It didn’t appear to be a baffle strike. Though I know that might be asking alot. Should be easy. I might just float them out there in a post after this series and maybe someone would be ambitious enough to try these kinds of things out. The results are based on the average of multiple shots fired with each muzzle brake. Was the shrapnel from some misalignment, or from some remaining milling debris or flashing, (it -was- a prototype) , .. or did the shrapnel seem to be a function of destabilization in designs using such a radical degree of cutback? . For more info, check out. Just wanted to pass on the info on the angle of the Terminator brake. I used to not believe a brake or suppressor could make a rifle more accurate, but it actually is plausible. I guess we need more data to really find out! You can see the recoil post for more details on that phenomenon. Summary. I want to preserve maximum optionality down the road to add a suppressor to my rig (I believe it should be as simple as screw-off-the-brake-screw-on-the-suppressor and adjust zero). It’s essentially using clever a recoil sled setup, which is an intuitive way to quantify total momentum or impulse (which is simply the change in momentum). I would rather not publish results on something, rather than publish results that could be misleading. I do believe this to be an important consideration, and I’d be curious to see how each muzzle break ranks in this department. That could’ve been much worse, so I’d just prefer to go a little safer … Even if it means I endure slightly more recoil. These have been very helpful in my long range shooting on the products that I use. Well, there are A TON of 338 brakes out there. I don’t want to present this as “right or wrong.” It’s up to each shooter to strike the right balance for their application. What I’ve learned is that even if I can’t explain it, there is usually a reason. The heavier bullets produce more recoil and the larger bores burn the powder faster. I’m out of ideas, any other explanation for 308 being weird? I also thought about getting 3 shooters to shoot a few 10 shot groups with each brake, and average all the results … but I think you’d be “in the noise.” I doubt it would offer enough value to justify the cost of the match-grade ammo it would take to conduct the test. How on earth can a choke reduce muzzle jump when it has gas vents pointing in 360 degrees? So you can see how the muzzle brake performed with and without the suppressor attached. We were able to cut the recoil on a featherweight 308 Win to be much less than a hefty 6XC (roughly the same cartridge as a 243 Win). It just goes to show, you can’t believe everything you read online! Thanks, George. That is almost 20% more than the 6.5 Creedmoor. Jerry Hunt. Total hooey. Interesting, but I still don’t get it. I didn’t test the Surefire suppressor, so I can’t say for sure. It was designed in 2012, about the same time as Berger’s release of the 230gr Hybrid bullet … and the two make a perfect pair. Thanks for such an unbiased write up !! 2nd: I understand you are working with what you got, but I would love to see the addition of other brakes such as Lantac Dragon and Battlecomp. How badly will it recoil with a muzzle brake? July 17, 2015 While planning these tests, I put a lot of thought into what cartridges to test. Thanks for the feedback! I believe much of that is correlated to stock design. But what about a larger 30 caliber cartridge? It looks like the brake was 4% more effective on the 308 and 8% more effective on the 300 Norma than when the suppressor was threaded onto the brake. Some shooters would rather deal with the extra recoil than the increased concussion from that shock wave. Is there any reason to believe that (based on what we’ve seen so far) when choosing a brake for a .338LM, your best choice would not still be going with the Alamo or APA? Very good analysis Jim. That way, when the guy with the new 338LM and the enormous muzzle brake starts shooting next to you without the obligatory warning, you don’t end up with all your paperwork blown away and a raging headache. But given another tuned load to barrel/brake system, can you get back to the same accuracy as bare muzzle for a give brake? I am about to have my 3rd! I’ve seen this more than once and know guys who have been shooting on the line and stuck with carbon chunks that drew blood. The potential for precision improvement is really 3 part: 1) I shoot better with the reduced concussion and reduced recoil, 2) The turbulence the bullet experiences in that brief period of “transitional ballistics” is reduced by the suppressor diverting