I have installed muzzle brakes on several of the last guns I have built. Mostly to reduce recoil and make them easier to shoot. Accuracy has been good on them but would like a little better. Has anyone done accuracy testing on their rifles with the muzzle brake on then taken it off and compared results. I’m sure the quality and alignment of the brake is going to be a big factor here. If just the crown of a barrel can affect the accuracy I can defiantly expect a brake to do the same.
Muzzle brakes and accuracy
- Thread starter EasyShooter
- Start date
I have found slight differences with same gun / load and different brakes.
I now tune my load with the brake I intend on running.
Actually, I now run Cortina tuner brake.
I now tune my load with the brake I intend on running.
Actually, I now run Cortina tuner brake.
JMO of course but get yourself an E C Tuner/Brake and tune. Works very well for me.
There’s a guy at our local range that spent a lot of time making his own brakes and finding the balance between accuracy and recoil reduction. I have a couple that he installed on a couple weatherby rifles that shoot extremely well and a lot of other guys are using them at our local range. I’ll take a pic of one if anyone is interested.
Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
Adding a muzzle brake can affect barrel harmonics in addition to altering the way gas is ported away from the muzzle. I would suggest doing the complete load development process with the brake attached, rather than attaching it to the muzzle of a rifle after you already have worked up a load. Alternatively, there may be a method by which you can "time" the muzzle brake. As I understand it, that can involve the use of shims and/or how far down it is tightened. Obviously, that depends on the specific brake you are using.
If you are shooting something with enough recoil to make you flinch, a muzzle brake may improve your accuracy by reducing your tendency to flinch.
No doubt that will help. Most of my brakes aren’t tunable but it could be done with shims. Thing is I usually test with at least 3 powers and 3 bullet types. Once I find the one I like I start trying different powder amounts and seating depth. Takes a while to do all that testing alone. Guess I just need to make more time to do more shooting.
If you don’t have a tunable brake, you don’t need to use shims for tuning. Just tune using the powder charge and seating depth, but with the brake on.
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I see. Guess I have heard that seating depth tunes the same way as moving the brake. I have never messed with tuning a brake. I was more curious of the possibility of how gasses escape around a brake could affect accuracy. A lot of brakes have gas ports on the top but not the bottom to help keep muzzle rise down. I could see how letting gases escape off just one side of the bullet could mess with it. But maybe since the bore in the brake is much bigger than the bullet it doesn’t affect the bullet any. I don’t know, maybe I am just thinking too much. I have more time to sit and think than I have to go shooting. I’m from Kansas and the wind is ALWAYS blowing…. Thanks for the replies!
This is a great device. It works as described.
jackieschmidt
Gold $$ Contributor
I have seen two instances as of late where a Brake killed accuracy.
My own 308 project was shooting pretty good untill I added a brake. It went from shooting .400 inch groups at 100 to shooting 1.00+ groups. I then made a tuner/Brake and tuned it in. not as good as before, but almost.
A very good friend of mine has a early REM 700 in 300 Win Mag. It was an excellent shooter. He had a Brake installed and now it won’t keep 3 shots under an inch and a half at 100. He has not decided what to do as of yet.
here is a picture of my own tuner brake.
My own 308 project was shooting pretty good untill I added a brake. It went from shooting .400 inch groups at 100 to shooting 1.00+ groups. I then made a tuner/Brake and tuned it in. not as good as before, but almost.
A very good friend of mine has a early REM 700 in 300 Win Mag. It was an excellent shooter. He had a Brake installed and now it won’t keep 3 shots under an inch and a half at 100. He has not decided what to do as of yet.
here is a picture of my own tuner brake.
I had a Gentry installed on my Savage 110 in 30-06 years ago.
After retuning my load it really helped accuracy wise.
I think the biggest parts was the recoil reduction, and it changed how the rifle recoiled. It actually allowed me to spot my own shots.
Instead of up & back, was a much gentler straight back recoil.
Issue with it was that it's ported 360°. Meaning it blows up dust, grass, spent brass, etc were thrown about.
After retuning my load it really helped accuracy wise.
I think the biggest parts was the recoil reduction, and it changed how the rifle recoiled. It actually allowed me to spot my own shots.
Instead of up & back, was a much gentler straight back recoil.
Issue with it was that it's ported 360°. Meaning it blows up dust, grass, spent brass, etc were thrown about.
Thanks for all the replies. The main reason this question came to mind is because of a riffle I recently built. It was a bit of an economical build. 338 Win Mag on a Remington 700 action with inexpensive barrel and super cheap $40 muzzle brake. Brake is doing a good job of reducing the recoil. Accuracy so far has been around and just under 1MOA with all test loads. Which isn’t real bad but butter is more fun. If a damaged crown can make a good gun shoot bad then I would imagine a cheap $40 muzzle brake possibly could also.
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