Which magnum rifle

[DisplacedHusky]

Suppressor > brake. It seems like the first page of responses was very pro brake. You mentioned you have not been around very many. They are miserable. If you hint together and you are on either side of him you won’t enjoy the new rifle as well. @omicron1792 brought up some good points and I think a suppressor would a good investment.

 

[pacoalcracker]

If he desires a 300mag he won't be happy until he gets one. But we already knew that. As others have stated, get a suppressor on it. I have and like both the 300mag and the 7PRC. The heavier weight will help a lot with the recoil too.

 

[Sled]

This is not me kidding but being serious.

Lot of data coming out about concussive blasts with firearms causing cte. I would be very careful with having a kid whose brain is still forming shooting a big boomer. Especially with a muzzle brake.

I would suppress it at the very least, and consider a smaller caliber until he is an adult.

My informed opinion.

You're not kidding. Some folks I work with started studying the micro concussions you get from small explosions and artillery overpressure. They presented their findings at IKAR (International Commission of Alpine Rescue) a year ago. It all adds up.

 

[Sled]

Absolutely nothing. I love the 257 but it’s my gun and he wants his own. Just your average 15 year old wanting bigger and better than dad

If he wants a magnum, look at a smaller caliber. 270wsm, 6.5prc, 6saum would all send a projectile to kill elk with the added benefit of being a magnum.

Muzzlebrake -
I've killed only 1 animal with ear protection and a muzzlebrake. It was unsatisfactory for how I hunt. My other senses got no stronger when I took away hearing. Couldn't hear the impact or the woods with the plugs in. I've only shot a braked gun without ear pro once. I decided that won't ever happen again.

Suppressor -
Too many benefits to not use one, imo. I'll let someone else sell you on it, since there are many of those threads on here.

 

[NWBLKTAIL]

I would 100% get something with a suppressor.

Or get the brake and have him shoot a couple boxes of ammo in a day with that braked 300 win mag.
When his head is bumping for the next 2 hours he might pick the 7-08 back up.

If there’s no other choice than a magnum I’d at least look at smaller calibers pushing lighter bullets like your 257 bee. Make it weigh around or over 10lbs with a can and at least it would be shootable and enjoyable.

 

[Dfou]

So after reading the info in this thread I think we’re probably gonna go with the HMR in 7prc since it comes with a 24” barrel instead of the 26” on the 300 win mag. Assuming the 24” will be better suited for a suppressor.
What’s everyone’s go to suppressors and recommendation on ammo in 7 PRC for whitetail

I’m gonna give it one more try to convince him a Seekins in 6.5 PRC is a better idea but he’s pretty strong willed lol

 

[greyghostnw]

22” magnum with a 9”ish suppressor balances well in hand. Definitely not 26” that will nose dive and be rough to carry. Never tried 24” personally.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

So after reading the info in this thread I think we’re probably gonna go with the HMR in 7prc since it comes with a 24” barrel instead of the 26” on the 300 win mag. Assuming the 24” will be better suited for a suppressor.
What’s everyone’s go to suppressors and recommendation on ammo in 7 PRC for whitetail

I’m gonna give it one more try to convince him a Seekins in 6.5 PRC is a better idea but he’s pretty strong willed lol

Air Lock Zero Gravity 7mm

6.5 PRC is pretty freaking sweet though, it's worth suggesting.

Zero Gravity 7mm - Airlock Industries, LLC

airlockindustries.com

 

[Maverick1]

Just get him a 50 BMG and level him up on the man scale. Haha.

 

[North of 60]

Air Lock Zero Gravity 7mm

6.5 PRC is pretty freaking sweet though, it's worth suggesting.

Zero Gravity 7mm - Airlock Industries, LLC

airlockindustries.com

The combo i'm working on currently, just deciding on which make of rifle

 

[Chris in TN]

Regardless of caliber, anything over a 20" barrel on a bolt action rifle, is going to be bulky and clumsy to carry and shoot, with a can on the end.

Even with a 20" with a can you'll have to fight a tendency for the rifle to slip around on your shoulder when slung, because of the weight of the can up front (top?). There's no way I'd build a rifle with more than 20" of barrel for use with a can, and no way I'd build a new rifle that wasn't going to have a can.

I still believe the ideal balance here is going to be around an 18" barrel with the shortest and lightest can you can afford. Shoot whatever cartridge it takes to get the ballistics you think you need. In your case I'd start with a 6mmCreedmoor and go no higher than a 7PRC and even that would only be a concession to the kid's desire to have something bigger than he needed. Perhaps compromise on 6.5PRC.

Again, though, any barrel over 20" will feel like an albatross around his neck once he puts a can on it.

 

[Choupique]

seems like the first page of responses was very pro brake. You mentioned you have not been around very many. They are miserable

This. Brakes are awful. Bare muzzle and take the lick, or suppressor. Borrow a .300 from someone and try before you buy. Make sure the kid understands recoil tolerance isnt about how bad it hurts. No self respecting teenage boy is going to admit it hurts. Its about whether or not you can actually hit anything with it.

The only way id use a brake would be a big long range job like a 338 norma with a 30+" barrel. They are terrible and the bigger the boomer the worse it is. A big belted mag on a short-ish barrel with a brake is horrendous.

 

[MuleyFever]

I am all for people shooting what they want. I would be curious why he thinks he wants a big magnum. I have a 7PRC I shoot suppressed and I hate shooting that rifle compared to my 6 or 25 Creeds. I would say this may be a good time to teach your son about ballistics, bullets and how they work. Compare what rounds from other cartridges from 22CM to 6.5PRC do compared to a 7 PRC round, including felt recoil numbers. Show him the threads on here that vividly show what 22, 6mm, 6.6mm and 25cal bullets actually do.

