New rifle, and I fired a muzzle brake for the first time...

Hey,

Well, after over 35 years of shooting/hunting, I have finally fired a rifle fitted with a muzzle break for the first time.
The rifle was a Weatherby MkV chambered in .300 Weatherby Magnum, and this just happens to be my dream rifle, a rifle that I never actually thought I'd ever own.
It came up for a ridiculously cheap price (mate's rates), so after a quick chat to my wife to get formal approval, I snapped it up.
I was absolutely over the moon to own this rifle, partly because this was my dream rifle and secondly because it used to belong to well-known Australian hunter/writer Ted Mitchell.

I grew up reading about his hunting exploits, and a few years ago he even made my son a knife... which he lost hunting, so Ted made him a replacement, all for free.
Ted is a really nice guy as well as a fantastic writer and an accomplished hunter. He has done everything from hunting Africa (with this rifle) to hunting water buffalo with a homemade longbow.

Anyway, being that this rifle used to belong to Ted sealed the deal, so I bought it. I messaged Ted, and he was really happy that I picked it up, and while I was talking to him, I got his handload that he used for the rifle.
He told me that his absolute favourite load in it was the 150gn TTSX at 3450fps. This is the load that he hunted Africa with and also extensively hunted Australia with as well.
And he also told me that every single animal shot with it only ever needed 1 shot.
The only exception was a massive water buffalo that needed 2. The first dropped it and he told me the 150gn TTSX nearly penetrated the whole animal, and the second shot finished it.
That sounded good enough to me, so I simply used his load, which saved me a lot of mucking around.

I fitted the rifle with Vortex rings and a Vortex Copperhead 4-16x44 scope, and I couldn't wait to shoot it.
Ted asked me if the rifle still had the muzzle brake fitted. I said it did, but I was planning on removing it. Ted suggested I shoot it first with it on, as with the break fitted, it felt like a .243 to shoot.
I still was planning on removing it, but I was now curious to see what the recoil felt like, as I had never fired a rifle with one fitted before.

That weekend saw me at the range, and the very first shot I fired through it was sitting on a stool, shooting it through the chronograph.
I touched off the first shot, and I couldn't believe it... it actually felt like a .243. I was simply amazed.
A few shots later the rifle was sighted in, and not only was this the most accurate .300 Magnum I've ever fired; it was also one of the most pleasant and enjoyable sighting-in sessions I've ever done.
Oh, and Ted's loads in my Bertram brass yielded 3465fps and sighted 3" high at 100m, it's only 10" low at 400m and has 4000ft/lbs of energy at the muzzle. Wow.

Another nice thing was the loading dies I obtained used to belong to the late, great Nick Harvey.
Nick was an absolute legend in Australia in the hunting/shooting world, and I am honoured to now use equipment that belonged to Nick.

So, I'm going to use the rifle as is for a while. When sighting in, I was wondering what the noise would be like, but as I was wearing hearing protection, it didn't seem any louder to anything else.
I'll have to wait until I'm in the field to see what that's like.

So at the age of 50, I finally own a rifle I've always wanted – and it is even better than I thought it would be.
I have a hunt booked at the end of year with a mate who's a deer hunting guide, so stay tuned for a hunt report.
I can say that I have never looked forward to hunt as much as this one...

Russ

Please don't take this as a direct attack against you, but:

Muzzle brakes are a cancer on the hunting community. They help compensate for poorly made guns (or deliberately underweight) at the expense of the people we hire to help us on hunts.

Want to know what your muzzle brake is really like? Take your hearing protection out and have your buddy shoot the gun with the muzzle just a little ahead of you, to the left or right. Muzzle brakes are designed to prevent the shooter from experiencing the blast.... but other people in the area get an amplified experience.

I am aware this post sounds cruel... but in reality, this is how it is for most trackers and professional hunters. I have yet to see a tracker or professional hunter that has had something other than his fingers shoved in his ears to protect him from our muzzle blast.

