Muzzle brakes

[Sphawley]

Im new to rifles so please excuse my inexperience, muzzle brakes reduce recoil?

How so? This is only a add on to the tip of the barrel correct? So how does this reduce recoil so significantly??

[bcrash15]

Along with the bullet, there is a very high pressure gas that comes out of the muzzle. The muzzle brakes work by redirecting that high pressure gas backwards with baffles or some other device. When the gas is turned around it follows the conservation of momentum and in turn pushes the rifle forward by acting on the baffle that is redirecting it. This provides a forward impulse to the whole gun (partially counteracting the rearward impulse of the firing recoil) which can act to reduce or change recoil characteristics. I have heard the better designs of muzzle brake can reduce the perceived recoil by approximately 50%.

[lefteyedom]

The down side is that a muzzle break redirects the noise back and to the side of the shooter. There is no free lunch.

[natman]

There are two main components of recoil; the equal and opposite reaction of the bullet going forward and the "jet engine" effect of the high pressure gasses exiting the muzzle.

A muzzle break directs some of the gasses to the side, so there is less pushing backwards. It is most effective on cartridges that have a lot of gas exiting the muzzle, such as a 7mm mag, and less so on rounds like a 45-70.

The downside of a muzzle break is earsplitting blast. Do not fire one unless you and everyone nearby is wearing serious hearing protection.

[Goatwhiskers]

It's not a "break", it's a "brake" as in the brakes on your vehicle, designed to slow down the recoil or rearward motion of the weapon. Goat

[teumessian_fox]

I put one on a 30-06 and it definitely irritated other shooters at the range. A couple guys came down to see what the heck I was shooting.

[threecharley]

the people beside you at the range might give you a smug look! lol

[sc928porsche]

If you are at the range, you should be wearing ear protection along with eye protection. Ive had people complain about the noise level on my muzzle breaked rifles, only to find out that they didnt arrive with good ear protection. I carry sponge earplugs for those who complain and remind them that they souldnt be there without it.

[demigod]

More than just noise, the pressure wave off of the brake can be annoying to near by shooters.

I have a PWS 556 brake on a test and evaluation upper I got from BravoCompanyUSA.com. People hate it when I'm shooting near them.

[Pahoo]

More than just noise, the pressure wave off of the brake can be annoying to near by shooters.

So true and especially for the shooter. You have to look at the port configuration to try and determine where the pressure is going to be directed. Also barrel length comes into play as well. ....

As an example, I have a Super-14 Contender in .223. The ports are directed to push the muzzle down and forward. All for compensation of the muzzle movement. I always wear hearing protection and more than once, the blast has blown my cap off. Don't get me wrong, it's a great shooter. ....

Got what I always wanted but wasn't what I expected. ....

Be Safe !!!

[kiwi56]

So many styles availble these days, some are even advertised as quiet brakes but I have yet to see or hear one of these being used to determine its effectiveness in reducing noise as well as recoil and muzzle jump.

[kiwi56]

A few years ago I fitted a muzzle brake to my D model SKS. The brake I chose was more the type you would find on a hunting rifle than the usual SKS military style brakes. The brake in question looks very similar to one of Dave Gentry's brakes. My reason for fitting the brake was not so much for recoil reduction of which there is very little on the SKS anyway but more for reducing muzzle jump. After witnessing some of the pin on sks brakes come adrift and at the very least contribute to some apalling accuracy I decided to have the barrel threaded for the installation of a screw on brake. On first firing the recoil and muzzle jump reduction was very noticable but then again so was the noise. My wife commented that there was now no difference between the noise level of the SKS and my 24 inch barrelled 30-06. Thinking she was exagerating I got her to fire off shots from either rifle while I stood off about fifty yards to the side. The difference in noise level of each rifle was not noticable by the human ear.
I still feel that the exercise was worthwhile as I use the SKS for shooting feral goats, what the brake allows you to do is keep the animal in the scope after the shot was fired and move to the next target more quickly before the animals start to run. I dare say that with extra noise being generated to the sides there may very well be less noise heading in the direction of your intended targets which could be a plus. I have not been game to stand in front of the rifle to find this out especially with a large insurance policy and the wife pulling the trigger.

[Dearhunter61]

I agree with all the others that they will definately reduce felt recoil. But I also agree that there is a pretty big price to pay when you put one on your rifle.

I have thought long and hard about getting one put on my 7mag and 300mag but I decided against it...why? Because I cannot stand to sit next to someone at the range who has one on his rifle and while he is shooting it I get blasted by the sound and the pressure wave that smacks me each time they fire them. I was raised to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" and so since I do not like getting blasted by these rifles I choose not to blast anyone else.

So instead I went down and bought me a led sled. I do not feel the recoil at the range and when I hunt I never feel the recoil when I shoot deer.

[ducktail]

I have seen them blow a lot of sand and trash back at the shooter and nearby people.

One fella I know shot at a deer 25 yards from the stand one evening. He could not see where it went as he was blinded by the flash. Took a couple of hours to find it.

[kiwi56]

Another down side is on a rifle with an already long barrel of say 24 or 26 inches the rifle is getting a little unwieldy by the time you add another 3 inches of length to it. Porting the original barrel with something like Magna Port is probably a better option.

[kiwi56]

The problems associated with brakes particularly the shockwave and blast is relative to the size of the cartridge that the brake is being used on. At one of my range sessions we had a guy in the middle off the firing line using a braked 223 and at one end of the firing line we had a 416 Remington Magnum and at the other a 50 BMG, those two rifles were causing other shooters far more of a problem than the braked 223. The concussion of both of those rifles were so bad we had flakes of rust and dust coming down off the inside of the iron roof as well as dust coming up off the ground, this never happened when the 223 was fired. Even though we were all wearing hearing protection it was obvious that the ported 223 was still the quieter of those three rifles.

[haley]

I'm an Air Force firearms instructor (CATM). We have a Barrett .50 that we regularly take to the range. The concussion from that beast if you are standing at a 45 degree angle is like getting punched in the nose.