Brakes on the line

Downeast

Downeast

Happy to be here
Benefactor
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2017
Messages
3,400
Location
28433
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Most likely another pot stirring thread but for those of you who shoot on the line either prone or bench do you allow brakes? I discourage them as they can really screw with the person next to them with blast and debris. Nothing like some dirt flying onto a $2K optic. Thinking of maybe some form of barriers, or simply putting the "brakers" into their own relay and let them blast each other. :)
 
Last edited:
It's a major peeve of mine that I try to keep to myself. It sounds goofy bitching about blast and noise when participating in an activity that's made possible by blast that makes significant noise.
I really hate it when people use a brake under the covered portion of our range. About a year ago I decided I was done participating in the 300 yard portion of our Military Rifle match because a few folks had brakes that were downright painful to be near under the roof. My tinnitus kicked it up a notch that day and hasn't subsided. I mentioned it to the guy that his brake was so loud that people were leaving and he just laughed.
I've had dirt blown into my eyes while shooting prone in a class by another student with a braked rifle. The instructor pulled him. The rest of the class was run with him doing the first relay of shooting as demonstration for the rest of us which seemed like a decent solution.
I kind of feel like people with braked rifles should know they're at least annoying if not possibly harming their fellow shooters with the brake. It would seem like proper etiquette to use a blast forwarding device or a different rifle equipped with a birdcage when shooting next to others.
Better yet, get silencers off NFA and let us handle it that way.
 
Downeast said:
Most likely another pot stirring thread but for those of you who shoot on the line either prone or bench do you allow brakes? I discourage them as they can really screw with the person next to them with blast and debris. Nothing like some dirt flying onto a $2K optic. Thinking of maybe some form of barriers, or simply putting the "brakers" into their own relay and let them blast each other. :)
Click to expand...
You’re talking about me, aren’t you.
 
Jokes aside, I don’t really shoot anything that needs it. After the last time shooting at @Downeast i did buy a thread protector for the one rifle I have that came with one. The are obnoxious for target shooting with others. I remember the first time at Tom, someone had one on a 300 WM I think. It was a hell of a blast.
 
Recently a friend was shooting a braked AR in .308 in string fire and it was deafening. I was wearing plugs and a muff and even while standing behind him (but to the side!) it was awful. No way would I had wanted to shoot beside him. I wish it wouldn't be such a hassle to acquire suppressors.
 
Last edited:
One of the ranges I go to seems to try to put pistol shooters at one end of the 50 yard line and all the rifle shooters on the other end. I get the general idea, but when I'm trying to shoot my .22 between the cinder block wall and the guy with a 10-in AR and a brake, it can be very difficult to concentrate.
 
The range ninjas who show up with tank brakes on a 5.56 drive me nuts … tacticool ain’t cool. Big thumpers who truly benefit from brakes I can see but other than that … cool is quiet put a can on it!
 
NCFubar said:
The range ninjas who show up with tank brakes on a 5.56 drive me nuts … tacticool ain’t cool. Big thumpers who truly benefit from brakes I can see but other than that … cool is quiet put a can on it!
Click to expand...
5.56 may be a small round but it still benefits from a good brake. I run brakes on most of my AR’s but they’re not bench guns and they usually have a suppressor on them.

Using a large brake on the line, regardless of the caliber, is pretty inconsiderate IMO.
 
Bad enough at an outdoor range, but I've lost track of how many guys have used one in the point next to me at the local 25 yd INDOOR range...
 
Several years ago I attended a class at K&M and was one of only two suppressed rifles. Every time we’d change firing locations people would be fighting to setup next to us trying to avoid the concussive blast from their neighbor. The two of us shooting suppressed finally started going to either end of the line and alternating who would be next to the brake.

1694019318656.png
 
Last edited:
Downeast said:
Recently a friend was shooting a braked AR in .308 in string fire and it was deafening. I was wearing plugs and a muff and even while standing behind him (but to the side!) it was awful. No way would I had wanted to shoot beside him. I wish it wouldn't be such a hassle to acquire suppressors.
Click to expand...
I was shooting next to a guy with an Armalite AR10 in. 308 with a brake. I had to stop shooting and step back until he was done. Every shot seemed to blow something off his bench.
 
If I can't get a good 4 or more benches or lanes of space, I'm done shooting. There was a kid 20ish who showed up with a braked 338 Lapua. The noise under the shelter was unreal....it seemed like the whole roof shook. Decided he was going to shoot steel at 100 yards.....a guy told him it was going to ruin his plate. On the 3rd shot he finally saw the holes in his plate.
 
