Muzzle brakes

[tombogan03884]

 Besides reducing muzzle climb, what's the point, and what criteria do you consider ?

[MikeBjerum]

Felt recoil is the reason for muzzlebreaks.  That, and they are louder, if your the kind of shooter that also likes motorcycles with no mufflers, and semis with 8" stacks and a Jake.

[tombogan03884]

So basically for .308 or lower go with the one that looks coolest, or launches grenades.

[les snyder]

Tom... I've been using some form of muzzle brake (compensator) since 1995 when I started shooting 3 gun seriously... the intent is to limit scope shake not to reduce recoil per se...if you are trying to shoot a target as quickly as possible with multiple shots, even my .22lr had a brake ( I don't use one for steel challenge as you shoot only one target at a time)  it is nice to have the scope not move off target a 415m and see the round impact... dot movement is extremely noticeable when shooting some form of a red dot scope or illuminated chevron as is my TA31F

I use a Miculek style comp with the rear wiper opened up to minor thread diameter as I thread the boss area to attach the comp without a jam nut... I clock with shims (spark plug gaskets when available) to about 1:00 for the 5.56.... the AR9 has the comp clocked almost to 3;00... this is in addition to the use of a hydraulic buffer...

even using minimum power factor 9mm loads you want every advantage... I'm old and slow, still a game player 

[alfsauve]

If you shoot prone, then the proper brake will direct blast away from the ground, thus keeping explosion of dirt to a minimum.  To an extent you can also disburse flash and direct noise to aid in reducing the sights and sounds of your firing position.   Obviously a silencer would be better.

In my house gun, I do just the opposite.  I try to direct all blast and sounds forward, towards anyone attacking.  Shock and awe, I call it.

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

If you shoot prone, then the proper brake will direct blast away from the ground, thus keeping explosion of dirt to a minimum.  To an extent you can also disburse flash and direct noise to aid in reducing the sights and sounds of your firing position.   Obviously a silencer would be better.

In my house gun, I do just the opposite.  I try to direct all blast and sounds forward, towards anyone attacking.  Shock and awe, I call it.

  Awww, I'm SHOCKED ! Shocked I say.   

I knew about the kicked up dust. That was why in WW I the French ditched that ridiculous flash hider on  their St Etienne Machine guns. completely hid the muzzle flash, but kicked up a dust cloud that did even more to reveal the position and kicked up a cloud the gunner couldn't see through.
As for the gamer stuff, it's not an issue .
I don't expect to get more than one shot on any single target.

[Big Frank]

A muzzle brake, and I'm so glad you you didn't spell it b-r-e-a-k, reduces recoil. Many of them spew gas in all directions radially. A compensator reduces muzzle climb, usually by having ports facing straight up, diagonally up to the left and right, or in all three directions. Think of a ported barrel and it's similar in concept. A flash suppressor does what the name implies. Many muzzle devices function as 2 out 3 things, like when they closed the bottom of the birdcage on the A1 flash suppressor and it became the A2 compensator for whatever good it did. And sometimes you can find one device that functions as all three, muzzle brake, compensator, and flash hider. The old Fabian Brothers DTA Mil-Brake on my 20" AR barrel does it all. My 16" barrel has a slip-over fake suppressor on it that makes it look like a 10" barrel and has nothing added to the muzzle at all but I have an A2 birdcage for it. I want to keep the length short but flash suppression effective enough to shoot at night without impairing my night vision. You never know when some mangy varmint might need to be shot.

I don't have that upper on a lower now and I haven't shot a 16" AR without a flash suppressor at night. But a shot right in front of me with my dad's 18 1/2" Mini-14 temporarily blinded me. When I could see again I was seeing spots for awhile after that. That was after I shot my AR with the DTA Mil-Brake on the 16" barrel with a round from the same box. I think maybe there was a flash but dimmer than a firefly in the distance. I can't remember if it was next to nothing, or nothing at all. The majority of rifle and pistol muzzle brakes I've seen have small ports straight to the sides, plus a big port or ports on top, technically making them more of a compensator than a muzzle brake. But they can call it whatever they want as long as they don't call it a muzzle break. If it's going to break my muzzle I don't want anything to do with it. And if they're too stupid to know the difference between brake and break, I don't have much faith in their ability to design, test, and prove the effectiveness of their "break".

[gemihur]

sometimes it's just needed to comply

[Rastus]

nice.  Tell us all about it!

[MikeBjerum]

As I am getting back into shooting sports, after our move and almost six year lay off, I am looking at finishing some upgrades. Muzzle brakes on my ARs and a magazine extension on my shotgun are two items on my list. I also want to upgrade magazines for my open gun.  Guess what. The Nanny State if illinois says I can't do any of these projects.

Welcome to free amerika.