SmallCaliberCentral

I know the 204 has no kick but as far as seeing the hits threw the scope do you think a muzzle break would help? I heard it would turn a 204 almost into a 22 mag. I have a heavy 1/14" 22" long shilen barrel and off the bags I still lose the hits threw the scope ( I was surprised). Any input on this?

Just cowboy up and shoot that mean kickin' SOB.

For the most part you should be able to hold so that you will see at least 90% of the shots through your scope with the .204 without a break. Every once in a while you will get loose and miss the show but I wouldn't add a muzzle break as it will make things much louder. A muzzle break makes since for something like the 22-250 as she bucks harder and I find that I only see about 70% of the time. Try some different hold techniques and see how it goes. In the end it however comes down to what makes you happy, not what a bunch of internet experts think! Hope that helps. Gary

CUSTOM12U--Are you shooting a .204 Ruger rifle with a 22" sporter weight barrel? That could account for why your are losing the sight picture when you squeeze off the shot. I have not had any problem watching hits through my Leupold VX-III 6.5-20x40mm long range scope even when it is turned up to 20x (which is where it is most of the time) while shooting prairie dogs. However, my rifle is a Savage 12VLP with a heavy 26" barrel and it is rock steady, mainly due to the weight.

If you do have a sporter weight barrel, you might have to go to a muzzle brake to enable you to see your hits. However, you may not be able to talk anyone into going shooting with you if they have to be alongside you when you shoot that braked barrel!!!!

Where did you find a Shilen .204 Ruger barrel with a 1 in 14" twist? Shilen doesn't list them on their Web site--they list 9, 10, and 12 twist barrels, but no 14 twist in .204 caliber. Does that 1 in 14" twist barrel handle anything heavier than a 32 grain bullet with any accuracy? How is it with 35 gr. Bergers, 39 gr. Sierras or any of the 40 gr. bullets?

My fault. It is a 1 in 12 twist. I wanted to put 1 1/4"OD for the over all barrel size and NOT 1/14. Did not want the 1" bull so went larger.

I had it on a rest and also bipod with a bag in the rear and every shot lost the point of aim. After looking it over I see the stock does not fit the rear bag at all so that could have been the problem.

I was just wondering if anyone has done it and if it would reduce it to almost nothing. I am going to try it again this weekend and see what I can do with it. I put 60 rounds threw it so far with factory 32 gr hornaday ammo and was getting 1/4" at 100 so I think hand loads will tighten it up quite a bit.

Remington have a model in 204 that has an integral muzzel brake. Maybe the one with the triangular barrel??

I read an article about it somewhere. If I can find it later I will post the reviewers comments for ya.

Sam in Perth wrote:Remington have a model in 204 that has an integral muzzel brake. Maybe the one with the triangular barrel??

That would be the Remmy VTR.

Custom: If you're shooting a 204 with a barrel OD of 1.250", use a decent front rest and rear bag, good hold, there's no reason in the world why you could not see your hits. With a semi-truck axle of a barrel, the weight alone of that tube should hold you more than steady enough to see any 204 hit. My lightest 204 shows the hits when shooting off the bags no problem. Maybe your hold/technique on the rifle is the issue? One of my bench guns is a Holland-built custom M700 in 223 Ackley, weights 11 lbs, and even shooting 50 grainers, it is no problem to see all my hits, and it "recoils" more than any of my 204's.

No way would I ever consider putting a brake on a 204 Ruger (unless you like shooting alone......) JMO

Hotshot wrote:Just cowboy up and shoot that mean kickin' SOB.

Now that was funny!!! Hold her tight and hang on for the ride!!

CUSTOM12U,
I have a friend who shoots the "braked" VTR, not only is it loud but, the report is EXTREMELY harsh! Even he finds it offensive.

With my Howa 204 with a 1 in. bull barrel, I have no problem seeing my hits on squirrels, and when shooting squirrels, I am shooting off a Varminters rest, not a bag and front rest. I just find this setup to be easier and faster to get on targets out in the field. I am even able to see most of my hits out in the field with my 223, with a sporter barrel.

When I discussed options with Mike Milli on my AR upper in .204 Ruger, all I knew about muzzle brakes was they are supposed to lower recoil, or keep the tip of the barrel from jumping as much or at all. I never considered they might make the report get reflected back to the shooter or bystanders. I had done quite a bit of research on the 204, so I knew the cartridge had little to no recoil anyway, but figured I might was well try it. Mike's design is kind of unique compared to the typical brake or flash hider you see on most AR-15's. It is louder, but still not as loud as a .270Win or something bigger.

The ports on top are about 1/16" wide slots. Mike makes the brake (he calls it a compensator) from cut off barrel stock, and threads it on, although you can't see the joint when finished. Notice the false muzzle (you can see blue dissolved copper inside the chamber at the end of the barrel). It annoys me a little that it's impossible to clean thoroughly inside the muzzle brake, but Mike says not to worry about it. Any cleaning solution left in that chamber will be blown out on the first shot. It would also take a long time to build up enough gunk to effect the bullet exiting. I've thought the downside of this design may be the work involved in recrowning the barrel. Mike said the threads in the compensator would get destroyed removing it. I've also wondered whether it wouldn't have been better to aim the exhaust gases up and to the sides at a 45 degree angle, instead of in line with your view in the scope. I see my hits just fine, but didn't have much to go on when I ordered it this way.

BabaOriley wrote:...I never considered they might make the report get reflected back to the shooter or bystanders....

You're diverting gasses that are moving faster than the speed of sound 90° from the path of the bullet. Along with the hot gas, there's also a shock wave coming out of those ports. Shock waves do tend to annoy some folks.

That's why I was going to suggest a suppressor instead of a muzzle brake. Yes, a suppressor also stabilizes the muzzle on bullet exit, just like a brake, but bystanders usually welcome the side effects of a "can."

A brake is more effective at damping muzzle movement but you don't have much in the .204 dampen to start with. I have a .22 suppressor and several rimfires with threaded barrels and, believe it or don't, it makes a lot of difference to how "active" they are, and how easy it is to keep the crosshairs squarely on the bulls-eye shot-to-shot.

Of course, a can is more expensive than a brake ($500-600 and up), plus the transfer tax ($200), plus the paperwork (threats to state security need not apply), plus waiting +/- six months on the Feds to process your paperwork.

But long term, I can pretty well guarantee you'll prefer it over a brake.

Thanks all. No break for me. It would not be worth it. Thanks again for the info.

Good choice on not putting a brake on it. My brother put one on his T/C 204 barrel so he could see the hits better. I had to switch to over the ear hearing protection and I could feel the air hit me on every shot. It really did not effect the recoil that much. He would not put one on it again.

http://www.youtube.com/user/SHLowlight# ... qFH0A7Py1Q

http://www.youtube.com/user/SHLowlight# ... jG1JZxiui0

I can see most of my hits with my .243 AI off of a bipod doing this. Also, make sure you have your natural point of aim set, or else that wont work as well.