i have owned only one braked rifle a 280ai with as kdf slimline brake. it was a dream to shoot and not noticbly louder although you could notice the air movement on the bench. i have sat beside guys shooting abolts with a brake and been nearly blown off my stool. i think the brand and calibre have a lot to do with how much noise they make. some brakes are hardly noticable others are extremly loud.
Opinions on a muzzle brake
- Thread starter knightcc
- Start date
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
Minor adjustments to make, more than likely. Most people develop flinches at the range, not while hunting. 99% of people don't notice recoil while shooting at game.
See below.
I know, sounds like snake-oil, right?
Srsly, try to borrow a set, they really are that good.
And regarding GunTech's "With hunting rifles better accuracy is usually experienced using a correctly installed brake"... I've no doubt that he's right. For 2 reasons.
First, the weight out on the end of the (typically lighter weight) barrel will dampen vibrations during shooting and will often help with holding/steadyness.
Second, the practical accuracy is beter because the shooter can do a better job without anticipating the shot.
Both reasons being pretty much negated in modern target-type rifles, thus no real, noticeable increase in their accuracy after a brake is installed.
Wouldn't be too hard to remove the brake at the range and fire a test shot to see if it's off. Accuracy is better with brakes??
Brakes increase noise level for the shooter and bystanders, they have to, end of story. When you're wearing muffs, it's obviously a moot point.
I realize you sell and install these things for a living, so your opinion may be a bit biased.
Is this you ?????
Nope..
With some brakes any noise increase to the shooter will be minimal, with other brakes the noise increase to the shooter will be substantial. One of the quietest brakes I have tested is the Vais brake but it also does not reduce recoil as much as noisier brakes. The design I have settled on and have been using for many years now is slightly louder than the Vais and reduces recoil more than the Vais, and I think it also looks the best on hunting rifles.
This is on a skinny short mag... kicks like a .243
Vais brake looks like this:
You may have serious doubts about accuracy increasing but your doubts are disputed by facts. I am not talking about Benchrest accuracy where groups over a tenth of an inch are considered not bad... I am talking about heavy recoiling hunting rifles... and if the accuracy level increases due to no flinching that is an increase in accuracy... but the design of a brake removing some of the excess gases pushing on the bullet after it has left the bore does have the potential to increase accuracy. I know from experience if the brake is correctly installed, it does not decrease accuracy.
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
I would have to agree that a brake increases accuracy for some shooters, but that again is not due to the actual rifle increasing in accuracy.
I would tend to think it is more difficult to vent gases evenly out of a dozen or so small holes, than it is for venting out of a crowned bbl. which would push a bullet after leaving the bore, but that's just my opinion.
Which, to be fair, is an opinion completely without practical experience, let alone the extensive experience that some of the posters here have with braked rifles.
my 2 cents -- brake or no brake -- spend the most you can afford on ear protection and wear it all the time!
Hunting or the range.
At the range I like plugs and electronic Peltors - they amp the talking so you can hear past the plugs but cut out at the proper time.
Hunting -- I use the Peltors - took me a while to get used to them . I lost a couple of animals because Im slow to put them on but I still would rather protect what is left of my hearing -- no animal is worth injury to your body.
I am going to try the amp insert type of protection - expensive yes - but if they work well, there is no cost too high.
Hunting or the range.
At the range I like plugs and electronic Peltors - they amp the talking so you can hear past the plugs but cut out at the proper time.
Hunting -- I use the Peltors - took me a while to get used to them . I lost a couple of animals because Im slow to put them on but I still would rather protect what is left of my hearing -- no animal is worth injury to your body.
I am going to try the amp insert type of protection - expensive yes - but if they work well, there is no cost too high.
A few things to ponder.
Judging by the question you don't have much experience with big guns.
Have you shot the rifle yet? Does it hurt the sholder?
If this is going to be used alot at the range, to work up loads, practice and it rattles your brain/body you will most likely develop a flinch.
If you are just sighting it in and going hunting there is no time to develop a flinch don't bother.
I say shoot it first and if you can't stand the recoil put a brake on.
I have a brake on my .338 edge and I dont mind it at all.
