Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

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Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by Tank » 20 Jul 2019, 7:34 pm

G’day all!
Just wondering how many here have played with muzzle brakes? What’s your experiences?
My only experience is with a HSS clamp on brake that significantly tightened my off bipod groups with T3 Varmint 6.5x55.
My mate now hates spotting for me....the blast being directed rearward is a bit disconcerting.....
So what’s the drum? People into them or not so keen? Got a favourite brake?
Please share your experience.
Porting too....

Regs,
Tank.
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by Cooper » 20 Jul 2019, 8:17 pm

I tried HSS clamp break on my Tikka lite 7mm08. I knew it would be loud. But the main issue was that it would give me a headache. I got a Heathen muzzle break for my threaded barrels. It doesn’t deflect as much of the blast back towards the shooter compared to the HSS. I also like that you don’t need to run a crush washer and you can just self time it and tighten by hand.
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by Tank » 21 Jul 2019, 12:06 am

Thanks Cooper. I know what you’re saying with the HSS. It’s a great product....but if it gives you a headache....you’re unlikely to persevere with it.
I’m getting a M-11 put on one of my 45-70’s at the moment which vents gas at more like 90 degrees to the muzzle (has 2 top ports also). I’m hoping it will still tame recoil (and muzzle flip) without the noticeable rearward shockwave.
Loud!! Heck yeah! Plugs and muffs for me!
Did you notice any change in performance? Accuracy, POI shift?
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by bigpete » 21 Jul 2019, 7:22 am

I put one on a 308 once just for the hell of it....it worked well.....but....the NOISE !!!!
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by fitchaj » 21 Jul 2019, 1:27 pm

I have one on my Ruger Precision 6.5CM and I think it has a big role in essentially wiping out recoil.

However, it is loud as fcuk and the shockwave it throws out to the sides is formidable.

Definitely won't make friends fast at the range with muzzle breaks
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by JimTom » 21 Jul 2019, 1:40 pm

fitchaj wrote:I have one on my Ruger Precision 6.5CM and I think it has a big role in essentially wiping out recoil.

However, it is loud as fcuk and the shockwave it throws out to the sides is formidable.

Definitely won't make friends fast at the range with muzzle breaks


Haha this is true mate. Muzzle brake users get their own end of the range and then partitioned off from the rest of us like lepper.
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by Stix » 21 Jul 2019, 1:52 pm

JimTom wrote:
fitchaj wrote:I have one on my Ruger Precision 6.5CM and I think it has a big role in essentially wiping out recoil.

However, it is loud as fcuk and the shockwave it throws out to the sides is formidable.

Definitely won't make friends fast at the range with muzzle breaks


Haha this is true mate. Muzzle brake users get their own end of the range and then partitioned off from the rest of us like lepper.

Yea...Well...you deserve it...!!!
Im sure you guys are the direct cause of many a badly & accidentally released shot ending in a flyer with the poor unsuspecting 222 shooter next to you...!!!...who by the way has to drive home with a twitch...
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by JimTom » 21 Jul 2019, 2:03 pm

Just for the record mate I am not a user of muzzle brakes. Don’t own one nor do I intend to. I am glad they have their own end of the range. I go as far from them as I can.
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by Stix » 21 Jul 2019, 2:21 pm

No worries Jimtom... :thumbsup:
im just mucking around anyway... :D
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by JimTom » 21 Jul 2019, 2:30 pm

:drinks:
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by Sergeant Hartman » 21 Jul 2019, 4:40 pm

What's wrong with muzzle beaks.... decreasing recoil to achieve better groups...I just tell the range guys that I got a muscle break so I can be in the special nose bleed section.

Actually thinking about it... i a.m surprised how many of the older precision shooters like fclass don't go more towards muzzle breaks, it's in part about decreasing recoil to achieve better groups....by choosing more efficient cartridges and wildcat caliber and having heavy guns.

I say go sit next to a 300wm with a good muzzle break...my head really feels it after every shot
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by bladeracer » 21 Jul 2019, 5:35 pm

Tank wrote:G’day all!
Just wondering how many here have played with muzzle brakes? What’s your experiences?
My only experience is with a HSS clamp on brake that significantly tightened my off bipod groups with T3 Varmint 6.5x55.
My mate now hates spotting for me....the blast being directed rearward is a bit disconcerting.....
So what’s the drum? People into them or not so keen? Got a favourite brake?
Please share your experience.
Porting too....

Regs,
Tank.


I have them, and use them occasionally, but hate them.
I wouldn't use one except when it's absolutely required to make a heavy recoiler shootable.
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by in2anity » 21 Jul 2019, 6:06 pm

Absolutely - and I will always opt for a threaded version of a rifle over unthreaded, and then (rules permitting) put a brake on it ASAP. As Ziad said, lower recoil ultimately equals smaller groups.

For many many reasons, recoil is your enemy. Sustained, accurate fire is fatiguing - you should be doing all that is possible to mitigate this.

As an example, it’s much easier to shoot long sessions of smallbore over fullbore.

I practice with a 300aac over the 308w purely for this fact.
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by on_one_wheel » 21 Jul 2019, 8:43 pm

When your recoil feels manageable and your spotter gets the detached retina, you can be sure the muzzle brakes making a difference.
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by tophet1 » 21 Jul 2019, 9:12 pm

Love my no name brake on my .300 weatherby. Can watch the fall of shot and recoil is sub .308w. Planing to put one on my varmint .308w truck gun too. Hearing protection is a must. Dont get one that angles backwards. It's not needed.
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by Tank » 21 Jul 2019, 9:26 pm

Seems we all share the dislike for one of the main ‘side effect’ of a brake....the extra noise!
The dramatic decrease in recoil, the total removal of muzzle jump (dependant on design) are surely a bonus....but does the blast/noise trump this?
Awesome responses! Thanks. Love hate relationships and just hate!
Have any of you tried a with brake....without brake test on group size? Is it just the absence of recoil that improves our shooting? Or are we getting some ‘mechanical advantage’ from a well designed brake?
I’ll post some results as soon as I get my 45-70 back....per the above.
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by SCJ429 » 21 Jul 2019, 10:01 pm

As In2 said, shooting rifles with a bit of grunt is fatiguing. After the first 10 shots you are spent. I shoot a break on a 378 WM so I can shoot one handed pront. I also use an Accurbreak on a 460 WM because it is such a handful. I do not use a break on a 416 Rigby because the rifle is heavier and more pleasant to shoot. No one wants to sit next to me when I fire with a break.

Some guys use breaks on medium bores so the can watch the fall of shot. It is not my cup of tea but what ever works for them. A break will not make your rifle more accurate but it may aid you to shoot it more accurately.
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by brett1868 » 21 Jul 2019, 10:20 pm

Brakes certainly have their place on larger caliber rifles so long as you're considerate of those around you. The 2nd rifle in the clip is my M99 .416 Barrett and the brake is probably one of the most effective on the market. I can shoot that thing all day as it feels more like a .223 despite slinging a 395gr VLD @ 3178fps :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67IgpMyulag&t=4s
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by bladeracer » 21 Jul 2019, 11:11 pm

Tank wrote:Seems we all share the dislike for one of the main ‘side effect’ of a brake....the extra noise!
The dramatic decrease in recoil, the total removal of muzzle jump (dependant on design) are surely a bonus....but does the blast/noise trump this?
Awesome responses! Thanks. Love hate relationships and just hate!
Have any of you tried a with brake....without brake test on group size? Is it just the absence of recoil that improves our shooting? Or are we getting some ‘mechanical advantage’ from a well designed brake?
I’ll post some results as soon as I get my 45-70 back....per the above.


For me, generally the blast does not offset the recoil, except during sessions when you're shooting a lot and the recoil can wear you down - like load development.
I have swapped brakes on and off to see if there's a _significant_ difference.on .204, .223, .243 and 6.5x55mm (possibly some others). As there was no noticeable difference in groups I never bothered to do any more "scientific" testing of it. There's no notable difference in felt recoil on the .204, or the .223 with light bullets, it is noticeable with 80gn bullets in .223, but hardly warranted. The 6.5x55mm brake was made by Gunbloke but makes no notable difference to felt recoil on my M38 - I consider it an expensive flash hider, not a brake.

I'm no kind of competition shooter though, somebody that is dedicated to making small groups may well find the brake either helps or hinders.
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by Tank » 21 Jul 2019, 11:14 pm

Damn Brett! That’s some hardware!
See what you mean about the M99.
The others look a tad.....abusive..... :wtf:

I’m not sure there isn’t improved ‘mechanical’ accuracy as a result of fitting a well designed brake.
I noted significant tightening of groups with my 6.5x55 T3 Varmint with the brake being the only new variable introduced.
Experimentation to come once I get my rifle back from ICE.

