Muzzle Brakes - worth the effort?

[Juppe12]

compared to supressor muzzle brake is better when shooting longer, quick strings. I have shot one suppressor so hot that its coating started to melt. So for range use brake is better, for hunting suppressor is better.

 

[Oso]

Brakes are nice. Yes, a well-deigned brake can greatly reduce the muzzle flip, but the trade-off is redirecting a portion of the muzzle blast from going down range to now remaining within the shooter's bubble. It can be punishing not only to neighbors, but also to the shooter himself. Loud brakes can cause more issues for shooters... get a little gun shy anticipating the blast. You just want to test them out to find the one that fits your needs. This is an older video comparison of brakes. It is a good starting spot for your search.

I prefer the use of a suppressor.... minimal recoil with minimal noise. The only downside is the greater cost as compared to muzzle brake. As far as people melting their suppressors ... this isn't a real issue during normal use.

 

[dkhunt14]

Essentially pointless on a .223 outside of very specific circumstances.

A brake actually works better on a lower recoiling rifle. Has to do with percentage of reduced felt recoil. Matt

 

[Dgd6mm]

Thanks for everyone's input. I do think some are missing the point...I am not trying to reduce recoil, it isn't much in a .223 anyway. I would like to decrease muzzle rise so the scope stays on target better. As I move to trying up to 75-grain bullets, I would imagine this is only going to get worse. Just trying to be proactive.

Check out Ross self timing brakes. I put them on my 6br and 2 .223's for shooting prairie dogs. I'm growing fond of them, they work quite well. I also use MPA and Muzzle Brakes and More. For the quality and cost the Ross brake is hard to beat.

 

[Unkl Chuck]

I'll throw my opinions on the fire, I mostly shoot rifle caliber pistols and have brakes on the boomers simply to make the pistols manageable. You really don't want to touch off a .308 pistol with a rifle scope without a good brake, your forehead will suffer. However, .223 and 6mm are quite manageable without a brake, but there is some muzzle rise.
That said, I try to be considerate at public ranges as there is a blast / noise issue.

 

[D-4297]

If you have no dog in this fight why even say anything. The op didn't mention anything about competition and certainly not anything about your beloved F-Class competition. So why even say anything. Second 99% of my comp guns don't have breaks but our rules allow it. My suggestion to you is man up and learn how to deal with them. There are people out there with disabilities that couldnt compete if they couldn't use a break.
I'm sorry maybe what I'm really saying is man up learn how to deal with them quit YOUR whining. Just because YOU don't like them doesn't mean others don't and they are a useful tool in are arsenal.

The OP didn't say anything about NOT using the gun in competition , EITHER . If you saw the number of people who show up for matches with Brake equipped rifles , only to be disappointed when told they can't shoot , then maybe you would better grasp my remark . Seems pretty apparent to me you haven't spent much time on the line next to a .308 , or 300 Win Mag , or 7SAUM with a Brake on it . Not a very pleasant experience . And as far as you playing the "Disabled" card to emote sympathy ? I AM DISABLED ! So you're talkin to the wrong person .

 

[jghoghunter]

The OP didn't say anything about NOT using the gun in competition , EITHER . If you saw the number of people who show up for matches with Brake equipped rifles , only to be disappointed when told they can't shoot , then maybe you would better grasp my remark . Seems pretty apparent to me you haven't spent much time on the line next to a .308 , or 300 Win Mag , or 7SAUM with a Brake on it . Not a very pleasant experience . And as far as you playing the "Disabled" card to emote sympathy ? I AM DISABLED ! So you're talkin to the wrong person .

Its not your fault they don't know your rules.
I have spent as much time as anyone on the line with braked rifles on either side. Man up and deal with it!!!
He told us exactly what he was doing with his rifle. It had nothing to do with your beloved F-Class.
Oh and by the way I am disabled also so there is no sympathy just facts. Nice try!!

 

[MMH]

If you are going to shoot a brake, better start wearing double ears. A high power rifle w/ no brake is around 150 db. A rifle w/ a brake is 175 dB. Go the otherway & put on a suppressor and you are down to 130 dB. There is no way that with darmuffs you can bring 175 dB down to safe levels. Another factor is the percussion. That blast is directed back towards you & the pressure/shock wave is severe enough that the noise is transmitted through your skull. Not only bad on your ears, but can cause traumatic brain injury.

 

[Gil P.]

If you are going to shoot a brake, better start wearing double ears. A high power rifle w/ no brake is around 150 db. A rifle w/ a brake is 175 dB. Go the otherway & put on a suppressor and you are down to 130 dB. There is no way that with darmuffs you can bring 175 dB down to safe levels. Another factor is the percussion. That blast is directed back towards you & the pressure/shock wave is severe enough that the noise is transmitted through your skull. Not only bad on your ears, but can cause traumatic brain injury.

I've heard about the noise being easily conducted through bone, but I've not heard of it causing brain damage.

I don't feel any dumber since I started using a brake... Heck I even graduated at the top of my first grade special Ed class, so I'd consider myself pretty smart.

 

[SSL]

Again...Illinois...suppressors not legal.

 

[Tommie]

In a .223 shooting paper or other inanimate targets when you can see where the bullet hit after the gun settles down - meh.
Shooting skittish colony rodents - certainly.

 

[SSL]

In a .223 shooting paper or other inanimate targets where you can see where the bullet hit after the gun settles down - meh.
Shooting skittish colony rodents - certainly.

