Muzzy Break vs. Supressor

elks96

Long Time Member
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3,778
Well I am building/buying a rifle for my daughter. I really like the idea of keeping everyone in the family shooting the same ammo etc. As a result my wife and I both shoot .270s and use a 130 grain interbond hornady bullet as our go too bullet for deer and elk. Been doing this for over 15 years now. Nice part is we can shoot each others guns with only minimal changes in impact, but we do not have to track ammo, do not worry about the wrong shell in in the wrong gun and when there is a sale we buy bulk of one type instead splitting etc.

My daughter is 10 and wants to go on a bear hunt next spring and possibly hunt hogs etc. I really like the idea of sticking with a 270 as opposed to getting something else smaller like a 243 etc. i would prefer to buy one gun for her to use forever as opposed to a temporary gun.

I have the option in my budget to go one of 2 routes. If I go with a .270 I can easily get a muzzy break for the gun. I know this help recoil, but my daughter is very sensitive to noise. She has been extremely afraid of loud noises since she was little. I know no matter what she will want hearing protection, but I am afraid that the louder noise from the break might make her worse off than just the additional kick. On the flip side I have also been wanting to try a silencer. I can get one and we can thread and share it amongst my daughters, wifes and my rifles as needed. This is supposed to take away a bunch of recoil and greatly reduce noise.

Which way would you go? For the cost of the silencer I could get a second gun. However there is something to be said about hearing protection. I know some states do not allow silencers, but the ones we plan to hunt all allow them...

Good bad or am I a moron?
 
honestly I do not think that a muzzle break will reduce enough recoil on a 270 for a 10 year old to shoot it, I think that it would cause some flinching issues. a suppressor would probably be the best option they make a huge difference in my opinion both for recoil and noise.

and like you said you could buy a 243 and a 270 instead of a 270 and a suppressor. you have to remember that you have to pay 200 dollars on top of the cost of the suppressor for the tax stamp that goes to the government.

also another thing to remember it could take up to a year to get the paperwork done on a suppressor, depending on how backed up they are on processing. I don't know if that would be a factor for you or not.
 
I think the muzzle "brake" would reduce the recoil enough for a 10 year old but as IDforkhorn stated it would be offset by NOISE which causes more flinching than recoil in young folks IMHO. Ear protection is a must!

I've only shot a suppressed rifle 2x but I can tell you it's like magic! Recoil is reduce every bit as well, if not better, than a brake and the noise was almost not there (at least it's way quiet, comparatively speaking). The downside is the extra length and a little weight of the suppressor. Oh, and the high cost of the tax and the unit.

Like everything else in life, it's all about compromises and what you think would work best for you and yours.

Good luck,
Zeke
 
I have never shot one, but the research I have done seems to indicate that there is minimal recoil reduction from a suppressor using regular ammo. The reduced recoil is due to people shooting sub-sonic rounds

For a suppressor to really work, you have to shoot sub-sonic rounds. Otherwise you still have the sonic boom "crack" of the bullet. And shooting a bear, you probably don't want to download a bullet to subsonic unless you are shooting less than 50 yards

Doesn't sound like a muzzle brake is the best option due to the increased sound. They are fantastic for recoil reduction, but VERY loud

Here is what I would do. Use a 270 but use a reduced recoil load like Hornady Custom lite. Remington also makes some similar ammo that is downloaded. These are downloaded for young/small shooters.

Use the reduced recoil ammo for target practice but you also can have the rifle sighted in for regular ammo to hunt with.

Second, add a SIMs recoil pad to the gun. They work great.

She will never feel the recoil when she shoots at game (using regular ammo) and the SIMs will help a lot there too.


txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
LAST EDITED ON Sep-21-16 AT 06:20PM (MST)[p]

Double ear protection is a great idea. The reduced recoil ammo will also help as well as a good recoil pad. Make sure she is comfortable with the rifle also. It needs to fit her well and that will help felt recoil also. Depending on what brand and model your considering you could buy a youth stock for it as well and set the rifle up for her til she grows up and fits the full length stock.
 
I went through the same issue years ago, all my buds bought 243s for there sons and daughters, they fired a few rounds through them and before they knew it they were buying bigger guns,, point is kids grow up so fast... my kids started with full size 270s and still shoot them today, when they were small all practice was done off a sled, with eye and ear protection and they shot a lot,, then when it came time for hunting they were confident and never had a problem with the recoil,, just my 2 cents
 
Muzzle breaks work. Must use noise canceling head phones. Much easier to get and installed on your rifle . My daughter has shot my 300 Tejas since she was 14 teen. It's basicly a hot 300 rum. A silencer is going to take at least six months to get . Then installed on a rifle. Very expensive and add a lot of length and weight to the end of the barrel.
I think you best bet is get a muzzle break or rifle with one. Then added a good recoil pad and she should be good. Let her practice off a good bench with bags or a lead sled. She won't even notice anything during the hunt. This is what I did with my daughters. Went from a 22 Lr to a 22 250 to a 270. Now she shoots 50 bmg,s and 408 cheytec with out a problem. No flinching problems, she is a good shot. Good luck take baby steps ?
 
My wife shoots a 270 with a muzzlebreak and the recoil is near to our less than a 243. However she does use good quality ear plugs and at the range she uses muffs to. My youngest son started out with my wife's 270 as well and he started shooting it around the age of 10 too. Noisy yes but with ear plugs he didn't have any issues. Also all ear plugs and ear muffs are not created equal. Do a little research and you will soon find there are ear plugs that reduce sound by nearly 40 decibels which is significant and they work great in the field too. Don't know squat about suppressors other than they are FLIPPN'expensive and can be a pain in the butt to obtain.


