a 300WM of the same weight without a break and it is fine. I found that after around 10+ rounds off the bench with a breaked 300WSM I will have ringing for a few days. Always use good plugs and muffs.

Do your ears ring even if you use plugs and muffs?

 

[treillw]

I'm not really worried about the recoil for me - I think it will be manageable. I would like the gun to serve dual purpose for me and my wife though. She isn't going to like anything too bad.

 

[Formidilosus]

I shoot a custom .338 Win. Mag. that weight 6 1/4 lbs. scoped with 4 rds. It has a brake. Shot my elk with it last year with no plugs/muffs and my ears didn't feel any worse for wear. If I have the chance, I'll stick plugs in my ears, but it is tolerable and actually better than a .338 I had years ago that was just Mag na Ported. Recoil is about like a 12 ga. with 3 in. heavy loads imo.

Firing any gun a single time without ear pro causes permanent, irreparable hearing loss.

 

[GKPrice]

Firing any gun a single time without ear pro causes permanent, irreparable hearing loss.

PROVEN many times over .......

 

[Mule3006Elk]

I have a 300 WM. I think the recoil is manageable. Feels like a heavy push vs. a quick jerk.

Personally, speaking to my spouse and my situation, I would not put her behind a 300 WM.
I don't want to hear about it for years to come, likely will make her recoil shy with a flinch, not to mention loss of enjoyment at the range (her and ME).

I know there are women who can handle the 300 WM just fine but mine isn't one of them.

30-06, 308, 270, would be more along her lines.

For me a break is not an option. I won't always be able to put in ear plugs at a moments notice. My hearing as well as my hunting partners, long-term, is important to me.

Formidliosus is 100% correct: one exposure, especially at close range, can permanently damage ones hearing. When applicable in the field I take the time to put in ear plugs prior to shooting. Unfortunately, situations don't always allow for it.

 

[mcseal2]

I shoot a Rifles Inc 300 win mag with their brake. Pushing a 180gr Accubond at 2956fps. My set up has a 7lb 4oz total weight of rifle, rings, and scope. Felt recoil is very manageable, it feels like less than my similar weight 270 win without a brake shooting 130gr Accubond loads at the same speed.

 

[Formidilosus]

I'm not really worried about the recoil for me - I think it will be manageable. I would like the gun to serve dual purpose for me and my wife though. She isn't going to like anything too bad.

As an aside, putting your wife behind a 300WM is not the way to get her having fun- braked or not.

 

[treillw]

As an aside, putting your wife behind a 300WM is not the way to get her having fun- braked or not.

I hear you. That's what the angel on my left shoulder is telling me. The devil on my right is saying that 13.8 ft*lbs of recoil from a 168 grain bullet won't be so bad and I can use the rifle for double duty and shoot 215s out of it. Pesky devil.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

125gr and amount 55gr h4895 braked is 223 level or their abouts

 

[Formidilosus]

I hear you. That's what the angel on my left shoulder is telling me. The devil on my right is saying that 13.8 ft*lbs of recoil from a 168 grain bullet won't be so bad and I can use the rifle for double duty and shoot 215s out of it. Pesky devil.

Been there many many times man- trying to compromise for both never works out. Most dudes (even if they won't admit it) and women especially really don't like muzzle blast and overpressure caused by brakes.


What is it going to be used for with you and for your wife?

 

[ATX762]

I have an unbaked 7.25 lb 300 mag. It kicks *identically* to my 9.5 lb 375 H&H.

I am in the process of getting it threaded for a suppressor; can report back then. I know what it will be like with a brake, though--absolutely unpleasant to shoot, except on a flat range. But other than the concussion and ringing ears, for sure you will get better hits with a brake, and you'll be able to spot your hits way better at closer ranges.

Everyone has different levels of sensitivity in their ears. Mine are prob slightly more sensitive than normal but I have shot guns, run chainsaws and power tools, and driven loud vehicles my whole life. Probably like most people on this forum. I've got real hearing loss at high frequencies--can no longer hear crickets out of my left ear. A lot of that is due to shooting rifles and shotguns bc the left ear is what gets pummeled. For sure I have watched it get way worse over the past five years. Shooting with brakes, shooting with plugs or muffs when I should have used both, etc.

So...I am both looking to keep what's left of my hearing but also my ears just ring way easier than they used to. So take the following with a grain of salt:

I have tried like 6-7 different brands of brakes and even the supposedly quiet ones are loud as shit. At an outdoor range, nearly all people need plugs and muffs to shoot braked rifles.

My braked 300 mag precision rifle is horrible. Like setting off an M80 in your face. No one wants to be anywhere near me when it goes off. And my ears get buzzy even with plugs AND muffs, outside. That same 300 mag with a suppressor--just a big fat pussy cat. I'd let my a new shooter, wife or a kid, shoot it all day. It pushes with some insistence, but it's a slow push and there is no concussion and instead of needing plugs and muffs and still feeling uncomfortable, both shooter and spotter can run plugs alone.

I am in your shoes with a nice very accurate very light 300 mag and I am getting a suppressor that mounts on a brake. That will bring my total rifle weight to just under 8 lbs. At the times when 12 ounces of weight is worth getting rid of, at the cost of a very loud rifle, I'll take the can off.

 

[treillw]

What is it going to be used for with you and for your wife?

Hunting anything in MT. Elk mostly. So I have good intentions with the .300 haha. I just want things to be put down quickly and I know there are other calibers out there that will do the job with a well placed shot (or marginal shot). I killed one this past year with the .243, but the 1 1/2" hole that it bored through the elks ~12" lungs doesn't give me such a warm fuzzy feeling. Especially with a poor shot.

 

[treillw]

How many people experience ringing in their ears when shooting a braked rifle with plugs and muffs?

You guys are really trying to get me to buy a suppressor. What are the chances of the hearing protection act passing? Anybody following it?