I have been viewing a lot of posts on this forum discussing muzzle brakes and felt compelled to respond in hopes that some of the members out there might have the opportunity to become somewhat more informed about what muzzle brakes are really all about. First, the term muzzle “brake” may or may not be the most appropriate term associated with this firearm accessory. A muzzle brake is actually a barrel stabilizer, and it’s function, purpose, and benefits are not singular in performance. This device might better be termed a MUZZLE STALBLIZER, or GAS DEVERSION DEVICE, or even BARREL RESTRICTION DEVICE; but the term “brake” associated with this device is appropriate in as much as it “stops” or slows down something.

For as long as man has trekked the trails of time he has continually looked for ways to improve upon life; from better cars, better trucks, better boats, better houses, better GPS devices, better computers, and so on……to “better shooting accessories”? The muzzle brake is one of these “better” accessories, and every firearm owner might have this accessory on every firearm that he/she owns if it weren’t for two things, 1. Expense, and 2. Lack of understanding of what this device is really all about.

The first thing that comes to mind for the uninformed firearm owner concerning a muzzle brake is a reduction in felt recoil; for most people this is where it ends. While felt recoil reduction is the main reason most people install muzzle brakes in the first place, the benefits of a muzzle brake are far more reaching than just recoil reduction.

Muzzle brakes restrict “barrel whip”, controls barrel vibration, improves barrel harmonics, and in doing so strengthen or stiffen the barrel for better shot-to-shot consistency. Generally no one would argue that a fluted barrel improves heat distribution, and most people think that barrel fluting is done solely for this purpose, but fluting also stiffens a barrel to reduce “barrel whip”.

Serious varmint shooters want to float their barrels to improve accuracy because they know that barrel harmonics and barrel whip occur. Free floating barrels are allowed to freely move either from side to side, up and down, or more over, generally in a figure eight pattern…….a stiff barrel whips less than one of lesser stiffness, and this is where “bull barrels” come into play……the more the mass, the stiffer (or stronger) the barrel. Therefore; while many serious varmint shooters float their rifles to reduce stock to barrel pressure and allow barrel whip with the hopes that the barrel will “settle” back down in the same place from shot-to-shot, few ever realize that a properly installed muzzle brake matched to their particular firearm reduces barrel whip, stiffens the barrel, causes less movement, improves shot-to-shot consistency, and improves the chances of having the barrel return to the same place because barrel whip is lessened with the muzzle brake installed. Factory rifles are manufactured deliberately with stock forend barrel pressure to reduce barrel whip, and the first thing many shooters do after purchasing a factory rifle is to remove the barreled action, cut out the forend of the stock (float the barrel) and this increases barrel harmonics, barrel whip, and vibration……but few ever think to install a muzzle brake after doing this to keep these newly acquired barrel functions in check.

MYTHS:

1. Muzzle brakes increase noise. This issue is one that is the most miss understood……the “report” of a rifle measured in Decibels IS NOT increased by a muzzle brake; what actually accures is that the sound generated by the escaping gases from the end of the barrel when a round is fired, is redirected by the muzzle brake. Instead of all the sound being directed down range, some of the sound is allowed to exit the muzzle brake to the sides creating a situation where the shooter is in a position to hear more of the actual report created by the firearm.

2. Muzzle brakes cause hearing loss. Firearms in general cause hearing loss. If a person shoots for an extended period of time shooting firearms without proper hearing protection he/she will surely experience hearing loss. Muzzle brakes redirect some sound, and if one were to sit, stand, or simply be near someone shooting a firearm without a muzzle brake all the time without proper hearing protection, that person will experience hearing loss as well.

3. Muzzle brakes are loud. Once again, muzzle brakes redirect sound (not increase) the actual noise level. Loud muzzle brakes are “loud” if the caliber that they are installed on are “loud calibers”. Muzzle brakes can be installed on many smaller caliber guns such as .223 REM, 222 REM, 222 REM MAG, 6MM BR, 6 MM PPC, 7.62 X 39, 30-30, and so on without uncomfortable results. Muzzle brakes are installed all the time on 22 LR’s for many reason to improve the gun’s accuracy, yet you don’t hear shooters complaining about muzzle brakes on 22 LR’s because the brake actually suppresses the sound on 22LR's. On “high pressure” loud calibers such as 220 SWIFT, 270 WIN, 30-06, 7 MM REM MAG, 300 WSM, etc. redirected noise become an issue with many shooters.

