Does muzzle brake increase accuracy?

G

grey

Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
I am considering adding a muzzle brake to my M305. I want to improve the accuracy, but it occurs to me that because a muzzle brake is using the gases behind the bullet to reduce recoil, the bullet has already left the barrel by the time it (the muzzle brake) does something.

So, the question is does a muzzle brake improve accuracy, or simply reduce recoil and the time needed to get back on target.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Grey
 
In my case it did help. When I first got my M14 I found I was developing a flinch. A muzzle break and buttpad made it so smooth I was then concentrating 100% on my shooting.
The next one I just put the break on.
 
Thanks for the replies!

What kind of brake do either of you recommend? Were you installing them on a Norinco (metric thread on the castle nut) or a Springfield or USGI rifle?

Thanks --
 
Muzzle brakes allow quicker follow up shot's on target.
Flash hidders lower ones flash signiture when shooting.
Accuracy doesn't come from what ever you put at the end of the barrel.
 
Maxkeg said:
MB improves accuracy and also reduces the gun's kick-back.
Click to expand...

That is incorrect. The improvement is recoil which allows you to get back on target quicker. Adding a muzzle brake does not improve accuracy of a single shot. Accessories don't make you a better shooter in this case :)
 
Muzzle brakes do not improve accuracy; they reduce felt recoil. They also increase noise levels dramatically, and increase the hearing damage the shooter experiences every time he shoots it without hearing protection. It also really ticks off anyone who is beside the gun when it is fired. I would not have one on any gun I owned.
 
There is the odd case that a gun with significant kick can cause the barrel to jump before the bullet has left, throwing the bullet higher then aim.
IF you are sighted in correctly, and use the same technique everytime you shoot it, it could still seem zeroed.

In those cases, if the muzzle brake eliminated that kind of muzzle jump it could theoretically increase accuracy.
I had this problem on my Mosin Nagant. It's got a nice stout kick with a long barrel, so I was often hitting higher then I wanted until I changed my technique to compensate for muzzle jump.
 
rral22 said:
Muzzle brakes do not improve accuracy; they reduce felt recoil. They also increase noise levels dramatically, and increase the hearing damage the shooter experiences every time he shoots it without hearing protection. It also really ticks off anyone who is beside the gun when it is fired. I would not have one on any gun I owned.
Click to expand...

I have them on EVERY gun i own..

also they do not increase the noise level... they simply send it in more directions which enables the shooter to hear it more directly, rather than it being sent directly away from the shooter on a non braked rifle
 
Conte said:
There is the odd case that a gun with significant kick can cause the barrel to jump before the bullet has left, throwing the bullet higher then aim.
IF you are sighted in correctly, and use the same technique everytime you shoot it, it could still seem zeroed.

In those cases, if the muzzle brake eliminated that kind of muzzle jump it could theoretically increase accuracy.
I had this problem on my Mosin Nagant. It's got a nice stout kick with a long barrel, so I was often hitting higher then I wanted until I changed my technique to compensate for muzzle jump.
Click to expand...

muzzle brakes operate by redirecting the blast..

for what you're saying to be possible, the blast has to come out of the barrel a hell of a long time before the bullet, in which case the gun is broken quite substantially..
or
the effect is being caused by a stupidly large calibre in a ridiculously light profile barrel, which results in massive barrel whip, in which case, the brake would do absolutely 0% to counter it.
 
A brake will not mechanically affect accuracy, one way or the other, unless the bullet hits it on the way through, or if it is raining.

rain drops in a brake will cause problems. This is why it is SOP to ream out the M14 brake.
 
Fenix.NZ said:
muzzle brakes operate by redirecting the blast..

for what you're saying to be possible, the blast has to come out of the barrel a hell of a long time before the bullet, in which case the gun is broken quite substantially..
or
the effect is being caused by a stupidly large calibre in a ridiculously light profile barrel, which results in massive barrel whip, in which case, the brake would do absolutely 0% to counter it.
Click to expand...

exactly.
proper bedding will go further to counter barrel whip and accurize than a MB ever will, but like juster said, they will effect your barrel harmonics.

Which is why we reload; carefully, through controlled experimentation, finding nodes and variables that work with the rifles current condition and relationship to all parts involved in the operation and process of firing.
Which is why, like reloading, whenever you change a component, it is necessary to re-work your reloads. Same can be applied to the rifle itself. The addition of a MB, changing of the gas block, etc. can either positively or negatively affect the nodes which you had previously had found. Will the average/weekend shooter notice? probably not, but if you have the time and $ invested, why would you p*ss that away?

Now, I'm not saying they will increase accuracy, I'm saying they will have an effect on the relationship between rifle and forces generated through the process of firing.
just my 0.02
 
Not true at all, you need to throw the bayonet on your Mosin and try again. Red Army soldiers had orders to fix bayonets during combat, this greatly affects barrel harmonics and POI. The front sight was adjusted for this, when the bayo is removed POI moves up significantly on the Mosin. Most of the recoil happens after the bullet leaves the barrel from the gases escaping at very high pressure and velocity. A brake redirects it to 2 or more opposing sides equally so less rearward force is transferred to the rifle. Compensators redirect gas upwards to push the muzzle down, counteracting muzzle flip. Also, gas escapes from the muzzle before the bullet exits. There are brake and comp designs that can improve accuracy, and some that can hurt it. Just like the muzzle crown affects accuracy. Brakes can also affect barrel harmonics as they vibrate too. Think how a pronged FH or brake would vibrate like a tuning fork, vs say a big, thick walled brake like a VZ heavy brake.

Conte said:
There is the odd case that a gun with significant kick can cause the barrel to jump before the bullet has left, throwing the bullet higher then aim.
IF you are sighted in correctly, and use the same technique everytime you shoot it, it could still seem zeroed.

In those cases, if the muzzle brake eliminated that kind of muzzle jump it could theoretically increase accuracy.
I had this problem on my Mosin Nagant. It's got a nice stout kick with a long barrel, so I was often hitting higher then I wanted until I changed my technique to compensate for muzzle jump.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom