ORIGINAL: game4lunch
I'm thinking about putting a muzzle break on one of my rifles and have never shot one before. I understand they reduce recoil and how. But I also understand that they increase muzzle blast volume considerably also. Not that that matters at the range 'cause you wear hearing protection anyway.
Are there any good or bad brands to look for? And how hard is it to install? A co-worker who is a fairly accomplished gunsmith/machinest says he can do it for about $150.00, parts and all. Is this something you should really have an experet do? And are muzzle breaks worth it? How much do they reduce recoil?
I have a VAIS on a .416 Rigby. This brand does NOT seem to increase noise much, if any - people shooting next to me on the range have said my rifle is no louder than a .30/'06 without a brake. Recoil is about like a 300 Win. Mag. Very shootable! Much more pleasant to shoot than a hot-loaded .45/70 or .375 H&H without brakes. I am seriously considering putting one of these on my Ruger No. 1 in .45/70, which produces 57 foot-pounds of recoil without a brake on it..... (400 grain bullet, 60 grains RE 7,V 2270 fps @ 10'.....)
If you get one, have it installed by the makers-this way you will have at least some assurance that it was put on correctly!