Muzzle Brakes

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PH/CIB

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Years ago I had my bolt action 458 Win Mag, Mag na Ported, did help some with recoil, seemed more noisy tho, things have come a long way since then. The first video shows a M14 on full auto with I believe a Smith Enterprises, USCG muzzle break and how controllable it is dumping a full twenty round mag of 308. Smith Enterprises makes some of the best M14'S built today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSefhmWhgos

The second video, both videos are from You Tube, is from JP Rifles website with their muzzle break featured, shown a full 30 round mag dumped holding the M16 rifle with one hand! JP Rifles makes some of the best AR15 rifles made today, my brother has one!

While muzzle breaks make full auto and semi auto and even bolt action rifles more controllable the downside is more muzzle flash and noise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_rfHPT_HRA
 
I'd get the muzzle cut and crowned before I worried about hanging bits off the end of the bbl. Where exactly in the video does the muzzle beak anyway? :neener:

On a more serious note, I despise those noisemakers, especially on hunting rifles, but to each their own.

:)
 
Ah, it's terrible getting old! I stand corrected brake not break, never had a muzzle break yet even after the military and some brutal hunting trips! Thanks, for correcting me fellows!
 
Thank you for your service PH/CIB; I'll try to overlook your fondness for loudeners. JP brakes are probably pretty good, but I don't know for sure because I like recoil a whole lot more than noise and blast.

:)
 
I put the one from my compliance kit on my SKS, and honestly, while the reduction in recoil is minimal, it actually drops the report. Go figure.
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Are you sure that it is a brake and not just a compensator (for muzzle rise) or more likely simply a flash suppressor? I have noticed that flash suppressors tend to decrease noise and blast, as well as the flash.

:)
 
I put a Smith Enterprises muzzle brake on a Garand and it made a big difference in recoil and also reduced muzzle rise.

(For those not familiar with these, they are another reversible modification available for Garands. They simply replace the gas cylinder lock.)

These aren't allowed in competition, but they are an alternative to slip-on recoil pads.

I generally shoot this rifle as a solitary activity, so I don't have shooters on adjacent benches complaining about noise (or hot brass.)

And with double hearing protection, the noise doesn't bother me. :)
 
Brakes have their place. Annoying other shooters at the range is only the beginning. They also blow brass off the bench and ensure that the deer doesn't hear quite as much of the shot that kills it, while your hunting buddies go deaf twice as fast.

:)

In all seriousness I actually like brakes, but they do have some (already noted) drawbacks. I can feel a difference on an AKM after switching from the slant "brake" to a AK-74 type brake, and I also have a post-ban Armalite that came with their brake (due to the AWB) and has no recoil, but horrendous blast. And I got to shoot a buddy's POF .308 with a 14.5" barrel and permanently attached brake, which makes it absolutely painful within 20 feet but does moderate the recoil some. And don't forget all the .50 BMG rifles that would be unshootable, or weigh 80lbs, if it weren't for efficient brakes. The 50 I got to shoot last year had recoil like a .308.
 
What recoil

I carried and qualified with the M1 Garand in my youth. The first time I shot one, I was surprised at how little recoil it had. My thought at the time, it felt about like a 20 gage shot gun. Now remember that was over sixty years ago. And the one I have now feels the same. I'm not a big guy 6 foot 185 pounds. There my be a need for a break for some like the 50 bmg. But why punish others when you get some thing you can't handle. If this hurts some ones feelings, tough!:cool:
 
Yeah, the 50 is great to shoot, not so much fun to stand next to, esp when your not paying attention (that was my bad) I like them because they are effective for what they do.
 
But why punish others when you get some thing you can't handle. If this hurts some ones feelings, tough!
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Mack big man. Mack HE-MAN!!! Ug not as strong as Mack. Mack say only big men allowed thirty caliber rifle.

Now, in seriousness, a couple comments:
-The .30-06 loading of WWII/Korea was not quite as strong as modern .30-06 hunting loads, so less recoil;
-The Garand weighs almost 10lbs, which greatly reduces recoil vs. a 7lb bolt action hunting rifle;
-The Garand design is soft shooting on its own apart from those factors.

Oh, and also:
-Sure, you can handle .30-06. How about .300 WM? 338 RUM? Maybe you want to hunt elk in the mountains and need a caliber that is still pushing 1500 ft-lbs at 500+ yards?
-What about people with shoulder injuries? Women? Just plain smaller people?

I'm not especially recoil sensitive either (we can compare how many 12ga slug loads we can shoot in a pump gun at one time before crying uncle, if you want) but brakes have their place, and I don't think insulting people who use them is justified.
 
