Muzzle break for a pencil thin barrel? Worth it or not?

EastMT

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So I don’t have much experience with muzzle breaks except a few factory OEM. I’m building an Uber light 308, the barrel ends at 18” at .562 +/-.

I’ve read the recoil reduction tests, none of the really good ones that reduce 30-40+-% seem like they would fit this barrel contour.

So on say a Mountain ascent or Adirondack with the factory barrel and break, is it noticeable in the recoil?

If it is of benefit for a 308 at near 4lbs, what thread and break would you install?

For info, 18” barrel (May cut to 16.5”), MPI 10oz stock, Rem 700. Will be loading light Hammers for this one.

Thank you


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APA "the answer" should work great on your setup. I put this MB on my 30/06 and can shoot it all day long, before the brake you could probably do 20 and have a bruise on your shoulder

 

Lawnboi

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18” with a brake is going to be one loud SOB.


Some reading on muzzle diameter and threading. Some even say you shouldn’t thread 30 cal at 1/2” due to how little meat is between the groove and inner thread diameter (or whatever the technical word is for it)

I think you need a suppressor for that rifle
 

brsnow

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I have a new vias brake I had made for a kimber .308 that I would part with. I ended up selling the rifle before use. Message me if interested.
 
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EastMT

EastMT

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18” with a brake is going to be one loud SOB.


Some reading on muzzle diameter and threading. Some even say you shouldn’t thread 30 cal at 1/2” due to how little meat is between the groove and inner thread diameter (or whatever the technical word is for it)

I think you need a suppressor for that rifle

I’ve considered this but due to my line of work I have lived in too many states and the relocation, laws in a few places would be too much of a hassle.

I will be using hearing protection for sure. I’ve shot a 5.25 lb 325 WSM for a long time, so recoil isn’t an issue, just thinking it would be nice with less.


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sndmn11

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A brake does not add decibels nor is an un braked rifle below non-damaging levels.

Any gunsmith who threads your barrel and installs your brake would also turn down the diameter to match the barrel so it looks seamless. Get in touch with @HawkinsPrecision and have them suggest a local smith who uses their ported brakes.
 

sneaky

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A brake does not add decibels nor is an un braked rifle below non-damaging levels.

Any gunsmith who threads your barrel and installs your brake would also turn down the diameter to match the barrel so it looks seamless. Get in touch with @HawkinsPrecision and have them suggest a local smith who uses their ported brakes.
Try again with some facts. Brakes are, in fact, louder than unbraked rifles and there are many tests that have proven just that.
c08faed4b46d8dcf7761fb80de6f76d4.jpg
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a99aaee1c782e4cd74b13481b5ea846d.jpg
5d3a6c6815f25c6548f821cf6aa07cd7.jpg


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sndmn11

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Try again with some facts. Brakes are, in fact, louder than unbraked rifles and there are many tests that have proven just that.
c08faed4b46d8dcf7761fb80de6f76d4.jpg
ded6868716b0e2a253cee5573abe16da.jpg
a99aaee1c782e4cd74b13481b5ea846d.jpg
5d3a6c6815f25c6548f821cf6aa07cd7.jpg


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Factually, the decibel report is the same. A brake doesn't amplify report, it redirects it, that is how it reduces recoil. The charts you provided are evidence of this because each specifies where the measurement was taken relative to the line of fire. Move the report any direction other than straight away, and recoil is reduced straight back (dual data last chart) per one of Newton's laws of physics.
 

sneaky

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Factually, the decibel report is the same. A brake doesn't amplify report, it redirects it, that is how it reduces recoil. The charts you provided are evidence of this because each specifies where the measurement was taken relative to the line of fire. Move the report any direction other than straight away, and recoil is reduced straight back (dual data last chart) per one of Newton's laws of physics.
Lol, riiiiiiight. They literally tested it, published it, and you're trying to say they are full of shit. That's funny. That last chart shows that the loudest brakes are also the most effective at reducing recoil. They took those sound measurements at the exact locations specified as industry spec, and mil std. Yet, once again, here you are saying that hard data collected is wrong because you say so. This is awesome.

