309 JDJ Brake or no brake?

Hey guys, I'll be ordering a new 14" contender barrel from ssk soon in 309 JDJ. I was wondering if an arrestor brake will be in order for this one or magna porting or perhaps no brake at all? Thanks in advance!

Mine is Magnaported and it definitely helps keep the muzzle rise under control. Is it "needed", no, but it's definitely nice to have and I would do it again.

None needed. I have a .338JDJ#2 w/ no brake.....and would do it again. IMO...get it and shoot it first. If you need it, then send it back to be added. Once it is there, then there is no going back.

I have one with the Mag-na-port and one without. They both shoot great. The one with the Mag-Na-Port can be shot a lot more at the bench with out pain in the hand. I hunt mostly with the one without due to less noise.
I had my 45-70 done by SSK with the arrestor break and it is great to shoot.
My 375JDJ has Mag-Na-Port- 4 slots. It only hurts if I shoot the 260's.
I had my 338JDJ#2 with a MagNaBreak that would screw on and off like they put onthe rifles. It was very loud and didn't seem to help much.
Good luck- you will love the 309JDJ- it will shoot and kill way out there. Pigs, Deer, Elk, Beer- anything I guess if you choose the right bullet.
Mike

Why beat yourself up. I had a .308 that came with a thread protector so it could be shot without the brake. I tried that ONCE

I have one ported from magnaport. but I wear plugs always so it doesn't matter. I don't know that it's needed but it is nice to shoot. By far my favorite barrel. Tackdriver!!

No brake. Had one since they came out. Very manageable. No pain.

No brake or porting on mine and it is very manageable. Good luck with whatever you decide!

I have no brake on my .309 JDJ, nor do I have one on my .308 XP.
The answer to whether you want one, depends upon your recoil tolerance. I do have MNP or Arrestors on my .338 JDJ No. 2, two .375 JDJ's and .45-70, and I'm glad I do.
FWIW,in my opinion the Arrestor is much more effective than the Mag-na-porting.

Thanks for all the responses! I have 375 JDJ with arrestor and TC 45-70 with hunter mod brake. I love shooting both but wasn't sure if it would be needed with the lighter bullet weights of the 309.

I will quote JD, Under .375 Mag-na-port, over .375 brake; .375 even. I have .338 JDJ with 4 slots a real kitten. Just got 16' 45-70 encore barrel back with Magna-brake. Sure hope it helps. Have 7mm-08 encore nothing needed. Had 14" 30-30 Ackley contender without anything. Did not need anything.

I appreciate the relief offered by a braked barrel, but that's just me. Why beat yourself up? Tame the recoil for the trade off of increased concussion & noise. Six of one ...

Ellis,
You just need to do what you want.
If, you are looking for a good amount of felt recoil reduction, a good muzzle brake beats Mag-Na-Port all day long--Been there and done that.

I agree with 500WE and Ernie, if you are looking for recoil reduction max, it will be tough to beat the arrestor break. The porting was already done on my 309 when I bought it. I doubt I would have ordered it that way. I ordered my 375 with no porting of any kind but with the heavies, its sort of nasty in the torque department. It will most likely go to MI for some ports down the road. My 375-06 JDJ had the arrestor brake and it worked amazingly well. I will say though, my 309 is just a baby doll to shoot. On those long shots in W KS, its nice and the noise isn't an issue.

I have a 7mm-08 competitor with a brake. I have shot it with and without it. Sure it is louder with the brake but it is also more fun to shoot. It is too loud to shoot without hearing protection with or without the brake. I don't think their brake is all that good of a design to start with. I am contemplating trying a Holland brake and switching to a rifle scope on it. I could add a suppressor or screw the thread protector on and pretend it never had a brake. Once the barrel is threaded it opens up a lot of options but you don't have to use them.

I agree completely.

I had a 375 JDJ barrel with a brake. Hated that damn thing. Loud was an understatement.

Sold it and bought one without. No regrets.

I have a 309 JDJ in a 14" contender barrel with no brake. The recoil is very manageable, IMHO.