crown vs muzzle brake

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Yes I do agree, there is definitely a difference in brakes. Most of the ones I have been around on factory guns are not much next to the custom brakes.(example) My friend bought a Kimber with a brake, pretty much a pipe nipple with holes. Our smith built him one that is baffled ,no comparison .The Kimber brake did not come remotely close to reducing recoil.

I shouldn't have phrased it the way I did. I wasn't considering a factory installed one. I do mostly BR and bolt gun builds but since it was alluded to earlier that I may relating my posts more to the semi-auto guns, I wouldn't say that.
But, I have literally seen AK rifles threaded at the muzzle that only had threads about 1/2 way around!! Not sure how they are tooled up that even makes that possible, but it was. There was no bullet strike but it was junk and the brake suffered from the huge exit hole and brake design with very little sail area...IMO. So yes, I agree that there are certainly some examples of very poorly working brakes.
Savage use to offer one on factory guns that was good example. They could be turned on and off but it wasn't a good brake, at all. Still, it made a very noticeable difference

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Yes I do agree, there is definitely a difference in brakes. Most of the ones I have been around on factory guns are not much next to the custom brakes.(example) My friend bought a Kimber with a brake, pretty much a pipe nipple with holes. Our smith built him one that is baffled ,no comparison .The Kimber brake did not come remotely close to reducing recoil.

Very true. Certain apsects in design make a big difference. I have a rifle that is about to get a 3rd brake change. First brake was basically just drilled holes that a smith made for me. Worthless. Second was a Harrel's Tactical. Much better, but not nearly as good as my Sidewinder. The next one will probably be a Beast brake or something similar that has rear angled ports like my Area 419 Sidewinder. Both employ an extremely effective recoil reduction design. The Sidewinder ports are also perfectly angled to where they provide maximum recoil reduction, but I do not feel any muzzle blast behind the rifle.

Another thing to consider when selecting a brake is the size and amount of ports in relation to the size of the powder charge. Something like a 5 port Super Beast brake on a 338 Lapua Improved will be very effective, but may actually be less effective vs. a standard 4 port Beast brake when used on a smaller cartridge.

I also have one of the new 5 Star brakes from David Tubb sitting on the bench. Ports are not facing rearward, but I am curious to see how it performs. Haven't decided which rifle I want to put it on yet.
http://www.davidtubb.com/David-Tubb-Rifle-Gun?product_id=166

 

[muleman69]

Very true. Certain apsects in design make a big difference. I have a rifle that is about to get a 3rd brake change. First brake was basically just drilled holes that a smith made for me. Worthless. Second was a Harrel's Tactical. Much better, but not nearly as good as my Sidewinder. The next one will probably be a Beast brake or something similar that has rear angled ports like my Area 419 Sidewinder. Both employ an extremely effective recoil reduction design. The Sidewinder ports are also perfectly angled to where the provide maximum recoil reduction, but I do not feel any muzzle blast behind the rifle.

Another thing to consider when selecting a brake is the size and amount of ports in relation to the size of the powder charge. Something like a 5 port Super Beast brake on a 338 Lapua Improved will be very effective, but may actually be less effective vs. a standard 4 port Beast brake when used on a smaller cartridge.

I also have one of the new 5 Star brakes from David Tubb sitting on the bench. Ports are not facing rearward, but I am curious to see how it performs. Haven't decided which rifle I want to put it on yet.
http://www.davidtubb.com/David-Tubb-Rifle-Gun?product_id=166

Would like to no how 5 star works for you

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Would like to no how 5 star works for you

I will do a small review when I finally get around to installing it. May not be for a while tho. Will be focusing on trying to get my 300 NMI match ready. After that I will probably test the 5 Star on that rifle since my Area 419 uses the same 3/4" threading. I also have the 5/8" thread adapter for the 5 Star in case I want to try it on a few other rifles. Will let you know.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I want to try one of those area 419 self timing brakes.

 

[DngBat7]

Not a fan of pinch bolts on brakes, myself. If I use those, I prefer to order it under sized, put it on the barrel and bore it on the barrel while the barrel is set up for threading. Those usually have an oversize bore for caliber so that bullet hit is not an issue. That doesn't keep muzzle pressure equal around the bullet ..and in my testing, hurt brake effectiveness due to the excess area around the bullet while in the brake.

Don't get me wrong, they do work. The design is simply not my definition of as good as it can be, regardless of port configuration, etc.

I understand what your saying. I had that same fear when I bought. But on my “tactical” style rifle is shooting tiny one whole groups, it did not have an effect which actually suprised me as well. Benchmark barrels bored it to the correct size and it does work perfect on both my rifles. Luckily I have had good experiences

 

[bsekf]

My 308 20 inch barrel light rifle will jump up and shake when on the bench. After the Harrel's brake there is no need to hold the forend. On a 6.6x47L , there is no jump, just a light push straight back. I see a big difference and am sold on the Harrel's standard, no index, brake. Great guy to do business with and the price is right. OK, OK, they are not pretty!

Bill

 

[nockhunter]

Thanks for all the comments. I was asking if the style of crown will affect the brake's efficiency? My son shoots a rem 700, 6.5 creedmoor in PRS production class with a little bastard brake. It works very well, and he can see his hits with it installed. I was asking about crowns because after this year he will be having a custom barrel installed and I was wondering if the type of barrel crown will have any effect, since he will have the opportunity to choose the barrel crown. I know how muzzle brakes work, and how they are designed makes a difference.

Thanks
Mike

 

[Dusty Stevens]

No the crown makes no difference

 

[Milo 2.0]

Thanks for all the comments. I was asking if the style of crown will affect the brake's efficiency? My son shoots a rem 700, 6.5 creedmoor in PRS production class with a little bastard brake. It works very well, and he can see his hits with it installed. I was asking about crowns because after this year he will be having a custom barrel installed and I was wondering if the type of barrel crown will have any effect, since he will have the opportunity to choose the barrel crown. I know how muzzle brakes work, and how they are designed makes a difference.

Thanks
Mike

Dusty knocked that one out in post #2, the rest was for fun. A recessed hunter crown will keep the crown or face of barrel clean inside a brake, if buildup is a concern.