some gas, and 3) adding weight to the end of the barrel can dampen barrel harmonics and may make those more consistent shot to shot. Here are the muzzle brakes I wasn’t able to test on the 300 Norma rifle: There are still A LOT of interesting results left to be published on this field test. Greg, the guy who makes the Terminator muzzle brake, emailed me and said the Terminator has 34 degree baffles … not 45 degree baffles. For me to be confident in accuracy results, I’d want to use a rail gun … and I don’t have one (yet). Great work as usual Cal and thank you for your time and effort. If the two to three blast chambers of a muzzle brake can greatly reduce recoil, just imagine what a suppressor full of baffles can do! I didn’t do that because I wanted to stay closer to the raw data that was recorded, and since it’d be proportional to the data I presented … the rating of muzzle brake performance should be the same either way. I personally like the American Precision Arms Little B* or even Fat B* for a 300 Win Mag. Funny you should ask, Kevin! Those scenarios are really difficult to predict/calculate, so most recoil calculations are based on a much simpler scenario that ignores collisions, and that simpler scenario is called free recoil. I am considering to add a brake to my Remington 700 XCR Long Range 300 Win Mag — I presume that will require a specific thread pattern based on the brake I choose. I just didn’t post any of that data (yet). I came up with an overall rating for each brake, which is indicated in the last column above. 3) less muzzle jump. A TOMB brake typically acts as the first baffle or two in the suppressor. I recently ordered a Seekins Precision Havak Pro Hunter 2 in 300 PRC. I didn’t test accuracy with the brakes, because I couldn’t think of an objective way to do that. On my rating system, if a brake were to have an average recoil reduction of 15% or less, it would receive a rating of 0. Field Tests & Studies, Reviews & Field Tests, Suppressors & Muzzle Brakes This just reinforces the value of data-driven tests, over merely reading people’s opinions. The problem was the steep 45 angle back toward the shooter meant it actually hit and injured someone instead of going off to the side unnoticed. Ultimately, it probably just isn’t good to through combustion exhaust back at that angle. Obviously there should be no ‘shrapnel’, or any other solid matter of note, leaving from any vector save the muzzle. The 300 Norma Magnum (not be confused with the old 308 Norma Mag), is the newest cartridge in our line-up. Deflecting the gases 90 degrees does take the powders mass and velocity out of the recoil equation so it does reduce the recoil. Those still might not be as high as you’d expect, but they are in the same ballpark of what the JBM recoil calculator predicts for the Free Recoil Impulse. David believes this is the most important aspect of muzzle brake, and much more important than recoil reduction. I wish I had the numbers on it. For 6mm through 30 caliber, the 5/8×24 thread pattern is by far the most popular and very interoperable. In the next post, I’ll cover the results related to how well each muzzle brake helps you stay on target. And if you didn’t think a 308 had much recoil, you should fire 200+ rounds from a 6 pound rifle in one day and see if your shoulder doesn’t get a little tender! Some of these, like the Tubb brake, can be used to tune the barrel harmonics by screwing it in and out and essentially adjusting the weight distribution of the barrel, which changes the vibrations. Some muzzle brakes like the one on the new Savage Bear Hunter turn off and on with a twist of the wrist, meaning you can use the brake to reduce recoil during practice sessions and turn it off in the field. Interesting finding. baffles redirected gases to move to sides or even rearward, and during that collision “an equal and opposite” amount of momentum is applied to the baffles, pushing them away from the shooter and offsetting recoil). The percentage shown is the average of the reduction in overall momentum and the reduction in peak force. Secondly, there is a difference. Kudos for maintaining a numbers-first approach to your analyses. Want to be the first to know when the next set of results is posted? With this rating system, none of the numbers are based on where a brake ranked relative to the others tested. Glad you found it helpful. This allows you to see which designs are more effective when it comes to recoil reduction, and spot some common characteristics among the top performers. My bad! It seems like when the gases initially strike the baffles they’d be doing work in your favor, and a suppressor also slows down those expanding gases which spreads out the recoil and a decrease in velocity also reduces momentum. Both the 6mm and 6.5mm brakes had a similar cluster from 26-36%. They are virtually identical. I like small groups when I hand load, but but like to shoo... Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. It is quite eye opening to see how effective some brake designs are on heavy recoiling calibres, especially when he does a demonstration with no brake. I have a clamshell brake for a .50 and the bore starts out larger than .500 and steps down closer to .500 at each baffle. Cal, will you be testing this brake ? Such heavy recoil firearms include anti-tank rifles, M82/M107, the howitzer cannons, and so on. Muzzle Brakes: Recoil Reduction Results Summary, Vote For The Best 6.5 Creedmoor Match Ammo, Bullet Jump Research: Executive Summary & Load Development Tips. Just by mounting the muzzle brake on the rifle can help to reduce recoil action by 20 to 50% depending on the design. I have run other brakes and the Terminator is by far the best brake. I look forward to your articles, very informative, very interesting as I shoot long range, so, I can’t wait to the next write up. Reactions: SamuelBerryhill308. I was hesitant to show the rifle comparison, but thought it was a cool visualization to help people wrap their heads around what was happening to the force at the butt of the rifle when you apply a brake. You need a donate button or something. A muzzle brake will tame recoil and may improve your rifle’s accuracy. The recoil data was collected using high-speed, high-resolution force sensors. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this content, data, or other materials is strictly prohibited without prior express and written permission from the author. I am in the final stages of getting a 300NM built and I asked my gunsmith to wait until we got the results back from your article. I personally are always double plugged (custom silicone plugs + electronic ear muffs) and so am not so affected. You can see it finished around the middle of the pack, ranking 11th among the 17 brakes tested on the 308. The actual effectiveness depends to an extent on the cartridge for which the rifle is chambered. If the shooter is more concerned about recoil control, the muzzle brake may be the way to go. Gravity works regardless of whether someone understands how it works or not! I also go double-plugged most of the time, because hearing damage is cumulative and permanent. The other downside of angled port designs is increased concussion/blast. I haven’t, but it sounds interesting. It would seem that the proper fit would have an effect on the efficiency of the brake. There are lots of aftermarket muzzle devices and tons of articles and videos about them. However, in the section on muzzle devices from Dr. Carlucci’s textbook, Ballistics: Theory and Design of Guns and Ammunition, he reminds us “Best design practice is to divert gases to the sides of the weapon, because rearward diversion could affect an exposed gun crew.” During my tests, a manufacturer sent me a prototype of a muzzle brake with 45° baffles back toward the shooter. The 300 Norma Mag test rifle featured a 27” Lilja Palma 30B contour barrel (similar to a Medium Palma contour). A muzzle brake/compensator produces more flash due to the cuts in the barrel to allow gas to escape up and/or back to reduce muzzle flip or reduce recoil. Well, Heath, I couldn't disagree more. I included the new TBAC Ultra-9 Suppressor in these results as well. July 13, 2015 First off: OUTSTANDING work you’ve done here. Eventually all of the gas escapes along the path of the bullet, and none goes to the sides. I was excited to see how the empirical data stacked up to the hype I read online. The only difference is the bullet. So stay tuned! It might look slight on that graph, but that is mostly because the 300 Norma makes the scale stretch way out. Here is a cool photo of that period from Herra Kuulapaa (shared with permission), and he has a lot more photos like this on his website. The numbers in bold indicate the top performer for each cartridge. On the 6XC, the reduction for the overall momentum (green line) and peak force (blue lines) were very similar, with the impulse being decreased by 2% more on average. So I’m not sure what the impact would be. The Terminator design does look really similar to the APA, but I’m hesitant with 45 degree baffles. Perhaps if you’re a benchrest shooter you might notice something … but for us practical/tactical guys … it’s likely in the noise, and you