Cheers!
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by Member-Deleted » 21 Jul 2019, 11:42 pm

I'm thinking of putting a brake on my rifle and noticed they were half the price on ebay than they were buying them from an outside shop are these brakes inferior or why the big drop in price does anyone have any experience with a brake bought on ebay
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by bladeracer » 22 Jul 2019, 12:04 am

I'm thinking of putting a brake on my rifle and noticed they were half the price on ebay than they were buying them from an outside shop are these brakes inferior or why the big drop in price does anyone have any experience with a brake bought on ebay


I bought some on Ebay and then saw somebody selling the exact brake on Facebook for fifteen times the price. I didn't realise he was making them so I posted the Ebay ad for the OP, which I think upset him a bit. He said he'd obviously have to rethink his pricing as the two brakes are identical in every way. I can only assume there is a CAD file floating around that lots of people use. All of my brakes are from Ebay. I bought five of each of that brake in .223 and .308 for, I think, under $10 apiece. I've also bought several of Gunbloke's brakes including a very long one I've been using on my .22's occasionally, as well as other generic Chinese brakes. None have caused me any grief, they do affect the felt recoil for the better, they don't affect the accuracy of my rifles. I actually consider the Chinese ones to function better than the Gunbloke ones.

Anybody can feed a file into a CNC machine these days and come out with identical quality of product.

I just wish it were as easy to find shotgun brakes!
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by gordicans » 22 Jul 2019, 3:36 am

Bolt-Action Productions has some interesting comments on this topic. Without paraphrasing him too much he doesn't like them on a hunting rifle because he doesn't like wearing ear protection when hunting and would need to wear ear protection if he was using a muzzle break. There's also the potential of ear damage to hunting buddies near you if you are using a high caliber rifle with a muzzle break
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU7ejIAwZkM
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by Member-Deleted » 22 Jul 2019, 6:50 am

Yeah thanks bladeracer I was thinking of putting something like a ''GRIZZLY'' type of brake on ,a horse come down with me many years ago knocked my shoulder around but haven't had problems with it until lately bit of arthritis and getting old doesn't help I just thought a brake might help a little
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by Member-Deleted » 22 Jul 2019, 7:18 am

Yeah gordicans good for him not wanting to use a brake because he has to wear hearing protection but in my opinion not wearing hearing protection whilst shooting a firearm is not in ones best interest that bloke made it a personal thing not to have a brake but sitting beside someone at a rifle range would be a different matter as people are at close proximity and consideration has to be given to other shooters but hunting is a different matter only my wife or myself go shooting and we both wear hearing protection and i'm already half deaf as far as any given rifle not needing a brake well that depends on the shooter it's easy for blokes that haven't had injuries to bang on about not needing them but for those blokes that have had injuries and want to shoot bigger calibers then a brake makes sense in some ways and if the caliber becomes too much for me i'll just hand it to one of my sons and use my smaller rifles we all have shot big rifles with no brakes and never needed them and with no ear protection in our younger days but some of us smarten up as we get older and don't knock our bodies around any more for nothing but on saying that without my old shoulder injury and arthritis I dare say I wouldn't even consider a brake
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by Member-Deleted » 22 Jul 2019, 7:24 am

The brake I am looking for will be one you just screw on and it is timed I don't want one that needs a gunsmith to fit or a clamp on or stupid bulky not asking much am I anybody got any ideas or past experience on which ones would work best for dollars
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by in2anity » 22 Jul 2019, 7:36 am

You can get indexed and un-indexed variants. The indexed ones will certainly reduce felt recoil, but aligned to the horizontal it may not eliminate vertical jump as much as possible. Un-indexed ones are ported all around the circumference - in my experience they are a little better at stopping muzzle climb. The problem with the un-indexed variants is (from prone) you can get dust kicking up at the muzzle. I guess it just depends on how you will most use it.

Also as Blade has said, I really can't complain about the ebay ones I've tried - they all "just work".
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by Member-Deleted » 22 Jul 2019, 7:58 am

Thanks in2anity mate I don't think i'll be laying on the ground shooting I've got two buggered knees ''knee replacements'' and if I did dust kicking up would be the least of my worries getting back up would be the issue thanks mate i'll keep all that in mind
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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by on_one_wheel » 22 Jul 2019, 8:05 am

Tank wrote:Damn Brett! That’s some hardware!
See what you mean about the M99.
The others look a tad.....abusive..... :wtf:

I’m not sure there isn’t improved ‘mechanical’ accuracy as a result of fitting a well designed brake.
I noted significant tightening of groups with my 6.5x55 T3 Varmint with the brake being the only new variable introduced.
Experimentation to come once I get my rifle back from ICE.

Cheers!


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Re: Muzzle breaks - are people using them?

Post by bladeracer » 22 Jul 2019, 9:09 am

The brake I am looking for will be one you just screw on and it is timed I don't want one that needs a gunsmith to fit or a clamp on or stupid bulky not asking much am I anybody got any ideas or past experience on which ones would work best for dollars


Order some indexing shim washers from Brownells.
Pretty cheap, and very easy to index a muzzle device.
https://www.brownells.com.au/index.php? ... t_id=77143
https://www.brownells.com.au/index.php? ... t_id=76736
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