"Courage is being scared to death but
saddling up anyway."
 
"Brake" shooting : Plugs and muffs are a great idea while punching paper!

Shooting a brake without some ear protection is like playing football without a helmet!!!!! Anyone would FLINCH!

Zeke
 
I have a Tikka 270 WSM that I added a brake and a limbsaver pad, so that my wife and kids could shoot. I find that I shoot it more than they do! :) Is it loud? I don't know - I have never shot it without hearing protection. When hunting, it only takes 5-10 seconds to get the hearing protection on. In all reality, the recoil is less than a 243.

My vote goes for the brake and a recoil pad of some sort.
 
We had the same problem.....bought a Tikka T3 in 270 for our Grandson....wanted a light rifle because he was a little guy back several years back....rifle kicked the crap out of him..plus the recoil pad was cheep basically no recoil pad....he hated to shoot the rifle.... Over the winter we put a top quality recoilpad on it added a KDF muzzel brake like we have on our 300wby's OMG what a difference....took him to the range....first shot he basically closed him eyesand fired....you should have seen the look on his face after he lulled the trigger...he looked at me with big eyes and smiled....OMG shoots almost like my 22 now.....enough said....Good luck put some money into it....you can make it better....

))))------->
 
Also I hear all this whining about how much noise one hears from a muzzel break.....that is so BS.....I have a muzzel brake on my 300WBY....shot it for years....the shooter hears a normal blast....but anyone to the side of you gets hammered.....I have had guys on benches either side of me pack it up after a few shots....lol.....so funny.....is what it is.....KDF muzzel brake can reduce a 300wby to a recoil of less than a 30/06...

))))------->
 
Sorry, but that is just not true. I have a 7mm rem mag with a KDF recoil arrestor on it. I have shot regular rifles all my life in the field without hearing protection, including the 7mm before the arrestor (I know I shouldn't :-0 ) and it doesn't phase me at all. But the few stupid times I fired my gun with the brake without hearing protection, it was LOUD and my left ear (the one turned most forward) buzzed and "rang" for weeks, and my brother was stupid enough to fire it 5 times at a deer one time and he lost some hearing in his left ear.

That said, with ear plugs, and over the ear protectors too, it would probably not be a problem.

One other thing, always use eye protection when using one and NEVER fire it over the hood of your truck (like for target practice). It will take the paint off your hood!

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
>Sorry, but that is just not
>true.

+1, I agree with Txhunter58

I can tell you that I've shot rifles forever now and any rifle with a brake is WAY more loud for everyone including the shooter!

I can also tell you that a suppressed rifle is WAY more quiet than anything I've ever shot before and I've only used full-throttle loads! (6.5 WSM with 142 gr ELD-X @ 3200+ fps) . I'm not sure the noise isn't less than a 22 lr.

Zeke
 
yes you can use sub sonic ammo and it is definitely way more quiet. but I have never seen sub sonic ammo for a rifle besides a 300black out I guess I have never looked for it either. I have been to a few suppressor demos and even shot next to a gut at the range shooting a 300 ultra the other night. they are quiet and recoil is greatly reduced.

I have also shot at a deer with my 300 ultra and the jp muzzle break and forgot to put my plugs in, it was the most miserable thing ever


another thing you are going to have to look at is if you buy a 270 the stock most likely is going to be to long for your daughter, that might be an issue also especially if you add a thicker butt pad

I think it is howa that you can buy a rifle that comes with a youth stock and a full size stock so you can change it over to the full size when they get big enough.
 
For what it's worth elks96, if you are in the area and want to shoot/handle the wifes breaked 270 you are more then welcome too. It's set up for a smaller framed person too.

"Courage is being scared to death but
saddling up anyway."
 
I just can't see hunting with ear protection. There are too many occasions where one might need to shoot before having time to get set up. But that's just me, and I have never made a serious effort to try.

But, for sure, if you EVER intend to shoot without protection, forget the muzzle brake. I shot one .300 Win round through a muzzle brake and it felt like someone stuck a needle in my ear. It rang for weeks and I lost most of my hearing as a result. I immediately sold that rifle with a sincere warning to the next guy to remove it. I would never use another muzzle brake. And there is no species in North America that warrants a cartridge large enough to require one.
 
Just a thought. Would it be possible to find someone with a .243 to borrow to build confidence in shooting then step up to a .270? If it is something you want her to keep forever try and get her to enjoy shooting first. Then Take her out and let her shoot yours and you're wife's .270. Letting her help you find one she likes will be more meaningful to her later in life.
 
Oh I think I understand now. You are just looking for a excuse to build a suppressed rifle and tell the wife its for your little girl. Then yes, she needs one and it would be a great toy. I have been thinking of building one. If you get a 30 caliber suppressor you can also use it for a 223 . Like a Ar 15 or AR 10. You just have to use the same threads on the barrel or go to a clamp on. I hear the thread ones are a little better.Or better yet call it a silencer. I have been watch the Silencer Shop. http://www.silencershop.com/ Then your wife may get the right idea. Its to keep it quite for your little girl . ;-)
 
I started researching muzzle break vs. supressor about a year ago. In March I finally decided to bite the bullet and I purchased 3 supressors. I am now at 7 months and counting for the tax stamps. The NFA trust tracker shows that people who purchased in Feb. are starting to get their stamps so I'm hoping that within the next couple of weeks I will have mine. The guy I bought my supressors from is now telling potential buyers to plan on a full year to get the tax stamps back. I believe 100% that the reduction of noise as well as recoil will make a better shooter out of a young hunter. Best of luck with whichever route you go.
 

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