Best Muzzle Brake for 300 Win Mag | Reviewed 2024

A good muzzle brake can change the experience of shooting a heavy-recoiling rifle completely. So, many shooters turn to them to make shooting easier and to save their shoulders in the range.

Today, we’re going to take a look at the best muzzle brakes for .300 Win Mag. We’re going to go over the top options out there on the market right now, as well as how to choose the best one to meet your specific needs.

I’m Megan, and I’m going to be reviewing the best muzzle brakes of 2022. Let’s dive right in.

Best Muzzle Brakes

1. Precision Armament M11 Severe-Duty Muzzle Brake

The Precision Armament M11 Severe-Duty Muzzle Brake is probably a familiar sight to anyone that has spent time at a Precision Rifles Series match. This is one of the go-to muzzle brakes for competitors, and you’ll see it on a variety of rifles of different calibers.

You have two different options when it comes to color – matte white and black DLC coated. The overall design is a compensated dual-baffle setup that is similar to classic brake designs. 

Where the M11 differs from the classic brakes is that the former has been designed with a huge amount of computer assistance to increase the strength-to-weight ratio, as well as to reduce recoil and ground disturbance.

From a machining perspective, Precision Armament has put some serious thought into this. The major steps to build a brake like this, including boring and threading, are performed in a single operation, which guarantees you get a concentric bore once the brake is attached. 

If you’re not a machinist, this just means your bore will always be perfectly lined up so you won’t have a round strike the inside of the brake. It also means that you can design your baffles to minimize any potential disturbance to the round, which is how you maintain accuracy and consistency from shot to shot.

2. Area 419 Sidewinder Magnum Muzzle Brake

One of the biggest issues while installing a muzzle brake is correctly timing the brake. Timing refers to the way the brake is threaded on and its orientation once it is fully installed. The Area 419 Sidewinder fixes a lot of these problems.

This is absolutely vital because if the ports of the brake aren’t oriented properly, it isn’t going to work. 

All you have to do is torque the included adapter onto the barrel. After that, left-hand thread the brake and collar assembly onto the adapter until it’s almost tightened, and then rotate the brake until it is level. Push the brake into the adapter, and you’ll feel the taper lock engage. The last step is to tighten the collar afterward, and you’re ready to shoot. 

This greatly simplifies one of the most frustrating aspects of installing a muzzle brake on your own. This also makes sure you don’t need a gunsmith or any tool to install it. 

One other thing to note is that there is no top porting on this, but the side ports are angled so that they also help prevent muzzle rise as well as rearward motion. This clever design simplifies the machining of the brake, making it a little cheaper for the buyer.

Finally, the ports are designed to decrease in size the further you get away from the muzzle. It is more efficient and makes for a shorter and lighter brake. 

It may not make a huge difference, but on an already long-barreled and heavy gun, anything that reduces length and weight is a welcome addition.

3. American Precision Arms Little Bastard

Magnum rifles are, by nature, large and heavy. Lightening them where you can is a great way to make hunting and even competition more pleasant, and the American Precision Arms Little Bastard offers a great compromise between weight savings and performance. 

The other big selling point for the Little Bastard is the tunable top port, called the Unique Recoil Profile port. This adjustable port allows you to fine-tune the brake to your specific rifle and chosen ammunition, which helps eliminate reticle movement and maintain a visual of the target.

Other than that, this is a fairly standard brake that threads on and is secured with set screws tightened with an Allen wrench. Its performance is excellent and incredibly competitive for the weight and size of the brake. 

The smaller version here adds a fourth port to make up for the performance difference between this brake and the larger version, the Fat Bastard. The larger version is definitely a worthwhile option too.

Timing the brake isn’t too difficult, and it includes an upgraded lock nut design that prevents it from over-rotating during installation. This is a great way to keep the install from being too finicky and makes tightening it down easier if you aren’t used to this kind of thing.

Finally, the brake is self-timing, so you don’t have to worry about shims or crush washers, making the installation even easier. APA even gives you a thread locker in the box to make sure you don’t have to go out and buy any to keep the brace from working loose under recoil. A notable feature. 

4. VG6 Precision Lambda PRS30 Muzzle Brake

The Lambda PRS30 is another brake that you’ll see frequently at competitions and one many pros use. It uses a two-piece design that makes it easy to install. There is the brake and a jam nut, making installation very straightforward and simple. 

This is also one of the most efficient and effective designs on this list. On a .308 rifle, it virtually eliminates muzzle rise. On a .300 WM, the recoil is reduced to a very comfortable level that allows you to keep your eyes on the target entirely through the recoil cycle.

