How to measure the effectiveness of a muzzle brake?

[engineer40]

Is there a real way to measure the effectiveness of a brake decreasing recoil?

I had a $20 ebay brake on a rifle. And truthfully, I have cheap brakes on all of my rifles that have muzzle brakes. I had never purchased a "high end" brake before.

I thought it was time, so I ponied up and got a JP Enterprises Recoil Eliminator. Pretty much everything I read anywhere about this brake made it sound like the bee's knees.

My analytical mind makes me test almost everything with firearms. So I fired some shots with my cheap brake. Then changed to the JP brake and shot again. Boy, I'll tell you, I couldn't tell a difference between them in recoil reduction. It did appear the JP brake did catch more gasses because it did move anything that was sitting on the shooting table; to be off the shooting table.

But the higher end brake did not seem any louder and it did not feel like there was any less recoil.

So I set up my video camera and did the test over again with both brakes. My hope was to see a difference in how much my body physically moved when shooting using each brake. Again that produced no noticeable difference in visible recoil.

One interesting difference I did notice in the video however is that the cheaper brake recoiled more directly back. With the JP brake my rifle bipod actually jumped off the table with each shot.

I really wanted this higher end brake with such glowing reviews to just blow my mind and be awe inspiring. So far, I haven't been able to justify it.

Accuracy seemed to be the same also. Point of Impact definitely changed between the two brakes.

(Testing with a 30-06).

 

[el matador]

Does the cheap brake have ports in the top? J E Custom on the forum made a great video of a brake with side and top ports only, and the things it did to the gun were ugly!



He's also got a nice sled for testing brakes if you search his channel. The Terminator brake guys also tested a bunch with a different sled setup:



Your 30-06 isn't burning a tremendous amount of powder. Most brake designs will be fairly efficient in that scenario, compared to something burning 100 grains or more. That's where the extra ports and better design elements will be more obvious.

 

[Browninglover1]

Muzzle Brakes: Recoil Results for 6mm & 6.5mm | PrecisionRifleBlog.com

Good read here^^

 

[J E Custom]

To Engineering 40.

We had the same question about measuring recoil, because all of the test saw were a comparison
to other brakes and no real actual ft/pound measurements with the rifle in the "Ready to hunt/shoot state" so we set out to design something that would give us actual ft/lbs of each style and type of brake.

To see all of the test we have ran on video hear is a link to 8 videos that may answer your questions.

https://www.youtube.com/user/jecustom101/videos

These video are not altered and are there for all to see in real time and slow motion. Highly identifiable brakes were tested but not shone to prevent discrediting any/many good brakes.

There is also a section on my web site that answers many questions that could help to understand the different designs and there effects on the shooter.

www.jecustom.com - FAQ's

Hope this helps

J E CUSTOM

 

[engineer40]

Does the cheap brake have ports in the top?

Yes it has ports on the top. That video was super interesting to me! I had never realizing or thought about how those ports on the top affect the torque on the barrel in such a negative way sometimes!

To see all of the test we have ran on video hear is a link to 8 videos that may answer your questions.

Thanks JE Custom! I have definitely read through your FAQ's before and believe you have a great product! I did today though also watch all of those videos. Every one of them is worth watching! You know a ton about muzzle brakes! I also read through a post on this forum that you started back in 2011 called "Recoil reduction on 300 RUM." Very informative!



Thanks to everyone who responded with opinions and suggestions! I do sincerely appreciate it!

 

[engineer40]

Some other interesting things I found when doing some research today.

Between these 2 videos; this guy tested around 64 muzzle brakes for recoil reduction. The JP Recoil Eliminator, which I have, looks to be ranked #2 only behind the Precision Armament M4-72.







Looking at my receipts, I actually paid $30 for my "cheap" brake from Amazon, not ebay. I was reading through the customer reviews on Amazon and another guy said exactly what I experienced. He had a 308 he used the cheap brake on and switched to a JP Recoil Eliminator. He also could not tell the difference in recoil between the 2 brakes.

That is interesting... Maybe this $30 brake is just a great value; performance for the money.