Do NOT shoot that gun from prone position with brake attached. Not unless you have substantial ear protection (muffs + ear plugs). I made that mistake shooting at a mule deer buck with my brother's 300 Win BAR with BOSS system brake. For a week afterwards I thought broken glass was sloshing around inside my head.

300 Weatherby was famous for severe recoil (but typically 180 to 220 gr bullets). And yours is not wearing the usual glamorous Weatherby heavy wood stock. Unless some weight has been added to that plastic stock, I think you can expect it will push you pretty hard once the brake is gone.

Muzzle brakes are great for reducing recoil but unfortunately not much else. For the love of your own hearing do not shoot that thing without hearing protection!! I absolutely speak from experience on this, your ears will ring for days and the tinnitus will haunt you the rest of your life. I do not know how often you folks shoot prone in Australia but be prepared for that radial brake to blast dirt and dust up all around you should you need to.

My distaste for muzzle brakes aside, Congratulations on a new piece that obviously means a great deal to you!

I’d say enjoy that rifle, Weatherby rifles are built the way Roy Weatherby wanted them to be and at his peak he was light years ahead of every other manufacturer. Nice thing about a magnum 30 is versatility. That brake will come in handy doing bench work loading experiment's when volume shooting. It also means you have thread on the muzzle, you can get a suppressor….which if you think there is no recoil and accuracy is good now, wait until you experience that. On my magnum 30’s I like silencer Co scythe model and another favorite is the kgm R30k. Both are super light ti cans and no overly large. Another good one is griffin armament explorer 30, should have availability of one of these where you are.

I do acknowledge that muzzle brakes rev up some folks as they can be very very loud and I believe increase the blast concussion significantly, but ear plugs are not expensive, and unless you’re hunting dangerous game easy enough to install pre shot.

Lastly I will add the loudest and most damaging muzzle blast I’ve ever experienced was when I was shooting over the hood of my truck into the wind at a coyote, with a 340 Weatherby and I forgot the ear plugs….rifle didn’t have a muzzle brake, that shot started the damage in my left ear.

Congratulations on your 300 Wby, great cartridge, I’m a huge fan of Weatherby rifles and cartridges. Too bad this rifle was not a deluxe Hopefully the rifle came with a cap so it can be shot without the MB. Shoot the rifle without it and learn to shoot it, the recoil is manageable.

Congratulations on finally getting your dream rifle. Use and hunt with it hard.

I too am not a fan of a muzzle break. I admit they’re nice for initial load work-up and range sessions (when you’re alone) but put me on a bench or at the range next to someone shooting one and I’ll walk off the range.

This is sure to cause a ruckus, but... see the video below about 2:30 into it. I am not saying that is a perfect test, but it is certainly a nice data point. Not any louder with the muzzle break....

Congratulations on getting your dream rifle.
If you want to use the MB so be it. You want to shoot it suppressed so be it.
Your rifle shoot it like you want to shoot it.

Hey Badboy,
It's your gun, your life , you don't need approval from anyone to use a brake. They are getting more and more popular. You need protection with or without a brake, so what's the fuss about. I am seeing more and more guides using them these days. I have taken extra electronic protection along for guides, phs and trackers, but I don't think I have ever seen anyone bother to use them. Enough people are using them these days that they have learned to be careful around them (most of the time). As just seen on the Ruger YouTube video, brakes are not that much worse than non brake guns.

Sounds like a very cool rig with some provenance that is very meaningful to you. I would take that rifle and shoot the heck out of it.

As long as you are out and about by yourself and wearing Hearing Pro, I would leave the brake on and enjoy the heck out of the experience.

But a word of advice, absolutely do not EVER pull the trigger on that thing with the brake on and your muffs off. It will cause you physical pain and your ears will ring like you have never experienced before.

