| cordite |
| (.333 member) |
| 19/08/17 12:57 PM |
Muzzle Brake on a 375 H&H
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So I'm eyeing a lightweight 375 bolt gun, 26 inch barrel including a brake. Don't think it is removable. I have had a couple of 375s and don't find the recoil to be that bad and don't feel a brake is really needed. However this is a cool gun and lightweight so a bit of recoil reduction would be OK.
My real question is how loud will it be? I'm not too concerned about the range, I can double up plugs and muffs and I generally shoot by my self so no one on an adjacent bench to bother. But I don't want to wear ear protection while hunting. What can I expect in touching off a round or two or three in a hunting situation, tolerable or immediate hearing loss?
| Viking338 |
| (.333 member) |
| 19/08/17 02:42 PM |
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Re: Muzzle Brake on a 375 H&H
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I had a 30.06 with a twist turn on turn off brake and I can tell you I only fired it once in the field ( I don't like muffs or plugs either) with it open and it was very painful. I turned it straight back off and NEVER used it again as recoil wasn't really an issue and I didn't buy it for the brake it just came with it. It was lucky I could turn it off rather than have to unscrew it as it made it a bit easier to not have to put up with it.
Steve
| Postman |
| (.375 member) |
| 19/08/17 08:59 PM |
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Re: Muzzle Brake on a 375 H&H
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While hunting, I once had someone fire a .375 with a 20" barrel (no brake) 5 feet to the side of me where the muzzle was directly to the side of my head. It felt like there was blood leaking out of my ear from the concussion. It hurt a LOT! I can't imagine how bad it would have been if the rifle was braked. It took 6 months for my hearing to come back and the dull ache to fully disappear.
I may use a brake at the range, but for hunting, it comes off or it get sawed off and the barrel recrowned no matter how light the rifle nor how fierce the recoil. You won't feel the recoil when shooting at game in any event.
NitroX
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| (.700 member) |
| 19/08/17 09:19 PM |
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Re: Muzzle Brake on a 375 H&H
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I've fired a .375 H&H Mag in an early model Blaser which weighed from memory 6 1/4 lbs including scope and ammo. The recoil was hard and sharp. No muzzle break.
My thoughts:
- if the .375 NEEDS a muzzle break, get a heavier version of the rifle, or a .375 with adequate weight. And forget the muzzle break.
I hate muzzle breaks, and also would think twice about hunting with someone using them.
The Blaser .375 I shot, owned by an NE member, also had a 7mm Rem mag barrel. Would make a nice mountain hunting rifle for a lot of carrying. With the .375 barrel, it was not pleasant. And likely to induce flinching over time in my opinion. No reason at all except coincidence in this case, ie as a second barrel. To make such a light .375 on purpose? Stupid I believe.
| cordite |
| (.333 member) |
| 20/08/17 12:08 AM |
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Re: Muzzle Brake on a 375 H&H
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Well you guys are confirming what I thought. While I might have been trying to talk myself in to this, I have never thought a muzzle brake was a desirable feature on a firearm.
| DoubleD |
| (.400 member) |
| 20/08/17 01:55 AM |
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Re: Muzzle Brake on a 375 H&H
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I use to work for a company that made and installed muzzle brakes. I have fired a lot of them.
I own one gun with a muzzle break, a K-15 in .308 Norma Mag. I use it hunting. I don't wear muffs hunting.
How loud is subjective. If you are concerned about hurting your ears then it will. Take it to your local gunsmith have him cut of the 1/2" of threads and recrown the barrel and move on. But even then you should still wear hearing protection.
A proper fitting stock, particularly in a light weight gun will do wonders at felt recoil reduction. Even if all you do is cut for your length of pull and have recoil pad fit.
| DarylS |
| (.700 member) |
| 20/08/17 02:44 AM |
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Re: Muzzle Brake on a 375 H&H
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"Limbsaver" recoil pads, while I think are somewhat ugly, really do help with recoil.
