Muzzle Brakes

[ak2323]

Anyone use them? I was shooting at the range (outdoor) today next to 3 guys shooting a .308 on an AR platform with a muzzle break on it. It was an extraordinarily loud experience but hey, it's a public range and I don't begrudge it at all.

I have a .308 and think the recoil is quite mild (I do have magnums though so maybe it is relative). Does having a muzzle break make a difference to your shooting experience?

[PetahW]

Not usually to me, although YMMV, depending upon personal tolerance.

The only firearms I ever ordered with a muzzle brake were two 14" T/C Contender pistols - a Hunter .45-70 & a custom shop .375 Win. - and a .44 Mag M1894P (cuz' it was cool).

Their porting never bothered me, as the shooter, but I can't vouch for others, as I generally have my club's range to myself.

.

[Buzzcook]

Not a fan of muzzle brakes. Unless the cartridge is bone breakingly powerful of the gun extremely light, I don't see a need.

An AR tends to have relatively light recoil.

[phil mcwilliam]

If you always use hearing protection when you shoot then a muzzle break may be of interest to you. I mainly hunt & don't like wearing hearing protection when I hunt therefore I dislike using muzzle breaks. Rather have a temporary sore shoulder than permenant hearing loss.
On a recent African hunt I alternated between a 8 pound Whitworth Interarms .375 H&H Magnum with muzzle break , & a Heavy Barrel CZ .375 H&H Magnum with no muzzle break weighing around 11 pounds. The heavier CZ with no muzzle break was much more pleasant to shoot than the lighter Whitworth with break.
If I ever wanted to tame recoil in a heavy kicking rifle I would opt for a heavier rifle, rather than get a muzzle break fitted to a lighter rifle.
I wouldn't bother with a muzzle break on a .308. I own 2 .308's that I shoot regularly. If you have problem with the recoil of a .308, you need to work on technique.

[raftman]

Does having a muzzle break make a difference to your shooting experience?

It can! I had a couple of Vz.58's with side folding stocks, and even though 7.62x39 isn't usually known as a hard-kicking round, with a rifle that light and a stock not exactly designed for comfort, it was actually a bit of pain to shoot a lot from these rifles. People will allege that the Vz.58 has milder recoil than the AK, I haven't found this to be at all true, even when comparing AK's lacking a muzzle brake. Anyways, once equipped with the Czech military type muzzle-brakes, the rifles indeed became far milder to shoot, it's a night and day difference.

[HAMMER1DOWN]

I threw one of the Yankee Hill ones on my 5.56 AR (use it for 3-gunnin) And it made a difference for sure.
1. Recoil comes straight back, no more rise.
2. 5x louder, my buddy I practice with would flinch every time I shot as he was spottin for me.
3. Mine actually tightened my groups a little, nothing super significant but it did.

[Cowboy_mo]

Muzzle breaks are one of the reasons I have only been to a public range ONCE in the last 2 years. That time was this past year during our monsoon season and I went on a Wednesday thinking there wouldn't be any of them around.

Most people who have the muzzle breaks really shouldn't because the rifles they are shooting don't have that much recoil. Just my opinion.

[ak2323]

Most people who have the muzzle breaks really shouldn't because the rifles they are shooting don't have that much recoil. Just my opinion.
I think it was a fashion thing. Not to be snobby, but the rifle did have a quad rail with huge scope, light, laser, and bipod. Probably weighed 15 lbs.

[savagelover]

muzzle breaks will ruin your hearing..I know,my left ear rings all the time now,and it;s been like 15 years or so since I had a KDF on my 30-338....So if you go that way..be sure to wear your plugs and muffs over them.and tell everyone there when your gonna touch it off...

[burrhead]

The word some of you are searching for is BRAKE. Like the brakes on your car. I hope nothing "breaks" my muzzle. People get their undies wadded by the magazine/clip usage and, to me, to confuse brake/break is worse.

Rant off. Carry on. :rolleyes:

[HJ857]

I only have experience with two brakes, both PWS FSC types. In my experience a brake has nothing to do with recoil, but has everything to do with muzzle jump. If you need fast follow up shots or need to keep an optic on target after breaking the shot, then a brake will likely make things a lot easier.

It's probably not necessary, but I wouldn't be without one anymore.

There is no sound level increase if you are the shooter, but if you're off to the side of the rifle, it is substantially louder.

[5RWill]

Most people who have the muzzle breaks really shouldn't because the rifles they are shooting don't have that much recoil. Just my opinion.


While your right, a muzzle brake aids in a huge advantage of spotting shots for the shooter, especially in long range. So it has it's purpose on the smaller calibers.

I only have experience with two brakes, both PWS FSC types. In my experience a brake has nothing to do with recoil, but has everything to do with muzzle jump. If you need fast follow up shots or need to keep an optic on target after breaking the shot, then a brake will likely make things a lot easier.

It's probably not necessary, but I wouldn't be without one anymore.

There is no sound level increase if you are the shooter, but if you're off to the side of the rifle, it is substantially louder.

Muzzle brakes directly reduce recoil and muzzle climb. The PWS brakes are a prime example. The SM 556 I have on my 14.5 works flawlessly hell the gun has no recoil impulse at all, it doesn't move hardly. My rifle length 18 with the A2 has a recoil impulse.

