Muzzle brake alignment affecting accuracy?

[FireMedic]

I’ve notices on a few pre-bored self timing muzzlebrakes, that after threading the muzzle and installing the brake, the muzzlebrakes are sometime .004 to .010 out of alignment. This is with the barrel still in the lathe and dialed in to a tenth.

I can’t help but think this would affect accuracy?

Im curious as to what experience people have had with this. In my mind if the hole in the muzzlebrake is not 100% concentric then the gases escaping unevenly could cause some stability issues with the bullet.

I recently had a rifle with a factory bored muzzlebrake installed from a big name manufacturer. Rifle was sub moa but just barely. I decided to cut an inch of the muzzle and rethread it for a standard muzzlebrake. I then bored it concentric to the bore. Now the rifle is shooting Bugholes.

I can’t help but think that the muzzlebrake was the culprit.

 

[mauser284]

Well all muzzle devices affect accuracy if they have any effect on the gases coming out of the muzzle.

Now as to the lack concentricity and what level is acceptable I am not sure I have ever read anything on this topic but it sure would be nice to know. So I am glad you have asked it. Surely someone knows and has done the research and testing.

The real question is will they share it for free??? Is it legit research or assumptions and heresy.

Are these cheap Chinese cast bodies that are then machined in China? I ask because those have flooded the market and it is so hard to tell what you are getting unless you go right to the source in the USA assuming they are honest and not just a re-seller.

Great Question!

 

[Ned Ludd]

Assuming the muzzle brake also adds extra weight to the end of the barrel, in addition to controlling gases escaping from the bore, it could also be functioning as a tuner. In such instances, the addition of a brake that functions as a tuner and causes the rifle to shoot bugholes as happened in this instance can easily go the other way. Any possible tuning effect all depends on exactly where it ends up.

 

[FireMedic]

Well all muzzle devices affect accuracy if they have any effect on the gases coming out of the muzzle.

Now as to the lack concentricity and what level is acceptable I am not sure I have ever read anything on this topic but it sure would be nice to know. So I am glad you have asked it. Surely someone knows and has done the research and testing.

The real question is will they share it for free??? Is it legit research or assumptions and heresy.

Are these cheap Chinese cast bodies that are then machined in China? I ask because those have flooded the market and it is so hard to tell what you are getting unless you go right to the source in the USA assuming they are honest and not just a re-seller.

Great Question!

No these muzzle brakes are $200 self timing muzzle brakes and are widely used.

I’ve never heard this talked about before, but just something I found while trouble shooting a rifle that I didn’t feel like shot as well as it should.

 

[carlsbad]

I don't install a lot of muzzle brakes on precision rifles but when I do I like to bore them after they are installed. I have special small boring bars for this. It is very slow as it requires small cuts and slow speeds to avoid chatter on such a long interrupted cut with a tiny bar.

 

[Tommy Leroy Johnson]

I've seen quite a lot of these clamp on or pre bored brakes brakes causing accuracy problems. one was so far off center from the barrel bore on a factory threaded barrel the bullet slightly contacted the bore of the brake leaving a bright copper streak, needless to say that rifle could barely hit a large pie plate at 100 yards, others just did not shoot well.
In my experience all brakes should be bored .020" larger than the barrel bore in as near perfect alignment with the barrel bore as is humanly possible.
Some times it's not the brake off center it's the off center factory threaded barrel causing the accuracy issue.

Ya'll have a great day