My bro put one on my/his 9.3x57 as the length of pull on the husky factory rifle was 14 1/2" with a steel butt pad.
Shortened to 14" WITH the pad, the recoil is about like a light weight .243, a REAL pleasure to shoot.
Pacmmayr Decelerator pads are almost as good as the Limbsavers in reducing recoil.
| Postman |
| (.375 member) |
| 20/08/17 06:27 AM |
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Re: Muzzle Brake on a 375 H&H
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Quote:
A proper fitting stock, particularly in a light weight gun will do wonders at felt recoil reduction. Even if all you do is cut for your length of pull and have recoil pad fit.
Yup. Agreed. Adjusting LoP for the shooter is probably the best thing you can do for yourself.
Stock fit is VERY important with heavy recoil rifles.... As an example, the Weatherby big bores are not necessarily all that much heavier in the recoil department than other big bores but they come back "fast", with very high recoil speed which I think is worse than heavier but slower recoil. The Weatherby stock shape does much to help the shooter but they really missed the boat with the upright pistol grip. Makes for a lovely fast second finger / knuckle smash against the trigger guard. Blasers are bad for that too.....
Back to the 375 H&H..... a rather pleasant mid bore cartridge from a recoil perspective..... in an 8 & 1/2 pound rifle with good stock design.
In any event, maybe, just maybe the cartridge is too much for the shooter if he/she needs to run a brake while hunting....H&H, Weatherby, or otherwise.
A really cool trick is to shoot at the range double plugged with a brake, and remove it and install a thread protector for hunting - assuming POI changes are accounted for. Well, maybe this isn't such a good idea if you don't have a long eye relief scope......
Unless you're shooting a LOT of rounds culling, I bet the hunt will be over and the game in the salt before you realize that your unbraked rifle abused your shoulder a bit.
| DarylS |
| (.700 member) |
| 20/08/17 06:58 AM |
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Re: Muzzle Brake on a 375 H&H
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Postman, absolutely right.
The higher recoil speed is why the .378WTBY kicks harder (felt recoil) than the .460WTBY for most people.
I really liked shooting my 602 BRNO .375H&H - very low felt recoil for the power, as it was well over 10 pounds with the scope and loaded.
My current .375/06IMP kicks harder, but due to only weighing 8 3/4 to 9 pounds. It is turning 2,470fps with 300gr., and 2,650fps with 270's.
| Rule303 |
| (.416 member) |
| 20/08/17 07:57 PM |
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Re: Muzzle Brake on a 375 H&H
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I have a 375H&H in a Rem 700 SPS about 7lb of weight and felt recoil is way less then the CZ550 at 2 and a bit pound heavier. The synthetic stock absorbs a lot of recoil. Break is a pain to all others and your ears. I had a moronic idiot next to me on the range firing an 20" barreled 375H&H with a break. When he fired I had anything loose on my bench blown off/over, including my spotting scope. Also it gave a reading on my chrony, don't know if this was from the blast or the unburnt powder granules going through it. Yes there was unburnt powder as I was hit with it and found plenty on my bench.
You wont have unburnt powder but you will have plenty of blast noise and concussion.
| crshelton |
| (.333 member) |
| 21/08/17 04:09 AM |
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Re: Muzzle Brake on a 375 H&H
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Do not use a muzzle brake when hidden in a large cedar/juniper tree!
My daughter fired her Weatherby Mark V 7mm W Mag in such a deer blind and the brake air blast blew needles off many limbs and covered her with needles. The sound was captured within the tree and made her deaf for a couple of hours. She was so shook up that she did not know if she hit the deer.
After that she used the brake only at the range and with good ear protection.
| Ripp |
| (.577 member) |
| 21/08/17 08:57 AM |
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Re: Muzzle Brake on a 375 H&H
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My experience is like others have advised..way toooo loud to shoot without hearing protection..and is not needed on a 375H&H..
Ripp