Quiet muzzle brakes?

[Gary O]

I see them advertised from time to time. Gentry Custom as an example. Do they work? Are they quieter? What say you?
I have an injured rotator cuff...

 

[mljdeckard]

The muzzle brake that came with my Tapco SKS compliance kit actually dulled the report a lot.

 

[ThePunisher'sArmory]

What are you putting it on? If its a defensive gun that may get used at night stick with a flash hider.

 

[briansmithwins]

If you really want quite you want a suppressor. Those do reduce muzzle blast, recoil, flash, and you get this all for less noise (and a $200 tax stamp).

Generally speaking the more effective a brake the more blast it's going to reflect back at the shooter. There are some tricks that can reduce the noise the shooter hears but they aren't used by very many manufacturers.

The AK74 brake uses an expansion chamber and 2 small slits to blow the blast forward. It's also one of the less obnoxious brakes I've been around. BSW

You can see the slits in these pics:

 

[Maverick223]

The only quiet muzzle brake is a sound suppressor. From what I have seen most brakes that are advertised as being quiet are less effective, and many are simply FH improperly referred to as brakes. IMO, it is best to stick with a FH on rifles with manageable recoil.

 

[desidog]

I ordered a Gentry quiet brake, received it, inspected it, and sent it back. Aside from the taper not fitting my barrel (IIRC it was smaller than the advertised spec); the machining work on the inside was crude and there were still partially connected metal shavings in there.

That being said, i never shot it so i don't know how loud they are....