Anyone machine their own muzzle brakes?

[nickjandrews]

Do any of you guys make and install your own muzzle brakes? Many of us aren't rich enough to just pay someone else to do things, or just want to do it ourselves. Most designs aren't that complex if you have a lathe and mill. The Browning BOSS type system is the exception.

 

[MagnumManiac]

Eric Cortina does.
I could on my CNC lathe/mill, but legally not allowed/licensed to do so.

Cheers.

 

[bigngreen]

Yes, save money and pay someone to do it right. Being rich has zero to do with getting a muzzle brake installed!! You can just drill a hole through your barrel and use a reamer to bore it.

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

Well if you have a Mill & Lathe or a CNC machine you can make your own Muzzle Brake. If you noticed that there are about a thousand companies making Muzzle Brakes out there.
BUT which ones work as far as recoil reduction.
A lot of them are just a extension of a barrel, threaded, and holes drilled in it.
It all comes down to the PORTS and how they are made with the size, angle, how many, position of the Ports.
There are Manufactures that spend a lot of time/resources in development of a Brake. These Brakes are designed for the Caliber, FPS, Energy, Barrel. Not every Manufacture gets it right.
You would have to also look at "Manufacturing Firearm Parts".
For the most part having the equipment to make a Barrel Brake and then having the knowledge to do it right are two different things.
Also making for yourself or selling is a whole different thing.
If you copy another manufacture Brake there could be Patents. If you make a Brake and it malfunctions and there is an injury - well you could be in a big financial loss.
If you want a Barrel Brake that is good for recoil reduction I suggest that you do the research and purchase a Brake.
Just my opinion.

 

[Joefrazell]

If you want a project build your own. I'd highly highly doubt it will be as effective as the top brakes on the market in reducing recoil and that's just simply because the guys that do this for a living invest so much in research and development.

 

[FEENIX]

If you want a project build your own. I'd highly highly doubt it will be as effective as the top brakes on the market in reducing recoil and that's just simply because the guys that do this for a living invest so much in research and development.

Yep, as well as investment in capital equipment.

 

[Ckleeves]

Mill and Lathe cost + tooling vs 150.00 self timing brake. I'm not seeing the savings here.

 

[coyotemaster]

Yeah I can see wanting to make one if your out of things to do but there are so many effective brakes out there for a nominal fee Harrells are good and they are very good to deal with Hankins makes some nice self timing brakes that wont break the bank (sorry).

They are a very nice addition to big boomers, I'm not particularly fond of recoil, or noise but the latter can be attenuated.

 

[Gmac]

Mill and Lathe cost + tooling vs 150.00 self timing brake. I'm not seeing the savings here.

That's likely because you are comparing the cost of a single muzzle brake to the equipment. If you've already invested in the equip for other reasons the cost of machining is minimal.

 

[khmplus]

Well if you have a Mill & Lathe or a CNC machine you can make your own Muzzle Brake. If you noticed that there are about a thousand companies making Muzzle Brakes out there.
BUT which ones work as far as recoil reduction.
A lot of them are just a extension of a barrel, threaded, and holes drilled in it.
It all comes down to the PORTS and how they are made with the size, angle, how many, position of the Ports.
There are Manufactures that spend a lot of time/resources in development of a Brake. These Brakes are designed for the Caliber, FPS, Energy, Barrel. Not every Manufacture gets it right.
You would have to also look at "Manufacturing Firearm Parts".
For the most part having the equipment to make a Barrel Brake and then having the knowledge to do it right are two different things.
Also making for yourself or selling is a whole different thing.
If you copy another manufacture Brake there could be Patents. If you make a Brake and it malfunctions and there is an injury - well you could be in a big financial loss.
If you want a Barrel Brake that is good for recoil reduction I suggest that you do the research and purchase a Brake.
Just my opinion.

Copying another manufacturer's muzzle brake design would not be patent infringement unless you tried to sell it. Making one for your own use wouldn't be a legal problem.

 

[mtbullet1]

Mill and Lathe cost + tooling vs 150.00 self timing brake. I'm not seeing the savings here.

have lathe, have mill, i see savings

 

[Stevenstl86]

Do it yourself ported barrel

 

[wasskeet]

I've done my own porting on quite a few shotgun barrels (via dividing head & Bridgeport), about time to try a muzzle brake. May cheat on this a little though. 3d model and turn file over to the CNC guys. I have a friend at the range that has made a few of his own suppressors (legal via Form 1 I think it is) and his most recent design is very impressive. To look at it taken apart though, it took a pretty good while on a CNC. Very intricate web of baffling.

 

[BHP9]

If you copy another manufacture Brake there could be Patents. If you make a Brake and it malfunctions and there is an injury - well you could be in a big financial loss.
If you want a Barrel Brake that is good for recoil reduction I suggest that you do the research and purchase a Brake.
Just my opinion.

This already happened to a Canadian Gunsmith, a friend who thought that they were the real thing, who was selling the knock off brakes. The manufacturer started making a patented brake but reversed the helix that was machined (it didn't work). My friend received a cease and desist order from the original manufacturers lawyer.

After the explanation, the company were good to him but they did go after the manufacturer. The manufacturer refunded the price of the phony brakes to my friend.

Just be aware of this.