 

[J E Custom]

Yes it has ports on the top. That video was super interesting to me! I had never realizing or thought about how those ports on the top affect the torque on the barrel in such a negative way sometimes!

Thanks JE Custom! I have definitely read through your FAQ's before and believe you have a great product! I did today though also watch all of those videos. Every one of them is worth watching! You know a ton about muzzle brakes! I also read through a post on this forum that you started back in 2011 called "Recoil reduction on 300 RUM." Very informative

You are welcome.

The intent of the Videos is to help dispel perceptions, Beliefs and all the claims that were going around about brakes In general. I believed many things that proved to be false after we started testing.

Here is what we found while testing. There are "Cheep" brakes, there are mid Priced brakes, There are Cast Brakes, and Chinese made brakes and then there are the high end brakes. Even the cheapest brakes work to a point. The better made brakes have more engineering in them and do a better job of reducing recoil. They are also made of the best materials. (416 R barrel steel and 17-4
PH).

The best designs are those that address Muzzle blast, signature, sound and other things that have traditionally gave muzzle brakes a bad reputation. The cheaper brakes are traditionally a round piece of steel with holes drilled in it and little if any actual engineering for performance. So you get what you pay for.

Again; any brake will reduce recoil by some percent (Anywhere from 30% up depending on which brake you buy.

I am an all or nothing person and believe if a brake is needed, get the best you can or don't get one at all. I make muzzle brakes and could have them on all of my rifles But I still have many that don't
have a brake because they ether don't recoil hard enough to need one or the addition of a brake
would be a determent for the use it was/is intended for. On the really hard recoiling rifle a well made brake can make the difference in how it shoots and if you can/do shoot it often.

I don't sell brakes commercially because I am not in the business, I build custom brakes only, for friends and relatives one at a time because a "One style fits all just cant squeeze every bit of recoil out of a rifle. I found that Tuning could get close to 98% of the gas recoil produced by a cartridge (Different cartridges produce different amounts of gas recoil so they have to be addressed differently) if you want the maximum reduction possible. Plus, I just wanted to understand more about muzzle brakes and how they worked.

Again ; The videos are a tool to aid in deciding how much brake you need and what you get for your money. There are lots of good brakes available to chose from.

J E CUSTOM

 

[bigngreen]

There are many different aspects of a brake that make it more or less expensive, JE covered many, the things I look for are fit and finish, how much run out do I see when I install one before boring. Other things that I really look for are harness and how well they machine, it's nuts how many cheap brakes I see that the first baffle is beat in on. I MUCH prefer installing a well machined, hardened brake and I'll install it for less than one that I have to completely re work before installing and then work over the through holes after boring so they don't hammer in.

 

[FEENIX]

Here's another muzzle brake test/ test stand video (towards the bottom of the page), it's a limited test but nice video and test stand nonetheless ...

D.F Maisey Gunsmithing Services, Tauranga, Smith & Wessen Guns, Rifles, Gunsmithing, Custom made Rifles

 

[AZShooter]

Here is another brake test:

Muzzle Brakes: Field Test Overview & Line-Up | PrecisionRifleBlog.com

 

[FEENIX]

Here is another brake test:

Muzzle Brakes: Field Test Overview & Line-Up | PrecisionRifleBlog.com

Same test noted (indeed a very good read, I enjoy reading his blog) in #3, just on a different page of the test. Cheers!


I think it's great, even Dan Lilja is getting into the action with his own brake offering. gun)


(No brake .300 WM)


(.300 WM with Heartbraker)

 

[Canadian Bacon]

Interesting read guys. I know I'm new to the forum so I apologize if I tread on a few toes because it's not my intention.
I've owned and shot a few brakes over the years and my favorite is the Terminator series of brakes. Greg's design does a tremendous job of stabilizing the barrel without having top ports. I personally don't like top ports for a couple of reasons: 1. Being I like to be able to see for follow up shots, especially if it's low light in hunting season and 2. I like to see my impacts and occasionally trace, if conditions are right.-I've used this a few times when shooting out to 636m without a spotter.
The recoil reduction is tremendous on my .308s and especially my .338 LM. The last time I went out with the .338 I thought it misfired since I was expecting the recoil to be like it was with the factory AAC brake.
On my Remingtons I've had zero lateral POI shift but I have seen a very slight increase in velocity, to the tune of 15-20fps.