4. Muzzle brakes kick up dust (this one is my favorite). If muzzle brakes kick up dust then “guns kill people”…..it’s a “no brainier” here….if someone points the muzzle of a high power rifle towards the ground and discharges a round, the escaping gases or blast from the muzzle are going to “kick up” dust (don’t believe me, then try it sometime). Muzzle brakes that are ported on the underneath side will direct gases downward, but there are muzzle brakes on the market designed to port only to the sides and thereby reducing “kicked up dust”. I and many of my customers have performed dozens of “dust” test with, and without muzzle brakes on the same firearm. A 308 WIN rifle fired out here in the desert from the prone position without a muzzle brake installed will literally cause the shooter to be completely covered with dust; the shooter can not fire another round, and is spitting sand out of his mouth for 15 minutes. The exact same 308 WIN rifle with a muzzle brake designed for side porting fired from the prone position only slightly creates small amounts of dust signature to the sides, keeps the muzzle of the rifle down, and allows the shooter to continue shooting. So, for those who believe that ALL muzzle brakes “kick up dust”, this is not true…......it all depends on the caliber, the type of muzzle brake, and for those who I know will jump in here a challenge this, tell me how often you shoot from the prone position, and why did you install a muzzle brake that is ported downward if you were prone shooting all the time in the first place?

TRUTHS:

1. Muzzle brakes improve barrel harmonics. As discussed previously, a properly matched and properly installed muzzle brake does improve accuracy. Browning got over big time with this one with their BOSS system. The BOSS muzzle brake is adjustable to allow redirection of gases to reduce barrel whip. Any muzzle brake will reduce barrel whip, but the Browing BOSS allows the shooter to adjust how much the barrel whips one way or the other......thereby increasing accuarcy.........and there are after market brakes that are adjustable like the BOSS that can be installed on most rifles.

2. Different powders create different sound levels. Those who reload can reduce the effects of redirected sound by a muzzle brake by choosing a powder that produces less noise.

3. Muzzle brakes protect your muzzle. The muzzle crown is protected at all times when a muzzle brake is installed on the firearm. Muzzle brakes restrict rain from getting into the barrel (so long as you are not in a hurricane). And a muzzle brake makes it less likely that some foreign object will enter into the barrel as well.

4. Muzzle brakes help keep the barrel “down”. Muzzle brakes do restrict total firearm movement and allow the shooter to stay on target and allows for a faster return to the target for a follow up shot.

5. Muzzle brakes reduce flinging. A properly matched muzzle brake will allow the shooter more control as he/she knows that the firearm is not going to “bite” them as much, giving the shooter more control.

6. Muzzle brakes reduce the likelihood of “scope eye”. I have yet to meet someone that has a muzzle brake install on a rifle ever complain about “scope eye” from his/her muzzle brake firearm.

7. Muzzle brakes are widely used by competitive shooters. All over the world, Combat Pistol Masters use muzzle devices to help them compete…..world class Olympic competitors both handgun and rifle shooters use muzzle brakes, and 95% + of all 1st Class winners have muzzle brakes on their competition firearms.

There are many different types of muzzle brakes on the market, designed by dozens of different manufacturers all designed to do different things. Some brakes are designed for side to side porting, others restrict upward and downward movement, some redirect sound rearward while others redirect sound forward, or to the side. Some muzzle brakes are designed for small calibers while other muzzle brakes are designed for large calibers. Problems can arise when the improper design brake is installed on the wrong caliber, I see this a lot, and shooters all the time complain to me because they had a muzzle brake installed by an inexperinced gunsmith who was not knowledgeable enough to match the muzzle brake to the caliber and the rifle.

I personally have properly matched muzzle brakes of different types and design installed on 80% of my center fire rifles……calibers ranging from .223 REM to .338 WIN MAG, and I would not be without them. The benefits of these muzzle brakes in my judgment outweigh the so called “negatives”. All of my rifles shoot better with brakes on them, for those who doubt this statement, come on out and shoot any and all of my rifles and you will be converted.