VG6 uses a computer modeling-assisted design, which has made the Lambda one of the most popular brake designs on the market. It’s been copied and reiterated at least a dozen times throughout the industry. 

The first of the four ports allows gas to flow to the side uninhibited, and then the remaining three direct gas to the rear in order to eliminate felt recoil. This eliminates much of the shock that you feel and makes a huge difference when it comes to keeping your eyes on the target during your shot.

I have to confess; this is my personal favorite brake on this list and the one that lives on my competition rifle full time. It didn’t make the top spot because of the way we scored things, but it was so close that this easily could have been our top pick overall. 

Still, this is an excellent brake that we all love and one that has been on many championship-winning rifles at major national competitions featuring some of the best shooters in the world. 

And the fact that it isn’t particularly expensive has a great warranty and durable finish, and VG6 has some of the best customer support in the industry certainly doesn’t hurt either.

5. Yankee Hill Slant

If you’ve been looking at some of the listings we’ve had thus far and thought, “wow, that’s great, but way too expensive,” we’ve got you covered. The Yankee Hill Slant is a great multi-caliber brake tuned for .30 caliber projectiles.

It’s partially a compensator to reduce muzzle rise and partially a brake, to reduce the actual felt recoil and shock to your shoulder. This combination makes it great for keeping your eyes on the target and reducing the natural flinch response.

This makes it a good one for competition, as well as a great choice for hunters. Any application where your follow-up shot could be vital and where you need to spot your own hits and misses is a great place for this one.

It is also crafted very efficiently out of heat-treated steel that has been chosen specifically for this application, which not only means you get a solid brake, but you get it at an extremely competitive price point. This is cheaper than many intermediate-cartridge brakes that are much smaller and provide less recoil reduction.

There is no need for assistance with timing or installation, just a crush washer. That means you’ll need a few tools, but it’s not very difficult. However, I would recommend picking up a second crush washer if you’re not used to this.

Lastly, the finish is a Melonite QPQ that is extremely resistant to scratches and corrosion. Again, the finish on a brake really matters because it’s one of the parts you’re most likely to scrape on things, especially if you’re a hunter or competitive shooter.

6. Ultradyne APOLLO Muzzle Brake

The Ultradyne APOLLO is another popular one in competitions, and we’ve seen them on multiple championship-winning rifles. We’ve also seen them on a number of rifles carried by professional hunters. 

This is a magnum-specific brake, so it’s been designed specifically for a long range shooting magnum round like .300 WM. It adds a lot of weight and length to your rifle, but it also has a huge impact on the recoil that you feel on your shoulder. 

Installation is quick and simple with included jam nut and collar, so you don’t need a gunsmith or special tools to install the Apollo, which average shooters will definitely appreciate. 

We haven’t been able to objectively test the maximum recoil reduction for ourselves, but in subjective testing with different brakes on the same rifle, this was one of the most effective at eliminating felt recoil. It didn’t cut muzzle rise as much as a more compensator-style device, but it still excelled there. 

The large ports at the end of the brake do a lot to help reduce the rise of the muzzle, which, when combined with the excellent recoil reduction, means that you get far less reticle movement when you’re firing with the APOLLO. This is great for follow-up shots and for spotting your own hits and misses.

This makes it a fantastic option for both hunters and competitors who need to see their target all the way through until the rifle is done recoiling. Seeing your effect on the target is a huge part of both of these sports and is something that everyone will appreciate at the range as well.

Lastly, it has a stylish black nitride finish, and the metal underneath is 416 stainless, making this one of the most durable and corrosion-resistant muzzle devices on the market right now. If you’re rough on your guns and gear, this may be the place to look for you.

7. Precision Armament M4-72 Severe-Duty Compensator

If you want a muzzle brake that will work for multiple calibers, the Precision Armament M4-72 Severe-Duty is a great option. 

The .308 version will handle any .30 caliber round up to .338 Lapua Magnum, making this perfect for guns that can barrel swap to a new caliber or for shooters who have multiple firearms in .30 caliber that they want a brake for. It’ll also work well for .22 and .25 caliber rounds.

This one also does a great job of eliminating dust signature, which is a blessing for anyone on the firing line next to you, and also ideal for tactical shooters looking to upgrade an issued rifle. It uses a primarily up and rearward-facing port system to reduced recoil and eliminate that dust signature as well.

They’re also available in a variety of different finishes, all based on CrCN Ionbond coating, so you can choose something that blends with your rifle and barrel or get something that stands out. 