Congratulations, Russ. Enjoy your new rig. I have a 300 Wby in a MkV Lazermark. My favorite elk cartridge. They work great with monometal bullets like the TTSX.

uplander01 said:

I’d say enjoy that rifle, Weatherby rifles are built the way Roy Weatherby wanted them to be and at his peak he was light years ahead of every other manufacturer. Nice thing about a magnum 30 is versatility. That brake will come in handy doing bench work loading experiment's when volume shooting. It also means you have thread on the muzzle, you can get a suppressor….which if you think there is no recoil and accuracy is good now, wait until you experience that. On my magnum 30’s I like silencer Co scythe model and another favorite is the kgm R30k. Both are super light ti cans and no overly large. Another good one is griffin armament explorer 30, should have availability of one of these where you are.

I do acknowledge that muzzle brakes rev up some folks as they can be very very loud and I believe increase the blast concussion significantly, but ear plugs are not expensive, and unless you’re hunting dangerous game easy enough to install pre shot.

Lastly I will add the loudest and most damaging muzzle blast I’ve ever experienced was when I was shooting over the hood of my truck into the wind at a coyote, with a 340 Weatherby and I forgot the ear plugs….rifle didn’t have a muzzle brake, that shot started the damage in my left ear.

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The issue is not his ears, but the ones of a guide, PH, or tracker that are at risk. Also every poor devil that might have to shoot next to him on a public range. I absolutely revile the things.

Red Leg said:

The issue is not his ears, but the ones of a guide, PH, or tracker that are at risk. Also every poor devil that might have to shoot next to him on a public range. I absolutely revile the things.

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I am an advocate for any rifles that have threads to wear a suppressor, it truly is a game changer in a lot of ways. I would never have a brake or suppressor on any 375 and up DG rifle though. Not long ago some major custom manufacturers were making DG rifles with integral brakes...Ryan Breeding, Gil Van Horn, to name a few. Their theory was recovery from recoil and a faster follow up shots. I've tested this theory with a 458 lott I have that came with the brake installed. The brake makes it feel like a 338 WM and follow up shots are definitely faster. That particular rifle had the front sight installed over the back end of the brake making it permanent. Needless to say, I had the front ramp moved back and a cap fabricated so I can remove the brake for a hunt. Having the recoil reduction while wanting to practice a lot and work up loads makes life a lot easier on your body that's for sure., I'm Mr. Polite at the range though and won't shoot it like that unless there is no one else on the line.

Congratulations on your rifle !

Enjoy your new rifle. It sounds like you are excited.

You have gotten all the obvious warnings about collateral impacts from the muzzle brake in some strong views. Now you know.

Very nice rifle.

The direction of the ports are going to determine WHERE the pressure is directed, and this will determine where the sound is loudest, but it's going to be redirected somewhere. The pressure pushing against the baffles or ports is how it reduces recoil.

If you decide the brake isn't for you, screw it off and replace it with a 5/8X24 thread protector.

Sometimes the whine ABOUT muzzle brakes is louder than the muzzle brakes themselves.

PARA45 said:

Congratulations on your 300 Wby, great cartridge, I’m a huge fan of Weatherby rifles and cartridges. Too bad this rifle was not a deluxe Hopefully the rifle came with a cap so it can be shot without the MB. Shoot the rifle without it and learn to shoot it, the recoil is manageable.

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I think it was a deluxe, but the previous owner butchered it! He had an accident years ago and damaged his shooting eye, so he had to modify all his rifle stocks so he could shoot with his other eye.
He told me it was the nicest stock he'd ever seen!

Russ

Hey,

Thanks for all the replies.

Just a quick side note, I wasn't promoting or endorsing muzzle brakes in my post.
It was more the fact that in all the years I have been shooting, I have never fired a rifle with one fitted. Not even a friend's or colleague's rifle, and I was shocked at how much they reduced recoil.
I had heard how effective they are and thought to myself they can't work as effectively as everyone says, but they do... at least this one did. And I have a fair bit of experience with .300 magnums.

This post was actually more about showing off my new rifle – but I did want to mention that it was fitted with a brake, I'd never used one before, and I couldn't believe how effective it was... I'm not saying rush out and get one!

Russ.