[HuntingGuy]

Hi all,

I have had this Tikka T3 .338 WIN MAG for a year or so now. I don't like shooting it because it kicks my @$$ after a few shots. So, I put on a LS precision recoil pad, and still not alot of noticible recoil change! It's hard to sight this gun in when I'm all shooken up by the 3rd shot.

So I am faced with the question, should I put a muzzle brake on it or not?

What do you guys think? Besides the noise, is there any disadvantages, and what are the true advantages to it and how noticibly will it take care of the prob?

I have talked with one gentleman who has this same gun with a brake, and claims he can shoot all day with a shirt on.

Thanks

 

[TScottO]

Find out what sort of shirt the gentleman you spoke with is wearing and you will find your answer.

If the 338 is a gun you want to shoot off the bench a lot then I might have a break installed. If the gun will only be shot a time or two while hunting, I wouldn’t bother.

Save the 200 bucks it would cost for a break and buy or build a rifle rest that allows you to stand up and shoot. Sitting is awful for bench work with a big rifle. With the left over change take a friend out to lunch.

Take Care,
Scott

 

[Redhawk1]

Try a Mercury Recoil reducer in the stock before you make it a extremely load gun with a muzzle break. Worked great on my Ruger #1 in 45-70 and my Encore 416 Rigby. I also installed a simms pad.

http://www.mercuryrecoil.com/suppressors/index.htm#top

 

[beemanbeme]

shoot from a stand up bench. And if you can't do that, jack your front rest up as high as it will go and lower you shooting stool so that you are sitting as nearly erect as possible. When you mount the rifle, pull it firmly into your shoulder WITH BOTH HANDS and have your cheek firmly on the stock.
Each rifle is different but I kinda agree with the fellow with the shirt. But I will guarentee he didn't jump full grown into shooting his .338 in a shirt. Not for any time that is.
Before I bought a .338, I had a pretty long track record of shooting 30-06's, 7mags and .300wm's and such frequently from the bench so it didn't take long to acclimate to shooting it. It is something that you do need to keep your hand in however.
All that said, I would not own a rifle with a brake on it.

 

[Lone Star]

My current .338 is a Savage 116 with the "adjustable" brake. It is very easy to tell the difference between shots with and without the brake turned on. I'd call the recoil with the brake and 200-grain loads about the same as a .30-06 with 180s. With the brake truned off, it's a full .338....

It is loud with the brake on, but with adequate hearing protection it is not at all unbearable. I can feel the blast wave in the face if the muzzle does not overhang the end of the bench. If it overhangs, then it isn't as bad for me or for other shooters.

 

[jro45]

I have the 338 rum witch does have some recoil but a friend has the 338 Win Mag. He uses those shoulder pads that you can buy for recoil. They fit under your shirt or you could ware it over your shirt. Me I have a brake thats removeable. I use it when at the range sighting in then take it off for hunting.

 

[Mikey]

HuntingGuy: get yourself a PAST Recoil Sheild - they really work. This is one of those you can wear under your shirt, really. They are not all that expensive but very worth the expense. I have one that I have used for close to 1K rounds of heavy recoiling bench shooting, which is the worst type for recoil, and I can still raise my arms all the way up to here (lol).

Those recoil sheilds really work. As for the muzzle brake, I dunno. As TScott0 said - if you're only going to fire a couple of rounds off the bench it may not be worth the expense. I have tried muzzle brakes on a number of my rifles and choose not to use them. The PAST Sheild helps deal with the recoil, but nothing touches the muzzle blast from those brakes, except lots of hearing protection, and that is not the type of thing you might find yourself wearing while out stalking or still-hunting and listening for sound. In addition, muzzle brakes do not make you a lot of friends on the range. Even I will move farther down the shooting line if someone comes along with a brake on his rifle. JMHO. Mikey.

 

[oso45-70]

Bolt Action Rifles

HuntingGuy.

I'am not a fan of brakes of any kind on a hunting Rifle, As for as hunting goes I don't think you will need it on a 338, Sighting in you can use a past shooting pad. When you are hunting you will not even notice the kick........Joe.......

 

[Lawdog]

Remember "there is no such thing as a Quiet muzzle brake". You make a mistake and fore a braked rifles without the proper hearing protection and you will ruin your hearing to some degree. Why not try something cheaper than a brake and will reduce recoil to acceptable levels. Mercury recoil inserts. Fits inside the stock so no one knows it's there and they work. I have them in all my heavy kicking rifles and am able to shoot calibers like my .450 Rigby, .416 Rigby from the bench without undue discomfort. I prefer C&H Research brand myself. Go to http://www.98.net/chr/ and check them out. Lawdog

 

[while99]

I have a .338 Winchester Magnum but without a muzzle brake. Brakes simply make too much noise for me. I'd rather have a sore shoulder than permanent hearing loss. Sure, you can wear hearing protection at the range, but I don't know of anybody who wears hearing protection when hunting, and it only takes one shot to damage your hearing.

