Muzzle Brakes - worth the effort?

[snert]

I like brakes. I have used the VAis. However, the Micro-Basterd is amazing. One one hand it stops recoil, and when shooting at little critters, even my small case 6mm jumps enough without a brake to lose a groundhog in recoil. I hate that. On the other hand, my buddy Fredo touched off the Redline with a Basterd on it and it blew my 40XBR with a #7 taper barrel right off the round bale and it was three feet away! I caught it before it hit the ground

 

[Gil P.]

Check out the brakes from area 419. I think they offer them in that thread pitch and they're self timing. The Hellfire has worked well for me.

You will notice a significant decrease in recoil when using a brake with rear angled ports.

 

[PigButtons]

I purchased a Harrel's tuner brake and love it. It makes a difference in muzzle rise and allows some easy fine tuning of barrel harmonics. Better follow up and better accuracy, what's better than that.

 

[SEM]

something to consider Magna Porting I have a 7mm TCU that is ported I have shot 14" 7 TCUs for a very long time with 160 gr bullets I did not consider them needing a brake, Then I ran across a ported barrel WOW it is no where as obnoxious as a brake and really tames the jump. Now if I could just stop buying everything else and send my barrels to Magna Port. price is reasonable for single shots and most handguns it runs 99.00 each plus shipping back to you. I am trying to take advantage of the flat rate shipping charge and send in as many at once I can convince myself to do

 

[jghoghunter]

Have no dog in this fight , as long as the OP and others understand they will not be allowed to use any rifle with a Brake in F-Class competition . I've heard the whinin from guys with Brakes being barred from Matches , with the classic , "Nobody told me" . You've been told ! If you've ever shot next to someone using a Brake , you don't need any explanation on this .

If you have no dog in this fight why even say anything. The op didn't mention anything about competition and certainly not anything about your beloved F-Class competition. So why even say anything. Second 99% of my comp guns don't have breaks but our rules allow it. My suggestion to you is man up and learn how to deal with them. There are people out there with disabilities that couldnt compete if they couldn't use a break.
I'm sorry maybe what I'm really saying is man up learn how to deal with them quit YOUR whining. Just because YOU don't like them doesn't mean others don't and they are a useful tool in are arsenal.

 

[Mark W]

Thanks for everyone's input. I do think some are missing the point...I am not trying to reduce recoil, it isn't much in a .223 anyway. I would like to decrease muzzle rise so the scope stays on target better. As I move to trying up to 75-grain bullets, I would imagine this is only going to get worse. Just trying to be proactive.

A good brake will definitely help. Here lately I’ve been installing Harrell‘s radial brakes on most of my stuff. Turning the scope magnification down a little also makes a huge difference in maintaining sight picture in the Prairie Dog fields.

 

[AckleymanII]

On deer hunting rifles, we use this:

Quiet & Rifle Muzzle Brakes | Gentry Custom

Enhance your firearm's performance with Gentry Custom's premium custom gun and rifle muzzle brake installations. Quiet, accurate, and expertly crafted for precision.

gentrycustom.com

Why? Ports are angled forward, putting a LOT less blast on shooter. The angled forward ports are especially important on shorter barrels.

Tactical brakes with side ports are absolutely the loudest of all brakes, and perhaps the most effective in reducing recoil. Reducing recoil to the utmost is important in seeing your hits on larger calibers. Seeing the EXACT IMPACT on a deer or elk is critical information, especially when you shoot with the animal disappearing from recoil. Some of the Tactical muzzle breaks are absolutely defeating on cartridges 243 Win and larger, I use a tactical electronic ear muff. Since I started wearing the electronic ear muffs, I have heard more deer grunting and snort wheezing with my rattle bag at the ready and grunt call, I was able to put more deer burger and cube steak in the freezer.

ON all my regular target rifles that do not have a Ezel Tunner, I put a Harrells muzzle break on it, Radial. The Joy of 40-60% less recoil is hard to explain. I do not feel any muzzle blast on a barrel 26" and longer barrel.

Also, I believe that the weight on the end of the barrel makes the "tune" window wider on the load. I have seen this many, many times.

 

[Juppe12]

I shoot much better results with proper tactical brake. And as AckleymanII mentioned, it seems that it is easier to find good load on wider window.

 

[Gil P.]

If it hasn't already been mentioned, I recommend doubling up on hearing protection.

 

[AckleymanII]

Few talk about ear muffs. It is amazing how many people use really poor quality ear muffs.

Replace the foam around the ear muff from time to time, and these work very well for me on the bench.