wouldn’t miss a target because of it. And I personally think Thunder Beast (TBAC) suppressors are the best that money can buy. One big difference between the results for the 308 Win and the results for the 6XC and 6.5 Creedmoor was the difference between how much it was able to decrease the peak force compared to the overall momentum. If you have common birdcage flash hider then it is good only for one job – to hide the flash and it will not reduce recoil or muzzle flip. In my experience the TBAC suppressors definitely don’t have a negative impact on precision (which some suppressors do), and could improve it slightly. So that is another thing to keep in mind. Furthermore, since a suppressor greatly limits (and eliminates, in some calibers) muzzle blast, perceived recoil will be less as well. That’s a great question. It is a standard, budget-friendly 308 rifle. I don’t want to nerd out on you, but there is an area of ballistics called transitional ballistics, and it is a short period between internal and external ballistics, between the time the bullet comes out of the barrel until it stabilizes in flight. A. While this is far from a free recoil scenario (free recoil means the rifle can move freely with nothing supporting it from the rear). A great example is the surprising data showing that caliber-specific brakes were only 1-3% more effective than a generic 30 caliber equivalent. I have 5 of the T3 version of the brake on the calibres 204Ruger, 243Win, 260Rem, 308Win and 300WinMag and they are amazingly effective. You brought up a great point regarding the up-sides and down-sides of the rearward facing baffles and their increased concussion. I’m not sure what tuning it to a load would mean. Hey, William. Ultimately, when the consumer is educated and armed with good info, products just seem to get better. So I hope that helps put your questions to bed. The heat map below shows the average % reduction for each muzzle brake and rifle tested. Hopefully those guys will be able to catch up soon. That is one of the new Thunder Beast (TBAC) Ultra-9 Suppressors I was able to test recently. The sound test should give us insight into the pressure difference at the shooter’s position for each brake, so stay tuned for that. Which ones are 3-4 times as loud as others? Greg’s brakes have beat out the APA brakes in testing….. The 308 does have the highest % of momentum from the bullet at 44%, but the 6XC is not far at 37% despite having the lowest difference between reduction of peak force and momentum. Maybe someone else will chime in and help us understand it. So by using this rifle in the tests, it can help give some context for the amount of recoil we’re talking about. Thinking ahead as usual! I believe there are only 2 outside the top 5 that have angled baffles, the tiny TBAC Compact Brake and the smaller version of the Holland Radial Quick Discharge Muzzle Brake. I was a little disappointed to hear that the suppressor did very little to combat muzzle movement and now curious about felt recoil compared to a brake. Hey, Jon. It finished about the same as the ability to stay on target … usually towards the tail end of the pack. I sincerely thank you for your efforts! Cal is a life-long learner, and loves to help others get into this sport he's so passionate about. You’re absolutely correct. Q. This T1 terminator break is pretty impressive. Many perform worse (especially if they’re shorter), and there may be a few that provide better performance. Yeah, it was quite the surprise. That was the Alamo Four Star Cowl Induction Muzzle Brake for all but the 308 Win, where the APA Fat B* did slightly better. That weight doesn’t include a scope or mount, as shown in the photo. But, like I mentioned before … I bet we’re in the noise. Both should be proportional to the impulse (area under the force vs time curve), but would likely be the bigger difference that you might be expecting. Here is an example of the data I recorded for one of the muzzle brakes: As I publish the results, I plan to show how much each muzzle brake reduces recoil compared to a bare muzzle. But, that’s why I actually run the tests and don’t just talk about this stuff! The new Alamo Four Star Cowl Induction Muzzle Brake was right there with it though, with virtually identical performance. I would be willing to bet that the latter is not true due to the different designs of the brakes. Not sure just how it’s accomplished but he has a series of YouTube videos demonstrating the before/after. Thanks for the encouragement. Wow, Schmidt and Bender of muzzle brakes. But, I may consider testing it in the future. It doesn’t seem