Brakes suck...and so do the people that use them without a suppressor. Not only are they uncomfortable with hearing protection they are all out dangerous without it.
 
I have brakes on a few weapons and they’re loud as hell but they make a 308 recoil like a 9mm.

So out of courtesy to others I don’t shoot them around other people at the range.

If I’m by myself I’ll shoot them.

The problem isn’t the brake. The problem is common courtesy.
 
Chdamn said:
I have brakes on a few weapons and they’re loud as hell but they make a 308 recoil like a 9mm.

So out of courtesy to others I don’t shoot them around other people at the range.

If I’m by myself I’ll shoot them.

The problem isn’t the brake. The problem is common courtesy.
Click to expand...
Yep. It’s all in how it’s addressed. I don’t shoot on lines (mostly outdoor bays with space) but… I have no problem with someone who tries to get on an end and not shoot next to someone’s ear, and shows some consideration for those around them. OTOH someone who lines up right next to you and just starts hammering out concussion… the equipment itself is not the problem. attitude is everything.
 
I have three ARs with brakes. Two were intentionally built to see how obnoxious they could be. Almost everything else is suppressed.

1. 7.5” 5.56 w/ riot brake
2. 10.5” 12.7x42 (generic Beowulf) with Heartbreaker brake

I don’t sit down in a line to shoot either of them. I simply pull them out to let people see how ridiculous they are.

The third is a 16.5” Beowulf that came with a tank brake. First time I ever shot it was at an indoor range, and I was next to the cement wall. First pull of the trigger and everybody else there poked their heads around the divider like prairie dogs to see what I was shooting. I let everybody there that wanted to take a shot and keep the brass. 🤣
 
Chdamn said:
I have brakes on a few weapons and they’re loud as hell but they make a 308 recoil like a 9mm.

So out of courtesy to others I don’t shoot them around other people at the range.

If I’m by myself I’ll shoot them.

The problem isn’t the brake. The problem is common courtesy.
Click to expand...
This precisely. I have a 308 that is so light that I had to put a brake on it to shoot it. My entire right side was purple without it. I have never taken it to a range. Damn if it isn't accurate though. I probably don't have two boxes through it.
 
Last edited:
We have mid to LR prone matches and generally put 4-6 shooters on the line at a time. We've been playing around with some PRS too, where brakes are not a problem as we usually shoot one at a time. So it's a bit tight and I think in my circumstances if we have 3 or 4 shooters with brakes we will put them together in a second relay. That may be interesting (fun?) to watch as they blast each other because I don't think many of them have ever had a braked rifle go off a few feet from their head. And we shoot 10-20 rounds consecutively per relay. I don't want to turn anyone away but then again I don't want anyone to suffer through a match. Some have suppressors and that really is the way to go.
 
Last edited:
Been helping a friend get his rifle ready for a Canadian Elk hunt. He found out that no suppressors allowed, so now I have to endure a magnum with a brake. This awesome endeavor will be hard to get over, ear protection don't help much. No more brakes on property allowed even on BB guns.
 
Downeast said:
We have mid to LR prone matches and generally put 4-6 shooters on the line at a time. We've been playing around with some PRS too, where brakes are not a problem as we usually shoot one at a time. So it's a bit tight and I think in my circumstances if we have 3 or 4 shooters with brakes we will put them together in a second relay. That may be interesting (fun?) to watch as they blast each other because I don't think many of them have ever had a braked rifle go off a few feet from their head. And we shoot 10-20 rounds consecutively per relay. I don't want to turn anyone away but then again I don't want anyone to suffer through a match. Some have suppressors and that really is the way to go.
Click to expand...
You could make a match rule that braked rifles shoot together. Give the competitors a chance to modify as they see fitt ahead of match.
 
Bigtig82 said:
Brakes suck...and so do the people that use them without a suppressor. Not only are they uncomfortable with hearing protection they are all out dangerous without it.
Click to expand...

Rabbit trail... Does a suppressor used over a brake decrease the effectiveness of the brake?
 
For the type of shooting I do, brakes are a requirement. Or some form of compensator and/or brake.
I am only on a line long enough to sight in my rifles, which I do try to do quickly and during week when no one is around.
Sitting at a bench and punching holes..... keeps my interest for about as long as it takes to sight in a rifle, lol.
Tasting the sweet smack of brakes on a line packed full of people is a place you will never, ever, find me.