Peltor Ultimate Passive Ear Muffs Black

The Peltor Ultimate Folding Earmuffs is designed for safety without sacrificing comfort. The Ultimate Hearing Protector reduces sound levels for...

www.midwayusa.com

If you dig your face into the stock, you need a thinner ear muff:

Peltor Sport Tactical 100 Electronic Ear Muffs Black

Featuring proprietary 3M technology that surpresses harmful gunshot noise while amplifying low-level sounds, the 3M Peltor Tactical 100 Electronic...

www.midwayusa.com

I also use this electronic ear muff when deer hunting here in the South, so I can hear deer grunting. If you have not learned to call in deer, it is a real thrill. I called in 7 in one day during the rut, did not shoot any of them due to size...was holding out for the dominant buck. I heard these immature bucks sparing, tingling their racks together. Others I saw grunting. I use a product called Forget the Wind so they did not smell me when they circled the tree I was in on a 15' ladder stand.

 

[SSL]

If it hasn't already been mentioned, I recommend doubling up on hearing protection.

Few talk about ear muffs. It is amazing how many people use really poor quality ear muffs.

Replace the foam around the ear muff from time to time, and these work very well for me on the bench.

Peltor Ultimate Passive Ear Muffs Black

The Peltor Ultimate Folding Earmuffs is designed for safety without sacrificing comfort. The Ultimate Hearing Protector reduces sound levels for...

www.midwayusa.com

If you dig your face into the stock, you need a thinner ear muff:

Peltor Sport Tactical 100 Electronic Ear Muffs Black

Featuring proprietary 3M technology that surpresses harmful gunshot noise while amplifying low-level sounds, the 3M Peltor Tactical 100 Electronic...

www.midwayusa.com

I also use this electronic ear muff when deer hunting here in the South, so I can hear deer grunting. If you have not learned to call in deer, it is a real thrill. I called in 7 in one day during the rut, did not shoot any of them due to size...was holding out for the dominant buck. I heard these immature bucks sparing, tingling their racks together. Others I saw grunting. I use a product called Forget the Wind so they did not smell me when they circled the tree I was in on a 15' ladder stand.

Thanks guys. I'm religious about hearing protection since I have about a 40% hearing loss in my left ear...a product of far too many years when it wasn't considered 'macho' to wear ear protection while shooting. I need to investigate the various lines of electronic styles. I like the idea of not having to take them off to have a conversation and then possibly forgetting to put them back on. Hasn't happened yet, but one more variable to get rid of.

 

[ballisticxlr]

I have a Mossberg MVP in .223rem that I've turned into a competition rig. Rearward recoil was never a problem but without something on the muzzle (just like OP's situation) I could get enough muzzle rise on some barricades to lose my view of the trace & impact splash which made PRS kind of a bear. Since it was only the muzzle-up tendency that I was fighting I stuck an A2 birdcage flash hider on it. The blast is deflected upwards which gives me the downward barrel pressure needed to keep sight picture even at very high magnification but since it's not sending the sound out the sides but instead upward it's a good bit more pleasant to be around for bystanders than a conventional brake as long as there's no roof involved.

Here's a vid of me using it in a NRA Sporting Rifle type match:

 

[Bill Norris]

Get an E C Tuner/Brake and don't look back. They work as Erik shows in his videos.

 

[Ned Ludd]

A muzzle brake is simply unnecessary on a .223 Rem bolt rifle.

 

[eric32]

When the rifle is light weight a brake will help. Having said that how you are shooting your rifle is another story.

You might not want to hear this but a brake wont mask poor fundamentals. I suggest take a precision rifle course.

 

[AckleymanII]

Check out the brakes from area 419. I think they offer them in that thread pitch and they're self timing. The Hellfire has worked well for me.

You will notice a significant decrease in recoil when using a brake with rear angled ports.

Rear angled ports put blast you YOU!

 

[eric32]

So the new generations of brake are progressive angled. The rear most port is about 90ish from the muzzle. While the other are angled rearward essential making a blast wall if that makes sense.

Check out the Patriot valley shockwave the picture captures what I am explaining

 

[Loudenboomer]

I think the Brake is very useful on my .338 Lapua. I Like it on my Sako TRG .308 also. As mentioned we have the volume penalty. Not just for the shooter. If I'm shooting Big guns at the range {steel Roof} I try shoot alone or it usually clears the place out. Sounded like a suppressor is not an option. To bad I think it works better than a brake on my 7 rem mag. Would I personally want a brake on a .223 bolt gun? No.

 

[Gil P.]

Rear angled ports put blast you YOU!

That's true, but they are the most effective at reducing recoil in my experience.

It can wear on you after a long day of shooting. I was actually just looking at the Hawkins Precision Tank Self Timing brake. May not be as effective, but I like the method it uses to self time and being able to get the same torque when putting it back on after cleaning. Another reason I want to try it is because the ports are not angled towards the shooter, but out to the sides instead.

I mentioned the Area 419 because they make their brakes in several thread pitches and don't want to recommend something the OP can't use.

 

[TAJ45]

OP mentioned missing the point? He stated he only wants to eliminate muzzle rise.
Muzzle rise is also a function of stock design, drop at comb.
For those who feel the brake is unnecessary for the mousey .223, let's agree that reducing stock, or gun or muzzle movement will surely help him stay on target optically. OK?