Muzzle Brake Diameter Suggestions

[dixieppc]

After much thought I have decided that I'm going to have to put a Muzzle Brake on my 6 BR so I can tame it down a bit. I would like to shoot it free recoil like I do my PPCs.

I have pretty much decided on a Stainless Harrell Radial Ported Brake and at first had wanted the Brake to be turned so as to be the same diameter as the muzzle end of my barrel which is .900". It is just a cosmetic thing with me, no other reason. However I have been told that the smaller the diameter of the Brake, the less effective it is and that I should leave the diameter alone if not even getting one that is a little fatter.

I was looking at the 1 inch diameter Brake since not that much would have had to have been turned off to make it the same diameter of the barrel. So, I guess I can live with the cosmetics of a 1" diameter Brake on the end of a .900" diameter barrel if it's going to give me that much more performance.

This is a 17lb BR rig with a 28" 1:8 barrel shooting 105 VLDs and/or Hybrids and possibly some 107s later.

So, 2 questions:
1. Will turning a 1" diameter Brake down to .900" cost me much of the Brake's original performance?

2. If it is suggested to Not turn the 1" Brake down to .900", then would going to a 1.25" diameter Brake give me significantly more Brake performance? Or even the 1.5" diameter Brake, maybe????

Thanks in Advance to all Suggestions....

 

[Dusty Stevens]

A radial brake like a harrels can be turned down. Its the exit hole and chamber that matter. A port brake needs the surface area of the gills or whatever it has to make the gas flow back. Go with www.muzzlebrakesandmore.com i have used a bunch and love showing folks free recoil with my 338lm. Itll blow bystander's hats off tho

 

[IdahoCTD]

With a drilled hole brake the diameter doesn't matter nearly as much. You only have the one baffle at the end of the brake and that diameter is dictated by the thread size typically. On a baffle brake the diameter effects the port size so it is much more critical as the larger the port the more effective the brake.

My new 1" brakes will have the ability to be turned down to .900". I should have some next week or the week after.

BTW www.muzzlebrakesandmore.com is me.

 

[dixieppc]

Thanks for the replies, guys. As a PPC driver, I never had to concern myself with having to use a muzzle brake much less understanding their design. I really didn't think that this 6BR was going to have the punch that it does or I would have had a brake put on the barrel during its build.

Regards......

 

[Dusty Stevens]

With a drilled hole brake the diameter doesn't matter nearly as much. You only have the one baffle at the end of the brake and that diameter is dictated by the thread size typically. On a baffle brake the diameter effects the port size so it is much more critical as the larger the port the more effective the brake.

My new 1" brakes will have the ability to be turned down to .900". I should have some next week or the week after.

BTW www.muzzlebrakesandmore.com is me.

You said what i was trying to say! Love your brakes btw.

 

[roadkill61]

I have that brake on my 6br. When I inquired with Harrels they said I would be able to see the bullets cut the hole on the targets. WELL THAT TURNED OUT TO BE A JOKE. For the money mine was a waste .

 

[Dusty Stevens]

That design never works except for looks

 

[ridgeway]

That design never works except for looks

You referring to a Harrells radial?

 

[dixieppc]

I have that brake on my 6br. When I inquired with Harrels they said I would be able to see the bullets cut the hole on the targets. WELL THAT TURNED OUT TO BE A JOKE. For the money mine was a waste .

Well, I haven't purchased the brake yet. Reason I was looking at a Harrell was because he only lives 80 miles from me and it would be an easy pick up. I also have his powder measure, two presses and resizing dies for each barrel I have and have been totally satisfied with the quality of those components.

Again I will admit I know nothing about muzzle brakes. I just figured that the design was set in stone and they were all pretty much the same thing. However after following this discussion and some others I'm finding differently.

So after much contemplation on the decision to brake or not, now I must deal with the confusion of whose brake to purchase. At this point the only thing that I know for sure is that I want a spiral brake instead of a tactical brake.

I'm going to need some help, guys, with the decision on whose brake to purchase. Sure would be nice if there was one of those comparison pages that lists all of the top brake manufacturers with all the pros and cons and whatnots listed next to each one, but I haven't found such a list yet.

Again, I'm not trying to brake a buffalo gun. I'm just trying to tame down a straight Jane 6BR that's pushing 105g Hybrids down the tube enough to be able to shoot it free recoil like I do my PPC's.

Regards......

 

[ridgeway]

If you plan on competing, go with a Harrells radial. Absolutely nothing wrong with the design and will work perfect for the 6BR. I shoot several Dashers free recoil for 1K BR and have no problem seeing the impact. I would not shoot without one. Not sure why all the comments about them not working? I'm guessing 90% of the long range shooters use them. Anything with angled ports are not IBS LR legal and I'm sure williamsport rules don't allow them. Get the Harrells, bore the ID .020" over nd you WILL be satisfied for sure!