to be a stretch to think some of those kinds of particles may be blowing out the end of the barrel on every shot. Pingback: muzzle break ideas? Hey, Vern. When using ATC with a 10 shot group what would be an acce... Shootin’ Okie: Thanks, for replying. And great question! Field Tests & Studies, Reviews & Field Tests, Suppressors & Muzzle Brakes There are 2 ways you can support the website, and you can see those here: http://precisionrifleblog.com/support/. Yes sir. Both the 6mm and 6.5mm brakes had a similar cluster from 26-36%. Cal: Ha! Good muzzle brake can significantly reduce muzzle rise and felt recoil. - Page 6. AT first I thought it could be that more of the momentum is in the bullet (which is momentum the brake does not affect). And finally, what will be really different between the two is the acceleration of the rifles. The Glock 19C’s ported barrel produced at least 30 percent less muzzle rise than the standard barrel. (1) Am I correct in my screw-off-screw-on assumption? That is yet to be seen. That does make sense. I’m not saying Greg’s brakes aren’t awesome. Some guys might find it interesting, but it may not be worth the effort it would take. Good to know someone else could benefit from it! Another reader asked a very similar question, and I answere... Heath: You’re pretty much regurgitating Bryan Litz’s books with this particular present... Joe Bellicini: Once again, well done. Re: How much does a muzzle break reduce recoil? I run multiple Terminator brakes and I’ve never seen an issue with excessive dust or debris. Adith, you got me. There was actually a sharp engineer that chimed in in the comments, and tried to explain why this was the case. Those unique quirks in the recoil signatures were consistent for a given rifle, even when using different muzzle brakes. As always, CR, thanks for the thought-provoking feedback. According to their data, that should be launching 230gr bullets around 2700 fps. Thanks for the kind words. Just enter your email to receive notifications of new posts. Etc. I know there are a ton of sharp engineers that read this, so maybe someone else will chime in. Cal, did you consider using a Terminator brake from Terminator Muzzle brakes in New Zealand ? Yes sir, I talked to Greg early on this process, and he was really helpful. Cal has an engineering background, unique data-driven approach, and the ability to present technical information in an unbiased and straight-forward fashion. No sir, we uncovered that we were likely hit by a piece of carbon that had built-up on the brake (like it does on all brakes), and eventually blew off (like it will eventually do on all brakes). Without your input, many of us will feel lost in getting the right equipment. Luckily I was wearing eye protection, and that’s a good reminder of why that’s so important. The percentage shown is the average of the reduction in overall momentum and the reduction in peak force. On the other hand, there isn’t a practical limit to the amount of gas a muzzle brake can redirect, and it can redirect that gas in a direction that allows it to do more work in our favor. Thanks for chiming in, Jim. I devised several methods for ratings, but this seemed the most objective and fair. can reduce recoil by as much as 50 percent. Stay tuned! A flash hider reduces the visible flash for both the shooter and the person shooting back. Thanks for the hard work. This leaves less muzzle blast for the brake to reduce recoil. Or the T2. Well, Heath, I couldn't disagree more. The benefits of a break is clear but unfortunately using one in a match (non-PRS) sometimes brings on the ire of some of the other shooters, especially F-class shooters who cannot use a break and so is not used to them. My hypothesis is some yes, some no. All I know is that you won’t see me using a 45 degree muzzle brake! The 300 Norma Mag cartridge has 11% more powder capacity than the 300 Win Mag, and represents one of the largest 30 caliber magnums. That’s why I actually get out in the field and test this stuff and don’t just talk about it! I didn’t do that on purpose, and actually only thought about it when you asked … but that is a cool, accidental comparison in the data. I heard someone say “Don’t fix happy” … so if you’re happy with them, I wouldn’t change. Very comprehensive and informative post, being a your regular reader cant go with out leave a comment, thank you for your contribution. I’d really like to see the numbers on how the T3 stacks up against this lot. That’s just my guess. You can dive deeper into the recoil data in these posts: To recap, here is a look at the 4 cartridges and rifles used for the recoil tests: You may be wondering why some of the recoil signatures are smooth and others are more irregular. Stay tuned! A muzzle brake is designed to capture as much of the energy contained in the muzzle blast as possible. But, out of all the brake manufacturers I’ve talked to (more than what’s represented here), there was only one doing that kind of computational modeling to aid in design. Muzzle brakes aren’t just for high-recoil rifles. It penetrated 2 shirts and caused a wound deep enough to see flesh.”