Muzzle brake erosion

[stagpanther]

I recently was shooting my 300 wm with a Khantrol muzzle brake (which I think is made of aluminum) and noticed my accuracy was flying off unpredictably. I took a look with my borecam and noticed the rings between baffle are badly pitted/eroded, I'd say it's had easily 1000 rds through it over the years.

My question is--is this something that can significantly affect consistency (I assume it must be messing up the gas flow and hence the bullet trajectory)?

If so, is it worth my while trying to grind it down to even it out, or should I call it a day and get a new brake?

[ms6852]

After a thousand rounds fired I would check the throat of your chamber.

[stagpanther]

After a thousand rounds fired I would check the throat of your chamber.

New barrel

[ms6852]

Gotcha!, than my only guess is that the muzzle brake is not concentric to the new barrel.

[MarkCO]

Originally Posted by stagpanther

I recently was shooting my 300 wm with a Khantrol muzzle brake (which I think is made of aluminum) and noticed my accuracy was flying off unpredictably. I took a look with my borecam and noticed the rings between baffle are badly pitted/eroded, I'd say it's had easily 1000 rds through it over the years.

My question is--is this something that can significantly affect consistency (I assume it must be messing up the gas flow and hence the bullet trajectory)?

If so, is it worth my while trying to grind it down to even it out, or should I call it a day and get a new brake?

Yes, it will change velocity (increase some as it erodes) and, if the erosion is not uniform it will change POI. Immediately after leaving the muzzle, a bullet is essentially flying backwards in relation to the total system. Comps and Suppressors make that time shorter and thus, should improve accuracy with some bullet designs/defects. I'd never use an aluminum brake on anything except a rimfire. As you increase Temp and Pressure, at some point, you really want the comp to be made of the same material as the barrel, and heat treated for hardness. Wearing out a comp before a barrel, yeah, I'd pick something else.

New barrel, get a quality comp made of the same material as your barrel. Old barrel, might try to even it out to make it limp to the finish with an old barrel.

[stagpanther]

Thanks for the responses.