Regarding breaks, never again will I shoot with a break. I would rather take the recoil that the effects on my head/hearing.

 

[River Reaper]

Seekins Havak Element M3 7PRC with Nomad Ti XC suppressor is really fun to shoot. Recoil is very manageable. Shot 1 was cold barrel/cold me. Outshoots my abilities to shoot a lightweight magnum.

I also own a non-threaded Sako 300WM. Not nearly as fun to shoot as a suppressed rifle. Think I’d throw it away if it had a muzzle brake (hyperbole). Suppressors make shooting so much more enjoyable. I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to tell much difference between the 300wm and 7PRC if the 300 was threaded and suppressed, as far as recoil. Might do it one day, but moving more towards other calibers myself.

 

[wapitibob]

So after reading the info in this thread I think we’re probably gonna go with the HMR in 7prc since it comes with a 24” barrel instead of the 26” on the 300 win mag. Assuming the 24” will be better suited for a suppressor.
What’s everyone’s go to suppressors and recommendation on ammo in 7 PRC for whitetail

I’m gonna give it one more try to convince him a Seekins in 6.5 PRC is a better idea but he’s pretty strong willed lol

I have an DD enticer Lti on a 24" 7PRC, no issues at all, I hunt open country. I also shot hundreds of rounds with brakes, no issues with ear pro and only a few rounds but a long range day fireforming brass I now have tinnitus. No reason to not have a suppressor with the fast approval and especially, a young shooter with good hearing.

 

[Fatcamp]

My wife shot a .300 for years. Lightweight Savage. We bought it thinking we needed it for elk and she shot it very well so used it for years. MOA rifle and with 165gr loads it wasn't horrible. Sold it recently as she is getting older and having some health concerns.

We realized early on that it was unnecessary but just the satisfaction of shooting small groups with it at the range was worth it. Old boys always had some comment about it until they looked through their spotters at her groups. Nobody had much to say then.

And honestly I think shooting big calibers offhand is fun. Little taste of those dangerous game dudes from the turn of the last century.

Traded one of my muzzleloaders for a .223 copy of it and mounted a 6X SWFA.

 

[greyghostnw]

Interesting discussion on brakes and noise. Ear protection. Same thing needed for pistols and most suppressed firearms. Brakes never bothered me with noise. The air that comes back ya when proan. Brakes take a otherwise uncomfortable experience into a non issue with recoil. Brakes on suppressors best of both worlds imop…As far as magnums… simply more fun. Small cartridges are boring imop. Shooting at distance a 6.5 barely makes steel move on a chain, a 300 rum smacks nearly ripping steel off chain and swings for a while say 1000 yards it dosnt need data or anything to see that with your eyes…Many rounds of either… its all relative to what you want out of it.

 

[Marbles]

Depends on a lot, money, his personality, the dynamics between you two, your philosophy, Etc.

From reading the thread.

Get him what he wants, an HMR in 300 WM. Offer to cut and thread for a muffler, but let him pick barrel length and such, have him pick out the can as well (not a scythe though). Forcing a middling choice on him will likely result in the worst of everything with him still wanting more, but loosing the benefits of lower recoil.

Consider setting him up to learn. Offer some advice about recoil, then see if he still wants the 300 WM (he probably will). Then, before he ever shoots it, make him record accuracy with the 7mm-08 in positions he uses hunting. Hand him a few hundred practice rounds of 300 WM, keep a supply of practice rounds for the 7mm-08 as well, and retest accuracy with both at 6 months, as well as seeing which one he puts more rounds through.





Disclaimer: The above is not how I would opt to do things. Rather it is an attempt to fit advice to the individuals based on limited information from this thread. Advice is dangerous, if I was wiser I would probably be smart enough to hold my thumb (I'm typing this on a cell phone), but unfortunately for Rokslide I am not wise.

 

[mt terry d]

My 15 YO son is wanting a bigger rifle.

(I confess I have not read the whole thread yet)

Has he explained why?

 

[TaperPin]

I keep two brakes in case someone wants to try one out, but I don’t shoot anything with one, and I don’t like going to the range or hunting with anyone who has one. I get a good chuckle at magnum friendly forums that almost consider it fighting words if you say anything negative about brakes, or they try to convince you there’s no difference in sound level, as if they have have never been around a brake in real life.

The conclusive blast affects me more than recoil, so I don’t use them on the larger cartridges. As a purely practical hunting thing, forgetting ear pro can mean you are gun shy about the first round, or if it’s so exciting you have ear pro and forget to put it on, after the first shot you may not be able to get a second shot off accurately. Shooting meat bucks or cows it may not be a big deal to let one walk for such a reason, another is not far away, but when holding out for antler size, sometimes for years, letting the buck of a lifetime walk because of something so predictable and easy to avoid didn’t make sense. I do know guys who practice with them and hunt without, and plenty of guys who use them always and it doesn’t seem to be an issue.

Radial brakes with holes all around kick up so much dust when shot prone they are the worst kind. Vents out the side are better, but the best also have adjustable top vents to reduce muzzle climb. Brakes also come in all sizes with reduced size also reducing recoil less.

Gunsmiths have been machining brake holes in the actual barrel for as long as I’ve been alive. I even tried it with a 7 mag when brakes were hot and in every magazine, but ended up selling it.

Brakes are one of those things that’s fun to try. They are such eat splitters and with cumulative effects of conclusive blasts being better known all the time, it wouldn’t surprise me if they are eventually outlawed.