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wyosam

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Oh he’s technically correct. An unbraked rifle is just as loud, which you would notice if you were standing directly in front of it. Of course if you’re standing directly in front of it, you’ve got bigger problems than sound. The perceived sound with a brake, which is a number that actually matters, is obviously higher for the guy behind the gun, as well as the people at the next bench.


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sndmn11

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Lol, riiiiiiight. They literally tested it, published it, and you're trying to say they are full of shit. That's funny. That last chart shows that the loudest brakes are also the most effective at reducing recoil. They took those sound measurements at the exact locations specified as industry spec, and mil std. Yet, once again, here you are saying that hard data collected is wrong because you say so. This is awesome.

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Exactly what @wyosam said.

A rifle shot with or without a brake creates the same amount of report, and same amount of recoil. The difference is that without a brake the report goes straight away, recoil goes straight back and is transferred through the gun into the butt into the shooter.

With a brake the report is redirected in manners to oppose recoil. That is why the most effective brakes in reducing felt recoil to the shooter from your chart above, also happen to redirect the most report back at the shooter. Recoil and report are conserved and equal in every scenario in your charts, the perception of each is balanced in every individual test from the charts.

In other words, if they were to simultaneously test in front of the rifle for the dual data chart, you would see a balanced yen-yang type graph because of laws of conservation. There is no creation of report with a brake.
 
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From a physics standpoint, no the brake doesn’t magically amplify the report. It does, however, redirect the gasses(and the report) back at the shooter to reduce recoil. As it redirects it backward, the sound appears louder at the shooters position as a result.
 
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I like how much better I can spot hits with a brake. I’ve been able to rapidly correct a marginal shot because I saw the first one hit.

I also has tinnitus in my left ear so idk what the decibel meter says, they are louder...


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EastMT

EastMT

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Well I bought the Vias off Brsnow, I will try it out and see how it works.

I originally looked as these charts above as well, and wanted the little bastard. But man that thing is pretty big


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Fire_9

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Lol, riiiiiiight. They literally tested it, published it, and you're trying to say they are full of shit. That's funny. That last chart shows that the loudest brakes are also the most effective at reducing recoil. They took those sound measurements at the exact locations specified as industry spec, and mil std. Yet, once again, here you are saying that hard data collected is wrong because you say so. This is awesome.

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Pump the brakes dude because you’re wrong on this. All a muzzle brake is doing is redirecting gases. It’s not creating anything. All those charts that you posted prove exactly what @sndmn11 is saying. It’s redirecting the gas, aka noise, back to the shooter and bystandards. It’s no different than shooting your rifle in the timber vs on the prairie. One is going to perceived as louder than the other. I’d be willing to bet they would see a decreased dB reading in front of those rifles with brakes but nobody gives a shit about that so they don’t do it
 
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We're getting stupid technical while dancing around the fact that brakes ABSOLUTELY without a doubt will create much more noise for the shooter.
Who gives a shit how or why..
It's a fact and a huge drawback to using brakes, especially on a hunting rifle in most scenarios.
I truly have more issues dealing with the blast than I do the recoil, for that reason I'm moving away from brakes and going suppressed.
 
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It’s no different than shooting your rifle in the timber vs on the prairie. One is going to perceived as louder than the other. I’d be willing to bet they would see a decreased dB reading in front of those rifles with brakes but nobody gives a shit about that so they don’t do it
Actually a brake its nothing like shooting in the timber vs a prairie, more like shooting in an enclosed room
 

sndmn11

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The overlooked, and I think most important part, is that braked or not the report is going to cause damage to your hearing without protection. We have had zero issues with braked rifles in hunting scenarios because we are using hearing protection no matter what for the shooter and spotter.
 

Stid2677

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I run brakes on my Adirondack and my Mountain Ascent, one of the biggest advantages is that I can see my impacts and use this feedback to adjust for the next shot. Recoil is lighter and muzzle blast is louder for shooter and spotter, that said any muzzle blast will cause hearing damage, brake or no, so hearing protection is used. Also muzzle flip or rise is dramatically reduced, this IMHO is one reason many have a more difficult time being accurate with light rifles. My experience and opinion, worth what you paid. :)
 
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