...brakes have their place, and I don't think insulting people who use them is justified.
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Well said, Z, I have made it pretty clear that I don't care too much for brakes, but they definitely have a place on some rifles, and with some folks. xyxthumbs.gif
 
Muzzle brakes are used in a lot of different applications, Varmint hunters use them a lot so they can see their hits though the scope and not have to have a spotter. You can have your barrel threaded and use a brake for target shooting- bench shooting. Then remove it and put a cap over the threads for hunting. They're a great tool to use. That is why Savage makes one you can turn off.
 
Brakes can be annoying, but they can provide an advantage too. Like everything, it's a compromise.

I've got brakes on both of my AKs. 7.62x39 ain't a shoulder pounder of a cartridge, but the brakes let me get the sights (yes, AKs have sights) back on target faster than without. That can mean a big difference in standings, especially at real close ranges (like 5 yards or less) where speed is critical.

In certain positions, like prone, or rollover prone, even 7.62x39 can hurt a bit, if you wind up with the steel buttplate on a collarbone or bicep.

With the ARs, I don't bother with a brake. The straight line configuration of the stock and the low recoil impulse don't make the brake worth it. The AK's dropped stock and heavier bullet increase recoil and muzzle climb a bit.

I'm not a total pansy either, no matter what grampy up above thinks. But if a tool exists that gives me an advantage, I may use it.

BSW
 
My old M16 on full auto, would pull up and to the left, I am right handed. I tried to fire it in bursts on full auto, did not make sense to dump a full 18 round magazine when we were humping our own ammo. I cannot imagine shooting a full mag of 308 full auto in an M14!

The reason I posted the videos is that I am amazed at how controllable the M14 dumping a full 20 round magazine is, and the second video, dumping 30 rounds of 556 in an M16 on full auto holding the rifle with one hand and how controllable it is.

I do not like the noise or the flash, at night your position would be exposed or lit up, however if they could improve these brakes further to besides controlling weapons on full auto, to also eliminate most muzzle flash and noise, we would really have something!

On a hunting rifle I do not like the looks of them, and would not use them except on 375 on up, but that is just me, other folks can not handle the recoil as well, and others can handle it better.
 
however if they could improve these brakes further to besides controlling weapons on full auto, to also eliminate most muzzle flash and noise, we would really have something!
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Your wish is now available from here:

http://primaryweapons.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=9&idcategory=6

Check out the videos toward the bottom of the page. These work as effective brakes while significantly reducing flash. Supposedly they don't even create much extra blast for the shooter. They are rapidly becoming popular for obvious reasons.
 
I do not like the noise or the flash, at night your position would be exposed or lit up, however if they could improve these brakes further to besides controlling weapons on full auto, to also eliminate most muzzle flash and noise, we would really have something!
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Already made, all you need is a compensator that is ported only for muzzle rise (top ported, goes up not back), not a brake. With one of these there is little (if any) increase in volume/blast (sometimes a reduction), no decrease in recoil, but it compensates for muzzle rise, and prevents kicking up dust and "lighting yourself up". The average ported revolver looks like this, but is a poor example because it is swept back to reduce recoil as well. The AK-47 slant "brake" (as it is incorrectly termed) is a perfect example of this, the JP brake is good example of a real brake. These can be handy on certain rifles. I have a version of this on my M17, made by YHM w/o bottom porting, they classify it as a flash hider IIRC.

On a hunting rifle I do not like the looks of them, and would not use them except on 375 on up, but that is just me, other folks can not handle the recoil as well, and others can handle it better.
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I wouldn't and don't use one even for my big bores. They are designed to be shot off-hand thus mitigating the need for many recoil reducing measures (for myself anyway), and have the heft, good recoil pad, and well designed stock to be comfortable. Also big bore rifles tend to have a "big shove" rather than a mule kick. In fact I find the .375H&H to be of lesser felt recoil than a similar .300WM, and significantly less than a .338WM. Oddly enough I have a .30-06 that has about the same perceived recoil as the .375H&H until I crack out the 350gr. stopping cartridges (the 270s and 300s are no sweat), but that is likely due to the better fit of the .375H&H.

:)
 
Bo hoo

I guess I put a burr under some ones blanket. When I criticize something and its taken as ab insult ssssssssooooooorrrrrrrry. There are just to many people that read what others hunt with or shoot. they go out and buy lets say a 338 Win mag, and take it to the range. After a few shots. Thats it the gun goes in the closet. Why not try to get people to us what they can shoot the best.:cool:
 
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