 

[WildRose]

Is there a real way to measure the effectiveness of a brake decreasing recoil?

I had a $20 ebay brake on a rifle. And truthfully, I have cheap brakes on all of my rifles that have muzzle brakes. I had never purchased a "high end" brake before.

I thought it was time, so I ponied up and got a JP Enterprises Recoil Eliminator. Pretty much everything I read anywhere about this brake made it sound like the bee's knees.

My analytical mind makes me test almost everything with firearms. So I fired some shots with my cheap brake. Then changed to the JP brake and shot again. Boy, I'll tell you, I couldn't tell a difference between them in recoil reduction. It did appear the JP brake did catch more gasses because it did move anything that was sitting on the shooting table; to be off the shooting table.

But the higher end brake did not seem any louder and it did not feel like there was any less recoil.

So I set up my video camera and did the test over again with both brakes. My hope was to see a difference in how much my body physically moved when shooting using each brake. Again that produced no noticeable difference in visible recoil.

One interesting difference I did notice in the video however is that the cheaper brake recoiled more directly back. With the JP brake my rifle bipod actually jumped off the table with each shot.

I really wanted this higher end brake with such glowing reviews to just blow my mind and be awe inspiring. So far, I haven't been able to justify it.

Accuracy seemed to be the same also. Point of Impact definitely changed between the two brakes.

(Testing with a 30-06).

I saw a really good article testing brakes a few years back. The guy used a rig similar to a led sled but it was on free rolling casters that were relatively friction free.

He used an ink pen fixed to the sled drawing a line when fired and simply measured the linear travel by measuring the line.

For muzzle flip if I remember right he used slow motion video and had a red line drawn on the opposite wall in line with the barrel and had graduations above that line that he measured off of the video.

What really matters is how it feels to you. We all handle and perceive recoil differently so even the most objective test may not give you the same results that you are feeling.

As for the JP brake, I've shot them and did not like it. Just no way I could stick something that looks like it belongs on a howitzer on a rifle I'm going to carry in the field and I found it rather unpleasant with the noise and blast directed so much towards the shooter.

I've tried over a dozen different makes and models of brakes over the years and have settled on the North West Precision slotted muzzle brake for the last six or eight rifles I've added brakes to.

I like seeing my impacts at any range and want one that's easy on the ears too because a lot of my shooting is done on the fly so I don't always have the time or inclination to put in ear protection and their brake really does the job well for me.

In fact you just reminded me I need to check the mail box because I should have another one here any day to put on yet another of my rifles.

 

[WildRose]

Some other interesting things I found when doing some research today.

Between these 2 videos; this guy tested around 64 muzzle brakes for recoil reduction. The JP Recoil Eliminator, which I have, looks to be ranked #2 only behind the Precision Armament M4-72.


AR-15 Muzzle Brake Shootout! 35 muzzle devices tested... - YouTube

AR-15 Muzzle Brake Shootout #2: 29 New Brakes & Comps Tested! - YouTube


Looking at my receipts, I actually paid $30 for my "cheap" brake from Amazon, not ebay. I was reading through the customer reviews on Amazon and another guy said exactly what I experienced. He had a 308 he used the cheap brake on and switched to a JP Recoil Eliminator. He also could not tell the difference in recoil between the 2 brakes.

That is interesting... Maybe this $30 brake is just a great value; performance for the money.

With low recoiling rounds like the 06 and .308win you probably wouldn't notice much difference between a high end brake and any of the cheaper brakes at least as far as felt recoil is concerned because there's not that much to start with.

When you start talking though about big magnums burning copious amounts of powder and sending heavy projectiles at high velocity the more efficient and effective muzzle brakes quickly start to shine.

Cost doesn't really tell you much about the quality however. There's some real junk out there selling at ridiculous prices and some very effective brakes selling for very reasonable money as well.