The very thing I hate the most: being surrounded by loud echo-y uninsulated metal roofing and stuff while I shoot. Concrete floor. Concrete or metal bench. This is just a unpleasant experience. It's loud AF. Hate being under it and hearing everything just echoing down the lane every shot. Even after using plugs and muffs, standing under something like that for an hour is exhausting and makes my bones rattle for hours afterwords. Don't know how people do it. Brakes certainly don't help there, I hear that!

At any rate, being able to use the gas of the gun for tuning is what I really love about AR's and high powered rifles.
Besides, you don't want to miss the fun of spending hundreds of dollars on the newest magic brake which will surely improve your scores. It's titanium, after all.


Ideally, as mentioned, we'd all have fat cans on our guns.
 
Jerzsubbie said:
5.56 may be a small round but it still benefits from a good brake. I run brakes on most of my AR’s but they’re not bench guns and they usually have a suppressor on them.

Using a large brake on the line, regardless of the caliber, is pretty inconsiderate IMO.
Click to expand...
I am confused. How does it work having a brake and a suppressor on the rifle at the same time? It is my understanding that a brake reduces felt recoil by redirecting escaping gas while a suppressor reduces noise by moderating the escaping gas. It would seem to me that they are at cross purposes and would act against each other. I have a brake on a 338 WM rifle. It was a used rifle that the previous owner fitted with a brake. It is very loud, but the brake does reduce recoil. The brake on a friend's 50 BMG makes it comfortable to shoot but is a terror to people nearby. Does a suppressor reduce felt recoil? I can not see how a suppressor would be a good substitute for a brake.
 
Charlie said:
I am confused. How does it work having a brake and a suppressor on the rifle at the same time? It is my understanding that a brake reduces felt recoil by redirecting escaping gas while a suppressor reduces noise by moderating the escaping gas. It would seem to me that they are at cross purposes and would act against each other. I have a brake on a 338 WM rifle. It was a used rifle that the previous owner fitted with a brake. It is very loud, but the brake does reduce recoil. The brake on a friend's 50 BMG makes it comfortable to shoot but is a terror to people nearby. Does a suppressor reduce felt recoil? I can not see how a suppressor would be a good substitute for a brake.
Click to expand...
They are for different purposes. I shoot suppressed for obvious reasons, saving my hearing and making shooting more pleasant to myself and all others nearby. The added mass of a suppressor helps with muzzle rise but I wouldn’t say it reduces recoil.

Brakes can act as a sacrificial baffle by taking the brunt of the muzzle blast and unburnt powder rather than accelerating wear on the suppressor itself. This is more of a concern on short barrels. Much cheaper and easier to replace a $80 muzzle device than a blast baffle. If suppressors weren’t a lifetime purchase, that might not be a big deal. Like anything, the effect is debatable but that’s the route I chose to go since I had to get a muzzle device either way.
 
Last edited:
Jerzsubbie said:
They are for different purposes. I shoot suppressed for obvious reasons, saving my hearing and making shooting more pleasant to myself and all others nearby. The added mass of a suppressor helps with muzzle rise but I wouldn’t say it reduces recoil.

Brakes can act as a sacrificial baffle by taking the brunt of the muzzle blast and unburnt powder rather than accelerating wear on the suppressor itself. This is more of a concern on short barrels. Much cheaper and easier to replace a $80 muzzle device than a blast baffle. If suppressors weren’t a lifetime purchase, that might not be a big deal. Like anything, the effect is debatable but that’s the route I chose to go since I had to get a muzzle device either way.
Click to expand...
If the brake vents the muzzle blast before the suppressor can moderate it, does the suppressor actually reduce the noise of the muzzle blast?
 
Charlie said:
If the brake vents the muzzle blast before the suppressor can moderate it, does the suppressor actually reduce the noise of the muzzle blast?
Click to expand...
The brake doesn't vent the blast before the suppressor can moderate it, the gas is redirected off the wall of the suppressor and still finds its way out of the same path.
 
There is also some debate on using a brake in a can.
It reduces volume. Volume is what makes a can mo quite.
 
Mr.Gadget said:
There is also some debate on using a brake in a can.
It reduces volume. Volume is what makes a can mo quite.
Click to expand...
In a can the brake ends up being a sacrificial baffle and helps the blast baffle stay alive longer. Probably not an issue for the majority of us low round count non full auto firing people.

@BigWaylon can you even perceive any difference between a can direct thread vs on a QD with a FH of some kind?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom