Does a muzzle brake really reduce recoil? Was thinking about getting a .308 with a muzzle brake, because I was concerned about recoil. I realize it is supposed to be a lot louder when firing, but not too concerned with that.

A muzzle break will make a 308 feel about like a 243. Maybe even less. So yes, they are effective at reducing recoil, some more than others. But they do come at the expense of a much louder blast for anyone beside and even behind the rifle.

On a 308, I don't know that I'd worry about braking it just for the sole purpose of reducing felt recoil. I do have a braked 708 myself. But my motivation was to be able to spot my own shots. And it works great for that. I just don't know that there's much to be concerned with on the recoil of a 308. But if you wanna brake it, go for it.

Jay

Thanks Jay! You answered my question. I'm gonna go shoot my buddy's .308 Sunday. The reason I asked was that I have a .270 (synthetic stock) that kicks like a mofo! I even had a gunsmith buddy of mine shoot it and said he had never had one kick that hard before. So I don't know. I am wanting to get another rifle and have pondered many calibers, but always looked a smaller caliber to reduce the amount of recoil. Especially because of shooting at the range alot.

if your shooting and ultralight gun id say its pretty important. i like muzzle brakes, so id get one. jp enterprises makes a tank style brake that works good. alot cooler looking than a bunch of damn holes too.

depends on the weight of the rifle... I have 2 rifles with BOSS systems on them, one is a 300wm, the other a 300wsm. The stainless stalker (300wm) kicks about like a light 243...the hvy Eclipse (300wsm) kicks far less than that.

Rifleman-
Those would be Browning?

you betcha..

Cool. Well I definitely need to do a little more research. Been looking at the Savage Weather Warrior in .308 caliber. Thanks for your help.

savage has the adjustable muzzle brake too (best of both worlds)

Adjustable? (I think I read that) Does it turn to adjust?

Savage muzzle brakes can be turned on or off there is no in between. I have a weather warrior in .300 wsm and have shot it once with the break turned off, I will not be doing that again anytime soon. Savage rifles out of the box are some of the most accurate you can get your hands on for a far less cash than the others.

When the bullet leaves the muzzle, your rifle becomes a rocket and it wants to travel in the opposite direction that the gas is coming out. The gas is coming out of the front, so the rifle wants to turn back. All a muzzle brake does is turn around the direction of some of the escaping gasses, so you get a rocket effect pushing forward, reducing some of the backwards travel we call recoil.

By directing gasses backwards and sideways, everyone else around you will not enjoy the muzzlebrake as much as you may have. Muzzlebrakes are not welcome everywhere you go, so check if you have one on before you shoot (that includes guides and public ranges at least).

I looked into the weather warrior with muzzle brake in .308, talked to some folks here on these forums, and decided it wasn't worth it (although I think they look cool, even the ones that are just a bunch of holes). There's not enough recoil on the .308 to make the noise and irritation worth it imo.

That is the nice thing about the Savage, you can turn it off by closeing the ports and it is just like not having one. So if you are some where they are not appreciated turn the thing off!

When I was considering the weather warrior with MB, I talked to some people in the Savage community and they said the Savage adjustable muzzle breaks get clogged up with carbon and are a pain to clean.

I have had mine for 5 years now with no problems. I don't shoot it excessivly but have had no issues. I guess if someone put high numbers through one between cleaning there could be an issue. I simply love mine and would recomend it to anyone anytime.

Has anyone used the Weatherby Accubrake? I've been considering one of those on my .300 WBY so that I could somewhat spot my own shots.

Have you tried Managed Recoil Loads by Rem or Fed...

I had a Rem 700 BDL in 270 for about, that long, and it kicked the Wompum out of me. ...
A 30/06 had less recoil..
I reload so I will sit down at the range and shoot a couple of hours, including barrel cooling....
May shoot a hundred + rounds.

I may try the managed loads then. However, I do intend to get another rifle!