 

[ridgeway]

On another note, I put a Harrells radial on my factory 700 stainless sporter 7mm mag barrel and turned down to the barrel OD for a seemless look and it truly works. It used to be horrible to shoot without a brake...the brake tamed it down big time. Much louder, but way nicer to shoot.

 

[Randfal]

I've used a lot of Harrels brakes and they work great. They are a very good brake for the money. As far as taking a 1.0" down to .90, I don't think you will lose much in your application.

 

[ridgeway]

Here is a Harrells that I turned down for my factory sporter. Its quite effective...might not as much as a large ported design, but still works.

 

[dixieppc]

Well I have been researching these things and a few points seem to be common in all the discussions. What follows are cut-n-paste copies of those points.

[Copied Points]
Internal Hole Diameter:
.020" over bullet diameter is the general rule. It will make a brake considerably less effective to have the hole much bigger than it needs to be and .020" seems to be the best for accuracy.

Boring the Hole:
The hole should be bored using a small boring bar while still attached to the barrel that is in the lathe and indexed perfectly. In this way the exit hole will line up with the barrel's bore perfectly.

Keep the threaded end of the barrel as full diameter as possible. The more you turn off the OD of the muzzle, the more likely the internal dimensions will open up. Be as careful in drilling the exit hole as you do in indicating the barrel in. Meaning, you need to set up the barrel dead nuts, thread it, install the brake, then drill.
[End Points]

I'm still leaning toward the Harrell Radial unless my mind can be redirected with good cause and sound reason. It was suggested then I get the 1" diameter if I was going to turn it down to .900" but after thinking about this, I may just leave it at 1" just to squeeze every ounce of performance as I can out of it. Harrell does also offer a 1.25" and 1.50" diameter brake so there is a thought toward additional performance, throwing clean flowing cosmetics out the door. Thoughts?

One concern I came across in more than one thread was the problem some people were having with carbon clean up of their brakes that shoot dirty powders such as Varget which I do in this gun.

Thanks for the discussion everyone is offering on this. I appreciate it....

Regards....

 

[tmwinds]

I have a Harrell's brake on a 11.5 pound 6BR. 1 inch turned down to .900. I can shoot it free recoil with no problem and I'm a sissy.

 

[Rustystud]

Linwood and all (Harrell's), make a great brake for the money. The key is to drill and ream/bore them .020" over bore diameter. No more no less. Taper fit, or barrel diameter they work as advertised. I have used them on hundreds of customers guns from 22 caliber up to modern muzzleloaders in 45 caliber. If someone says their Harrell's brake is for looks and does not do what it is advertised to do, that means it was not completed as directed by Harrell's. I have put them on .308 Win and been able to easily see the bullet strikes at 300 plus yards
Nat Lambeth

 

[jfseaman]

I received my first Harrels on a 284 RemAge barrel that is muzzle diameter.

I was so impressed, I purchased 3 more. 2 of those are installed. One is for a project not yet installed.

Came with 284 Win barrel for BR project.
Installed 338/300 RUM over muzzle diameter. .72 muzzle
Installed 300/RUM over muzzle diameter. .720 muzzle

I have since purchased 2 more for "upgrades" to magnum hunting rifles that have muzzle diameter brakes that don't do enough.

That makes 6 in total.

So...

My beliefs on this:

Muzzle diameter is fine for your application.
Harrels is good steel, good design. Does not effect trajectory of installed properly.

 

[dixieppc]

You know, stupid me totally forgot to post a follow up to my muzzle brake project. I chose the Harrell Brake. Specifically, I chose the Stainless Steel Radial in 1" diameter, 3/4 x 32 thread #3. I chose NOT to turn the Brake down to the diameter of the muzzle end of the barrel which is .900 inch.

I didn't take pictures during the machining process but can show you the final results.

All of my competitive life I have shot point blank PPC's in Free Recoil. You can imagine my surprise the first time I shot the 6 BR in free recall. Shooting a 105g Berger hybrid with 30.2 grains of Varget, the rifle/scope got me between the eyeballs. I saw Elvis! I just didn't realize that the 6BR was going on produce that much more recoil than the 6 PPC's. Time for a Brake.

The Harrell is only $30 but sure does give tons of bang for the $30. It tamed the 6BR right down to a point where I can shoot it Free Recoil the same as my PPC's.

BTW, the rifle is a 6-BR 17lb IBS Light Class, 28”-5R-.237-1:8-.268 necked SS Bartlein Barrel, Pearl Rust Orange 90’s vintage Lee Six Stock with home made Aluminum Butt Plate, RB/RP Blueprint & Trued 700 Action (Steel Pillar Bedded). Kelbly Rings/20 MOA Bases. Leupold 36x with Tucker conversion.

Regards....