Either way, the finish is incredibly durable and difficult to scratch and is almost completely corrosion-proof. Since the muzzle is one of the areas most likely to get dinged up on your rifle, this ultra-durable finish is a great addition to an already great brake.

It also has one of the highest-rated recoil reductions at 75% for a matching .308 caliber round and around 60% for most magnum calibers. Not bad at all for a multi-caliber brake that can fit onto multiple rifles.

8. Masterpiece Arms Bolt Action .30 Caliber Muzzle Brake

Lastly, we have another one of my personal favorites, the MPA .30 Caliber Muzzle Brake. This is one of the highest-performing brakes on the market right now and could easily have been our #1 pick if we’d scored a little differently.

It is designed specifically for precision rifle shooters Series and other similar competitions for eliminating muzzle movement. This brake reduces recoil by a carefully-measured 63%, bringing .300 WM rounds down to something under an un-braked .308. That’s a serious performance gain.

It’s also a serious advantage on the competition field, where spotting hits and misses is of paramount importance, as are the speed and accuracy of follow-up shots. Being able to stay on target and follow through effectively is a key skill when you get into the competition, and this brake helps immensely with that.

Attaching and timing the brake is simple and uses a traditional jam nut collar that you might be familiar with from other devices. There are also machined flats on the base of the brake to help make it easier to install, as opposed to other brakes that are fully round. 

This eliminates the need for shims and ensures that the interior bore of the brake is perpendicular to the muzzle and therefore aligned with the bore of the barrel. This is important for reasons we discussed earlier; you definitely don’t want a round striking your brake. 

Overall, this brake is one of the best-performing ones out there and is one that you’ll see quite frequently at PRS competitions and on the rifles of serious, professional competitors.

9. .300 Win Mag Muzzle Brake Buying Guide

Machining Quality

First and foremost, the machining quality of your muzzle brake is the most critical thing. We’ve seen cheap brakes made in back-alley machine shops, and they tend to have some problems. 

Even among “real” manufacturers, we’ve seen threading issues, ports with sharp edges, and other finishing issues.

Always do your research with any company you aren’t familiar with, especially when it comes to ammunition. 

Materials

When it comes to muzzle brakes, there are only two main options: steel or titanium. Steel options are typically stainless and thus easy to clean, though they are heavier. They’re also much easier to machine and cheaper overall.

Titanium is lighter, stronger, and almost as easy to clean but more expensive in terms of raw materials and machining. 

Which material you choose is entirely up to you, as there are no negatives to either. 

Port Design

The way the ports are facing and how they are designed on any muzzle brake or compensator is going to have a huge impact on the way the brake functions. 

The main thing is that you ensure that your brake is, in fact, a brake and not a compensator, and see where the ports are and how they’re set up. The force should be redirected to the sides and back. 

Weight

Weight is important to consider when we’re talking about rifles. The barrel of your average .300 Win Mag is probably 20” or 22”, which is an extremely long lever to be putting weight on.

.30-caliber muzzle brakes are large, especially magnum caliber ones, so you’re potentially putting a lot of weight at the end of a long lever, which is going to make it feel much heavier than it is.

At the end of the day, the amount of weight you’re willing to deal with is going to come down to what exactly you’re doing with your rifle. For example, bench-rest shooters likely aren’t worried about this, but backcountry hunters almost certainly are. 

Price

Finally, while it probably isn’t going to be the most expensive part of your rifle, a muzzle brake can still cost quite a bit. The brakes we’ve listed are all great value for the money, but some of them are definitely more expensive than others.

We definitely recommend budgeting carefully for any rifle build and to always being realistic about how much you shoot, how much you can spend, and how much extra performance you need.

With that said, a quality muzzle brake can mean an enormous amount of increased performance. The ability to carefully spot your hits and misses due to decreased reticle movement is an enormous advantage to any shooter.

It’ll save your shoulder from a beating too.

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Final Thoughts

A good muzzle brake can be a game-changer for a .300 Win Mag rifle. There’s a reason you see just about every competitive shooter running a brake on their magnum-caliber rifle.

If you’re looking to put a brake on your own gun to up your rifle’s performance, our number one pick is still the Precision Armament M11 Severe-Duty Muzzle Brake, thanks to its great recoil reduction, awesome machining quality, and value for the money. That said, all the options on this list are great in their own right and for different reasons.All you have to do now is decide which one best meets your needs and go from there. Whichever one you go with, you can rest assured you’re getting a quality brake that will serve you well for years to come.