I have been gunsmithing now for more than 30 years and what I can assure those who are still reading this post, that the main reason people do not have muzzle brakes on their rifles is the expense. Muzzle brakes are an accessory not a necessary, and while some shooters will spend thousands of dollars on scopes, shooting rest, shooting sticks, range finding equipment, GPS units, binos, callers, glass bedding, limb saver recoil pads, barrel floating, trigger work, and other custom accessories, a few hundred dollars for a muzzle brake that will improve all aspects of their shooting experience just isn’t something that the average person is able to justify in his/her own mind because they do not understand the rewards and the benefits……it isn’t until he/she can no longer deal with that mule kicking SOB rifle of theirs anymore that they break down and begin considering a muzzle brake. Some people think that a $75.00 rifle scope is an accessory that is too expensive to put on a $250.00 rifle, while others realize that a $1,000.00 scope on a $400.00 rifle is a GOOD thing.

Everyone who owns a rifle has accessories for that rifle......slings, scopes, a gun case, rings and mounts, etc. Some have Weaver accessories while others have Leupold. So firearm accesories, what they a worth and what they cost are an individual thing. If muzzle brakes could be installed for $25.00 or less, everyone would have one. It is my opinion that muzzle brakes are one of the best firearm accessories to come along in a long time, but those who have not had an opportunity to experince a good muzzle brake, or those who have only heard bad things, don't know what they are missing. When I was young I was told that SEX was bad, GUNS were bad, HUNTING was bad, DRINKING was bad, HANGING OUT WITH THE BOYS was bad, HAVING FUN was bad, MOTORCYCLES were bad, the GIRL NEXT DOOR was not something that I should be interested in, and so on.......so why not add muzzle brakes to the list as well..........it took years, but as I matured I realized that ALL things that are suppose to be BAD, are not always that way.

It is my sincere hope that this post helps those who have questions about muzzle brakes to better understand the purposes and functions for the use of muzzle brakes. Muzzle brakes are not for everyone, and this post is sorely intended to help shed some light on this "positive" firearm accessory. I am not looking to enter into any heated debates on the issue of muzzle brakes; I simply wanted to express my opinions on them and let everyone know that muzzle brakes do not deserve some of the negative publicity that they often times receive from uninformed shooters. Thanks.

P.S. I have shot more critters with muzzle brakes then I have WITHOUT them........and "dead dogs" don't lie............. SORELOSER doesn't have any muzzle brakes because he doesn't need a second shot!

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Excellent write up Scott.

I pinned this at the top of the Rifles section so it doesn't get lost in a sea of replies and new topics..

Great info! Thanks for the write up.

Excellent write up and I'm sure I'll be doing business with you. Thanks. Jim T.

Jim, you won't be disappointed in the work that Scott does. What are you thinking of having done?

Cranky Farmer, Do I have anymore room left to write in this FORUM? :) Or am I done for the next six months?

Yep.

Don't have anymore time to write right now......I actually have two muzzle brake jobs that I am working on to get done. Have four reblueing jobs, and have someone coming by in about an hour to do a DROS...........

Thanks

If you get pictures of your brakes stop back by and show everyone what you do. I've got pictures of the ones you did for me HERE

There's just enough recoil from the .204 that I cannot see the hits. Would it make enough difference that I would be able to see the hits with it?



Awesome response. Very informative. Keep up the good postings. I have a .204 with just enough recoil that I cannot see the hits like I can with the .17 HMR. If I added the compensator would it reduce recoil enough that I could see my hits? Your opinion?

Jim, if that's the case a brake would fix it right up. Get in touch with Scott and let him tell you more about it.

What other rifles do you have that need a brake or some work done to?

Heath, a .375 H & H magnum, a couple .223s, a couple .22-250s, a .243....hmmm, that's it for now.

I bet that 375 H & H kicks like a mule.

Jim, Scott did install a brake for me on my 22-250. I sure helped!

JimT,

A properly installed muzzle brake on a 204 Ruger would tame the 204 down to where it was like shooting a 22LR, even less movement then the 17 HMR. You WOULD be able to see hits, so long as you were not burning powder outside the barrel, i.e. reloading a particalur type of powder that created a lot of muzzle blast (not a good thing in the first place).

The same with the 223.....a proper muzzle brake installed on a 223 would alllow you to see the hits.

For the 375 H&H....well like forget it, there is no way you can tame that caliber down enough to see the hits, but the felt recoil would come down greatly.