 

[Redhawk1]

I have a .338 Winchester Magnum but without a muzzle brake. Brakes simply make too much noise for me. I'd rather have a sore shoulder than permanent hearing loss. Sure, you can wear hearing protection at the range, but I don't know of anybody who wears hearing protection when hunting, and it only takes one shot to damage your hearing.

I wear hearing protection, the electronic ear muffs. I like to use my handguns and they get loud.

 

[dave375hh]

Hunting Guy,
I second the use of the Past recoil shield. I've used a Past Mag. Plus shield for years. When you shoot off the bench your testing the rifle not your testoserone. The use of a bench is to eliminate variables, and flinching is the worst of them. As long as the recoil dosen't bother you when hunting, The Past, or a bag of lead shot is the most economical answer. Both go behind the butt. The Past RS is the most conveniant because it stays in place, while a bag of shot has to be reset for each shot. Also the Past RS can be worn under your coat or shirt while hunting as long as it dosen't interfere with the gun mount.

 

[roper]

Everyone handles recoil differently and what may be acceptable to one isn't to another. If it was me I'd put a brake on it and get good hearing protection for range work. Shooting should be enjoyable. All my mags have brakes except one and I have afew LR varmit rifles with brakes. For me there is no disadvantage since I have a brake installed for one reason and that is to reduce recoil which it does and in the varmit rifles it allows me to see my hits. Just my .02

 

[beemanbeme]

do you buy good hearing protection for the other folks at the range? What about the concussion waves flowing acrost the benches on either side? What do you do about that?

 

[Mac11700]

Stock fit has a major impact on how much recoil your getting...and also how much is being transmitted into your cheek...will only amplify what your feeling on the rest of your body...

Try this simple fix...get a soft neopreane shell holder for your stock...and put some soft foam rubber under it...I use some that's called Rubatex...and you can get it anywhere they sell airconditioning supplies...if you can't find that...the black soft pipe insulation can be had in different thicknesses as well and you can use that...this you can get at most harware stores...Lowes...HomeDepot...Ace...

And like others have told you...sit completely upright when shooting these heavy hitters from the bench...or stand up....I shoot real heavy loads from my 1895 GS 45-70...and it will flat rock ya if not for the padded shell holder and my Limbsaver recoil pad on it...but since adding both..it still recoils...but the face slap is gone..and it makes the recoil so much more manageable...if still too much for you..again..add a mercury recoil reducer to the stock...

Mac

 

[Ramrod]

The Brits have been shooting great big elephant guns like the. 450, .470, and the .577 Nitro Express for well over 100 years. And without any contraption like muzzle brakes. But alot of red-blooded Americans with muzzle brakes on their .300 or .338 Win mags think the British are a bunch of fairies. Hmmmnnnn. Maybe a little real life practice is what is needed here. Not something you get from a shooting bench.

 

[Coyote Hunter]

No brakes for me for several reasons.

First is the noise. While I double up (plugs and muffs) my hearing protection at the range, I shoot naked in the field. I shot my .357 Mag revolver one day next to a rock slope a couple feet to my left, forgetting I had removed my hearing protection (we were picking up remnants of water jugs and I was shooting a “survivor”). My right ear was OK but the blast echoed off the rocks creating pain in my left ear and reduced hearing capacity for several hours. Permanent damage almost certainly resulted from that one shot. There are plenty of opportunities for a similar event when hunting and what’s left of my hearing is too valuable.

Second, at my club you may not fire a braked rifle without first notifying everyone on the firing line. If anyone –any ONE – objects, you may not shoot the firearm.

Third, and this is rather minor, the ports make for additional cleaning chores.

If recoil is an issue, try the Past pads, slip-on pads, and mercury recoil reducers. My Marlin .45-70 generates 48 foot-pounds recoil with my “Rhino Blaster” loads (460g hardcast @ 1812fps). A slip-on recoil pad made it much more pleasant to shoot and a Past pad helped even more. Haven’t cone with a mercury recoil reducer because they add weight – something I do not want when hunting elk.

 

[HuntingGuy]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I will head over to Gander today and pick up one of those Past Mag. Recoil Shields. They are closing shop so it is 30% off. Will let you know if the recoil is managable now.

 

[roper]

No brakes for me for several reasons.


Second, at my club you may not fire a braked rifle without first notifying everyone on the firing line. If anyone –any ONE – objects, you may not shoot the firearm.

I know Ben Lomond has a range in Franktown is that the one you are talking about?

 

[Coyote Hunter]

No brakes for me for several reasons.


Second, at my club you may not fire a braked rifle without first notifying everyone on the firing line. If anyone –any ONE – objects, you may not shoot the firearm.

I know Ben Lomond has a range in Franktown is that the one you are talking about?

Franktown is one of the club's chapters - the range is actually 17 miles east of Kiowa.