Muzzle Brake Top Vents

[harro]

On Muzzle Brakes that vent to the side ( not radial ) is there any benefit to having some smaller top vents to eliminate muzzle rise ?
I’ve been playing with a muzzle brake lately that has some small top vents , the other brake I own doesn’t have this feature.
On the new one I think at the shot the top vents are pushing the barrel down and then the bipod / rifle bounces up . I don’t think I’m getting that with the other brake with no top vents , am I crazy or is this an actual thing ?
The non top vented brake seems to be more settled but it’s hard to know for sure , maybe I should make a video of each one being shot and watch it in slow motion.
Anyone else seen this phenomenon.

 

[D55]

I know a gent who has one and he ended up plugging the top ports, said he thought it would do as you said but only hindered accuracy. Maybe someone makes an effective one but I have no experience other than radial or gill brakes.

 

[ronsatspokane]

Had one on a 338 Lapua that had side and top vents. You could see the barrel flex down and it seemed to flex a lot. Didn't like it. I prefer either side or radial patterns. They seem to stabilize the rifle better.

 

[LuvDog]

Top vents make a difference... I think the pros and cons are dependent on the rifle, it's intended use, and the shooter. But that can be said for just about any mod to a firearm.

If you want to experiment... get an APA Gen 3 brake and tune the top ports to your liking

Gen 3 Self Timing Muzzle Brakes

Gen 3 Self-Timing Muzzle Brakes At APA we are known for solving big recoil problems, not small ones. For years competitive shooters have asked us to develop a brake for the off-hand, run-and-gun, "Gas Gun" competitor. We found this little recoil problem was a little more dynamic than...

www.americanprecisionarms.com

 

[STOMP442]

I have used both. Personally I like the look of the brakes with the top ports. Just personal preference. Most of the brakes I use are from sponsors of this site. Either the Ross Schuler brake with the holes on top or the Harrels with just the ports on the side depending on what the client wants. Both are fantastic brakes and work extremely well, I can't tell the difference in recoil between the two or a difference in accuracy between them either. I think it all boils down to tuning with your load with whatever setup you have.

 

[Will Henry]

The real problem is your use of a bipod; AKA, the Devil's prop.
Seriously, the top vents are a little bit fussy to get just right. I make my brakes with the side vents biased just a little toward to top and that is usually enough. If not, I'll add a vent or two, as required. The reason for the upward bias on the side vents is to hold the muzzle down and to keep the blast from kicking up debris when firing prone. WH.

 

[Old Navy]

This one was made for my Aero M5. The first photo is the bottom. The second the top. It works very well.

 

[SKWERLZ]

I avoid top ports.


I could see on a rifle like for hunting with a low buttpad compared to barrel being ok with top ports.

 

[Dgd6mm]

I have 3 Ross self timing brakes they have side vents and top ports. They are quickly becoming my favorite brake. I also use MBM, and MPA brake. I've had or have Harrell's and Vias for radials, they're ok.

 

[MagnumW]

Bringing this back up with Hawkins intruduction of their “Updraft Brake”.
I like APA’s tuneable top ports and use iphone on slomo video to tune. Opened back 3 rows. With more ports open you can see barrel flex down first then rebound (bad). The Hawkins may be enough, not enough, or too much depending on rifle/load. Wish SRS titanium had a few ports.