. But I did the math (I couldn’t find a velocity for the 308 you fired so I assumed 2700) and found there to be no correlation between the % of the momentum that came from the bullet and the difference between % reduction momentum and % reduction of peak force. Im still curious why 308 is the only one to have such a discrepancy between the change in momentum and the change in peak force. This differs depending on the type and design of the brake, and the cartridge for which the rifle is chambered. It penetrated 2 shirts and caused a wound deep enough to see flesh. Competition shooters almost always put a brake on their rifles as a way to … I recorded it at the side of the rifle (according to mil-spec standards), and then also at the shooter’s position behind the rifle. Just as a reminder, the 6XC was a Manner’s Carbon Fiber Stock, the 6.5 Creedmoor was a McMillan A5 Stock, the 308 was a standard Savage stock (not their AccuStock, but their cheapest stock), and the 300 Norma Mag was an Accuracy International AX chassis. I’m considering buying a Dead Air Sandman-S as my next suppressor, and they have an interesting brake design. A really good muzzle brake will reduce the recoil more than a suppressor, but the suppressor will reduce it by about 50%. Does the mounting of the suppressor over the brake negate the advantage in recoil reduction that an open brake would have? Many suppressors (if not most) aren’t rated to handle something as big as the 300 Norma. Think about how much copper comes off the jackets, and how much carbon you have to clean out of the barrel. I see you feature Greg Couper’s testing sled as one of your images, so no doubt you are aware of his products. There are just a billion brakes out there, so I couldn’t test them all. My muzzle braked.308 kicks like a.223 or less when I use 110gr bullets. Because I do all this in my spare time, I’m always trying to think whether something is worth the time I’d spend on it. This time though, the American Precision Arms brake is the larger Fat B* model, and not their Little B*. As we learned in the recoil post, it seems to be some combination of the two factors. 4 degrees might sound tiny, but its plausible that it could result in a measurable difference. Excellent built can, with repeatable POI, and make most rifles more accurate. I was obviously disappointed by the results. Does a brake-mounted suppressor have less recoil than a thread-mounted suppressor? That surprised me. That’s a bold statement. Huge, square shotgun-muzzle brakes with big, flat edges like those modeled after the muzzle brakes found on Howitzers (and .50 cals.) I didn’t run the 300 Norma Mag as hot as what I’ve heard rumors of other guys doing. There seems to be a strong correlation between the angle and overall rank. I’m just trying to give a balanced and responsible presentation of all the facts to help you make an informed decision. Cal: Ha! I can’t say that I can explain this fully, but I’ll point out a few things. There are a few to choose from. … All of the muzzle brakes are loud, but diverting gases rearward can increase the pressure shock wave at or near the shooter’s position. And after I posted the data some smart guy came along and explained choked flow and incompressible fluids, and it totally made sense. The angle definitely isn’t the only thing that plays into recoil performance, but it’s clearly significant. Since I couldn’t come up with a really objective way to quantify that … I didn’t do any tests on it. They’re obviously really effective designs. I hope this approach inspires others to join me on the journey, do their own tests, and publish it for everyone else to benefit from. - Shooters Forum, Pingback: Suppressor effectiveness - Think about this! Just trying to present the data to help fellow long-range shooters make more informed decisions. I switch back and forth all the time. At first I thought he was joking, and then I thought we were going to the hospital! A recoil brake can permanently affect your hearing (for life), if you're not wearing ear protection!

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