Judging by the question you don't have much experience with big guns.
Have you shot the rifle yet? Does it hurt the sholder?
If this is going to be used alot at the range, to work up loads, practice and it rattles your brain/body you will most likely develop a flinch.
If you are just sighting it in and going hunting there is no time to develop a flinch don't bother.
I say shoot it first and if you can't stand the recoil put a brake on.
I have a brake on my .338 edge and I dont mind it at all.
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
Yup, I agree. It's as valid as your opinion.
The gas still leaves via the crown and then enters the brake.
The bullet is gone before the venting takes full effect (you can see it on high speed footage).
My 338Edge (8.5 pounds) is definitely more accurate with the brake on.
While I agree the rifle is easier to shoot there is more going on here.
The rifle comes back more consistently with the brake on as opposed to jumping all over the place under recoil (and throwing the shot with it) with the brake off.
I "see" a solid inch less at 200 yards.
I also shoot lots of 375's and 416's so I understand the principles at stake here.
I am very conscious of consistent body position and cheek weld.
If you live near Victoria you can shoot the rifle and see the difference for yourself.
VAIS Muzzle Brake is Awesome...
I had a Vais muzzlebrake installed on my previous 6lb Ruger Laminate Compact .308 (16.5" barrel). The difference was night and day. Before the brake, the recoil was noticeably higher than the 10lb Savage 10FP that I had. If my positioning was slightly off, the recoil was enough to cause a flinch. With the Vais muzzlebrake, the rifle shot beautiful, the anticipation dissapeared, recoil was half and it was comfortable to shoot. Also, the claim of no increase in sound is true, Vais really doesn't. I would recommend it in a heartbeat.
I had a Vais muzzlebrake installed on my previous 6lb Ruger Laminate Compact .308 (16.5" barrel). The difference was night and day. Before the brake, the recoil was noticeably higher than the 10lb Savage 10FP that I had. If my positioning was slightly off, the recoil was enough to cause a flinch. With the Vais muzzlebrake, the rifle shot beautiful, the anticipation dissapeared, recoil was half and it was comfortable to shoot. Also, the claim of no increase in sound is true, Vais really doesn't. I would recommend it in a heartbeat.
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
My thoughts;
Rapid target reacquisition, through reduced recoil, would be the most important purpose of a brake, especially for military sniper type rifles, and this would be the main reason for the increase in shooter accuracy.
If the brake has no effect on gas dispersion, ie. the bullet leaving the muzzle "canted", one would assume the following:
As far as muzzle brakes affecting the harmonics of the barrel goes, any time a weight is added or removed from the barrel, the vibrations that the barrel undergoes when firing a round is changed. Therefore, one would actually have to tune the brake by weight and/or length, much like the BOSS system, to obtain optimum accuracy. However, most brakes are not like the BOSS, they are fixed.
Using the above statement, it could also be assumed that after attaching a brake, the accuracy of a firearm can remain the same, become worse or it could improve. Please fill me in where I went wrong here.
The Boss was invented for those who do not reload and can not tune the load to match what the barrel needs for the best accuracy. If one reloads you can work up the best load with the fixed harmonics of one's barrel. The accurate dispersion of excess gases does increase the accuracy of a rifle. In super accurate rifles this gain may not be measurable as it is slight. Factory ammunition is made to shoot pretty good in most rifles but the ability to reload is very important for the best accuracy.
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
I realize this, just as a damaged crown or a damaged bullet base will negatively affect accuracy due to gas dispersion not being consistent as the bullet is being pushed out of the muzzle.
What I still don't understand, and no one seems to be able to answer, is how a muzzle brake increases the accuracy of a rifle.
The part of a bullet that is the most important part in accuracy is the base of the bullet... the tiniest flaw, one that you will not be able to see, will be detrimental to accuracy. It is the last thing affected by gases when it exits the barrel.
If the exiting gases can be reduced by accurate dispersion as the bullet begins it's free flight when it exits the barrel, there is less chance the bullet will be adversely affected.
Less recoil does increase the accuracy of a rifle. It recoils more uniformly and with less violence.