I am still trying to decide and weigh the pros and cons. As mentioned, I don't shoot competition or frequent ranges where other shooters are a consideration. I'm not recoil sensitive since I also shoot .22/250, .243, .280, .30/06 and a .50 caliber muzzleloader with 400 grain bullets, and used to regularly shoot hot loads in a Marlin .45/70...not a design conducive to recoil management. I don't mind losing the target when shooting paper, but I want to keep my sight picture as much as possible when shooting at live targets at distance. I want to be able to quickly determine a miss, a clean hit or a hit that requires a follow-up if I have a poorly hit groundhog or gopher. I'm not a fan of leaving an animal to suffer, even varmints. Reacquiring such small targets in a background of long grasses or brush can be a chore. This is not an issue with my restocked .17 Remington, which wears a very straight-drop walnut thumbhole stock and weighs a couple pounds more than the Ruger .223 in question. Glass movement with the .17 is minimal, but I want to use the .223 more, since it is is a much lighter 'walking' gun and very accurate.

 

[Tommie]

I am still trying to decide and weigh the pros and cons. As mentioned, I don't shoot competition or frequent ranges where other shooters are a consideration. I'm not recoil sensitive since I also shoot .22/250, .243, .280, .30/06 and a .50 caliber muzzleloader with 400 grain bullets, and used to regularly shoot hot loads in a Marlin .45/70...not a design conducive to recoil management. I don't mind losing the target when shooting paper, but I want to keep my sight picture as much as possible when shooting at live targets at distance. I want to be able to quickly determine a miss, a clean hit or a hit that requires a follow-up if I have a poorly hit groundhog or gopher. I'm not a fan of leaving an animal to suffer, even varmints. Reacquiring such small targets in a background of long grasses or brush can be a chore. This is not an issue with my restocked .17 Remington, which wears a very straight-drop walnut thumbhole stock and weighs a couple pounds more than the Ruger .223 in question. Glass movement with the .17 is minimal, but I want to use the .223 more, since it is is a much lighter 'walking' gun and very accurate.

Sounds like we’re in agreement.

 

[Dgd6mm]

Your half way there, the barrel is threaded. Buy a brake, try it. If you don't like it, sell it. I may even buy it from you if one of my rifles is 1/2x28.

Don Dunlap

 

[Ackman]

In a .223 shooting paper or other inanimate targets where you can see where the bullet hit after the gun settles down - meh.
Shooting skittish colony rodents - certainly.

Even a .223, or whatever, that's used on colony rodents is first used on paper to work up a load. So, should the brake be removed for that?

 

[Ackman]

Like 'em or don't like 'em, use 'em or don't use 'em. Whatever turns your crank. Not being a match or target shooter, just varmints, and only punching paper to find what the gun likes my rifles are all braked. Years ago we used all kinds of weight arrangements to settle the gun down.....hollowed out stocks with complete shot/resin fill, bolt-on diver's weights, lead-filled bolt on containers. Brakes came along and were a much better solution. So they make noise, that's what earmuffs are for and they (good ones) work fine. Everything from heavy barrelled .223 up is braked, and it's a pleasure shooting something with no muzzle rise that just barely quivers when it goes off....feels like a .22lr . Even the bigger boomers, with little or no muzzle rise the whole show is visible which is what you want out there. So muzzle brakes are definitely worth the effort, for me.

 

[Tommie]

Even a .223, or whatever, that's used on colony rodents is first used on paper to work up a load. So, should the brake be removed for that?

Nope

 

[Bill Norris]

As some others have mentioned above I don't shoot matches or compete with nobody but myself but I really enjoy shooting an accurate rifle and tiny groups on paper. I never was a fan of a tuner or a brake until I started reading about Erik Cortina's tuner/brake and watched his videos. I have tried them on two of my Bench rifles and I am impressed with the product and the concept of the combo. I shot the tightest group ever yesterday (.020 over caliber) with my 243AI which is now wearing the tuner/brake and my 260AI has shown great results as well. Most likely all my rifles will wear one in the future since I am now hooked on the idea of tuning the barrel to a load rather than tuning the load to a barrel. It is definitely a short cut to accuracy in my mind. Congrats to Erik for a fine product.

 

[BoydAllen]

The fellows that I know who use brakes on light calibers do not do it for recoil reduction, but so they can see their hits. In the field, their rests tend to produce exaggerated muzzle rise. With brakes, they can see what happens after the trigger is pulled. After he had put one on a rifle that had previously been fully tuned, my friend found that the same load was way out of tune, which he was able to fix, retuning. His accuracy standards are quite high.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

As some others have mentioned above I don't shoot matches or compete with nobody but myself but I really enjoy shooting an accurate rifle and tiny groups on paper. I never was a fan of a tuner or a brake until I started reading about Erik Cortina's tuner/brake and watched his videos. I have tried them on two of my Bench rifles and I am impressed with the product and the concept of the combo. I shot the tightest group ever yesterday (.020 over caliber) with my 243AI which is now wearing the tuner/brake and my 260AI has shown great results as well. Most likely all my rifles will wear one in the future since I am now hooked on the idea of tuning the barrel to a load rather than tuning the load to a barrel. It is definitely a short cut to accuracy in my mind. Congrats to Erik for a fine product.

It's pretty amazing what a well tuned, good rifle can do. The trick to tuners is learning how to reproduce those results. Here are three 5 shot groups fired on the same target. I wish they were during a registered match, but that's how it works.