We shoot a lot of bolt gun for long range steel banging, and I’ve just become used to all of them having suppressors.
But I watched a youtube video where these guys were testing high pressure .308 loads with this “Alpha Munitions” brass. Their brake made the .308 gun they ran look like a .223 as far as recoil.
Anyone just prefer a good brake?
My 300WM was outfitted with a brake before the first shot. I didn’t see any reason to accept more recoil than I had to, and it feels somewhere between a 223Rem and 308 for recoil. A 30cal suppressor is on the list, but for now I’d rather keep buying bullets and powder for it.
My 6.5CM has a brake on it, but I might suppress it after burning out the first barrel. (Seem like I just finished building it, and I’m almost 1/3 through the barrel’s life.)
300 WM with a can, on a HOG of a barrel still has a healthy push. I spun a fat brake on my old 308 Rem 700 tonight to revisit some low recoil.
6.5cm still bucks a little with a can, but I can shoot it for 20 rounds before getting annoyed.
I’m currently shooting my 6.5 CM with a brake. It’s a heavy pig already, and with the brake I can pretty easily spot my own hits.
I just wear ear plugs and muffs, feel fine after a range session. Plugs only though and I am not a happy camper, muffs only is better, doubled up is best. So I use foam ear plugs and electronic ear muffs with the volume all the way up.
If you buy an Area 419 brake the muzzle adapter makes the brake QD and you can mount your suppressor on it with the correct hardware.
I run a can most of the time on my 6.5 and can self spot from most positions. Its just a nicer experience.
I had some blem ammo in 6.5cm that we decided to to run in the LMT MWS with the can OFF just to be sure not to get a baffle strike. It has the Sig small brake/mount for a sig can. Holy crap was that gun actually enjoyable to shoot with the can OFF.
I definitely hate suppressors on gas guns for health reasons and how God awful the can makes them cycle.
I spun this thing on my old 308 bolt gun for a shoot this weekend. I hate the top ports as orkan used to point out here. But I have it sitting in my parts box, so…
If you can put up with a brake’s concussion shock I prefer them to cans. Your barrel will create mirage either way as it heats up, but the cans will hold that heat longer.
An Australian who shoots long range with his wife spotting developed a set of brakes that both reduce recoil and keeps your crosshairs closer to target for self-spotting:
From the shooting position on bolt guns, I don’t get too bothered by most brakes. On an AR though? Ugh! Brakes hurt my brain.
Just taking the can off of a gas gun is glorious… brake or not.
I shoot with a brake on most of my guns as I want to be able to spot misses at long range.
My 22" 6.5x47 is super soft to shoot with a brake. It’s like shooting a 26" 223.
Markm,
If you want to be able to have your cake and eat it too try the Area 419 Hellfire Match Muzzle Brake.
It includes an Area 419 muzzle accessory host. You just use a handy 9/16” socket to torque it to 25ft-lbs, and then you can thread on the muzzle brake or a suppressor with an Area 419 adapter with no further tools.
https://i.ibb.co/dr98JZd/IMG-0213.jpg](https://ibb.co/vH50v97)
https://i.ibb.co/Y2FWNrQ/IMG-0218.jpg](https://ibb.co/sjdPgBR)
They make all sorts of muzzle attachments to mount suppressors onto their host. Plus an assortment of brakes, and even a linear flash hider.
I run the 419 on 6 guns, excellent choice and use the hub for the Nomad. It’s a 5/8 by the way
Wow. That’s pretty cool. I shot 20 rounds yesterday with the brake pictured above, and it was pretty concussive. On a short 20" 308, it’s too much.
I shoot a lot of long range (including many years of PRS competition), and I went away from suppressors on my long range bolt guns for the most part. I’ll use them on my hunting rigs sometimes, but that’s it. I did it for two main reasons:
I had instances with both quick detach and direct thread suppressors, where they would come loose at times during matches, and change my point of impact. This cost me match points on more than one occasion. Because of it, I found myself constantly checking the tightness, and finally decided to quit worrying about it, and went back to brakes.
Brakes have better recoil management, which makes it easier to spot impacts and misses.
Yeah 20” is a bit short and that brake looks properly obnoxious. The Area 419 brake is actually not bad behind the gun, first port is 90 degrees so it creates a gas barrier to the other ports pushing gas and concussion back to the shooter.
Anyone to the side of you will hate you though. A lot.
Also the top ports are not optimal. I came across this hog, and just had to try it again.
I have a single port brake on my 556 and 6.5 and mucb prefer the silencer. Its “more” recoil, but is sliwer and I can track the shot and self spot better with the silencer.
I have not tried a 3 or 4 port yet. The silencer also balances the gun better for my setups.