[bacardisteve]

Dont like em never have. Unless your shooting a 50bmg they are not a necessity. If you cant handle the recoil look into a mercury recoil reducer or a heavier gun. My 110lb girlfriend can handle my 450 marlin without a break....nuff said

[5RWill]

Try lugging a .338 Lapua, or better yet just a .300WM all day at a comp and see if your not worn out by the end of the day, if you aren't your a rare breed. Brakes have there uses. If your shooting one shot at a deer it doesn't make a damn. But in scenarios where you will shoot a lot of rounds, yeah they come in handy.

[ak2323]

The word some of you are searching for is BRAKE. Like the brakes on your car. I hope nothing "breaks" my muzzle. People get their undies wadded by the magazine/clip usage and, to me, to confuse brake/break is worse.

Thanks for the tip homes.

It's like when my peeps call a Glock a "Glock 40". I have to say, "No Dawg. It's a Glock Fow-Tay. It's like made in Australia or summin".

[brmfan]

+1 what Blackops said. It isn't a machismo thing contrary what several posters alluded to. A brake serves a very specific purpose and if you just like slinging lead downrange then no biggee. But if you are dialed up on your scope trying to hit something very small a long way off and you don't have a spotter calling your shots then it helps a great deal.

[bigoneslurk]

i have one on my ar because i live in nj and i am considering rebarreling to a target crown i hate it its ear peircingly loud and feels like someone smacked you in the face when you shoot it

[5RWill]

You might need a different brake if your the gas dissipating from the brake is hitting you in the face.

[Asfand]

Greetings to All members
I use a Miculek Brake on my AR. There is a marked difference in recoil reduction with the brake on the barrel. Although 5.56 does not have a lot of recoil to begin with but with the brake on the barrel, it seems like you are shooting 22LR. It definitely helps on keeping the gun under control for second and third quick shots.:)

[savagelover]

Poster number 11 claims NO noise increase....Your either wacked or totally deaf already....My 33-338 was one loud SOB...in fact i was acted to remove it at one shoot I was competeting in...I have seen lots of different models and they are loud no matter what you say...John

[sc928porsche]

Like anything else, muzzle breaks do have their uses. I find them quite useful on heavy recoiling firearms. When hunting, you usually expend one shot so the noise increase isn't that notable. At the range where multiple firings are concerned, it is easy to damage your hearing. If you don't wear hearing protection, the you probably shouldn't be at the range (same would apply to eye protection). Just about everything I own above 300WM sports a break.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I have a muzzle brake on one of my rifles because it also serves as a mount/primary blast baffle for a suppressor.

On the plus side, a muzzle brake helps a .223 a great deal with less than perfect form when shooting while moving (i.e. IPSC-style shooting) and is also great fun when shooting from a stable position since it reduces recoil to levels that let you do your own spotting.

On the negative side, it does add a lot of blast and noise, especially for shooters who aren't behind the rifle. There are a couple of muzzle brakes that are reputed to give you the recoil advantage without the extra noise and blast (Noveske KX3, Battlecomp, Knight's Armament Triple-Tap) but none of them are cheap and some (like the KX3) are comparatively large.

From a practical standpoint though, I'd rather have a muzzle brake than a flash hider.

[tirod]

I'm using a Black River Tactical on my 6.8, and it does reduce the amount of noise that impacts the shooters ears.

There are a lot of different designs out there, and not all have side cuts or directional ports to keep the muzzle down. The BRT is a linear comp, no side openings, all the gas pressure and report go forward. It's actually quieter at the ear - tested and measured - than a standard GI flashhider. Most comps and brakes aren't, but this is a hunting rifle, and precision recovery under a stopwatch is less important than my hearing in the field.

Comps and brakes are all the fad these days, and they are a premium, costing at least $50 to the GI $7.50. Some are great and keep the sights on target with no tilt at all. Others are sold for looks to the "Loud pipes save lives" kind of shooter who thinks they work. If they are picked because of a "Me-too" recommendation and no real measure of what they actually reduce, too bad. Get a decibel rating and a least view a few videos of actual recoil before jumping on that nasty prong horned CQB and riot control device that looks so bad-azz it must be cool.

http://www.blackrivertactical.com/ It may not look cool, it does what I need it to do. They aren't all the same, and a lot of them aren't all that effective.

[mapsjanhere]

I have one on my 300 RUM, and it for sure makes me unpopular with the shooter next to me (usually my wife, so yes, I care). But the effect is also noticeable, I tried it without and didn't like it much. I might swap it for a suppressor, but in that caliber you're talking 2k, nothing to sneeze at either.

[tobnpr]

As mentioned, it's not about being able to "take" the recoil.
I'm going to add them to my guns to allow for quicker follow-up shots.

Shooting a large bore, high recoil rifle off a bipod on a bench makes it jump far off-target. I then have have to back off the magnification on the scope, re-acquire the target, then zoom back in for the shot. Having the rifle be able to mol remain on target would be a big "+".

[cw308]

Sorry guys I have a muzzle brake on a 308 only because of the 20 " brl. bounces off target. Made a big differance.Only target shoot with friends.

[5RWill]

Makes sense you want to spot your shots. Anyone saying muzzle brakes are useless for short action calibers are wrong. Im not saying they're a necessity but they have their place.

[SmokyBaer]

My FSC30 and SEI brakes make a huge difference in a full days shooting at the range when compared to running thru 200 rounds without em. A lot less fatigue. Also, i didn't notice any disabling loudness when popping them two deer a couple weeks ago. Then again, I run those little 308s for those reasons anyways.