Muzzle Brake Recommendation

J

JakeC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2020
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475
Location
North Utah
Hi all, hope everyone's having a decent winter. It's barely been winter at all here in Utah which is both great and terrible.

I've looked and looked and can find no concise way to learn about an individual muzzle brake's dynamics when shopping. What I'm looking for is a brake that is horizontally ported with maybe a little compensation and with no more than 90 degree venting. I understand how and why backward venting brakes work so well, but I am pretty intolerant of the gas blast. I'd much rather get thumped in the shoulder than shot with air and unburnt powder and sand. I'll shoot 2 boxes of unbraked '06 heavies and 2 of duck loads in my sxs before I shoot one of creedmoor with one of those backward brakes. I was also born with pretty bad hearing and don't want to risk anything else. At the same time self-spotting would be really, really nice. Anyone seen what I'm talking about? I've heard they're out there but I'll be darned if I know how to find them.

Thanks!
 
What caliber/cartridge? Not that it truly matters, but it may help. Can't find it now, but I recently saw a video on one. But it was perhaps the ugliest thing I'd ever seen.
 
If you're concerned about your hearing (which we all should be) 1) go through the process of getting a suppressor 2) if not willing to pursue that, make certain that you double up on ear pro, especially if shooting under cover.

There are several brakes on the market that have ports that are 90 deg to the brake. Even with that, if you are shooting prone, pretty much all brakes will kick up debris off the ground, so get a shooting mat.

The video you posted above only demonstrates how the brake functions, but doesn't give you any idea about how effective they actually are. Case and point, go to YouTube and search for Terminator brakes. That setup demonstrates actual efficacy and he compares several brakes, many of which direct/vent gas rearward in a similar angle. Port design matters a lot.

With that said, one brake that I have personally used a decent amount (and I much prefer suppressors) that is both very effective and has minimal "back blast" or concussive effect is the Shot Caller brake by Straight Jacket Armory. I have no affiliation with them, I just know that their brake works well for what you desire. The first port is at 90 the other ports are at 30. A similar brake is made by Patriot Valley Arms but I forget the name of it.
 
JakeC said:
Hi all, hope everyone's having a decent winter. It's barely been winter at all here in Utah which is both great and terrible.

I've looked and looked and can find no concise way to learn about an individual muzzle brake's dynamics when shopping. What I'm looking for is a brake that is horizontally ported with maybe a little compensation and with no more than 90 degree venting. I understand how and why backward venting brakes work so well, but I am pretty intolerant of the gas blast. I'd much rather get thumped in the shoulder than shot with air and unburnt powder and sand. I'll shoot 2 boxes of unbraked '06 heavies and 2 of duck loads in my sxs before I shoot one of creedmoor with one of those backward brakes. I was also born with pretty bad hearing and don't want to risk anything else. At the same time self-spotting would be really, really nice. Anyone seen what I'm talking about? I've heard they're out there but I'll be darned if I know how to find them.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I have various kinds of muzzle brakes with different port designs and angles, and I am very pleased with them. I have muzzle brakes that other shooters claim excessive blasts toward the shooter that I do not experience (or perhaps I am not that sensitive to it).

Because of your hearing condition, a suppressor might be a better option. It is pricey and a long wait, though. The suppressor does not offer better recoil reduction than an effective muzzle brake.



Good luck!
 
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The Insite arms Heathen looks to have 90 degree ports. I've never tried one but do hear good reviews on them.
 
Tiny Tim said:
What caliber/cartridge? Not that it truly matters, but it may help. Can't find it now, but I recently saw a video on one. But it was perhaps the ugliest thing I'd ever seen.
Click to expand...
You ain't kidding, it looks like, well, it looks bad. Pretty interesting though.

It'll be going on a 7 saum but I would like one that works through an 30-06 up to 300 wsm, at least a little bit. I think that's in my future and where the real need for a brake would come in on a more constant basis.
 
Chase723 said:
If you're concerned about your hearing (which we all should be) 1) go through the process of getting a suppressor 2) if not willing to pursue that, make certain that you double up on ear pro, especially if shooting under cover.

There are several brakes on the market that have ports that are 90 deg to the brake. Even with that, if you are shooting prone, pretty much all brakes will kick up debris off the ground, so get a shooting mat.

The video you posted above only demonstrates how the brake functions, but doesn't give you any idea about how effective they actually are. Case and point, go to YouTube and search for Terminator brakes. That setup demonstrates actual efficacy and he compares several brakes, many of which direct/vent gas rearward in a similar angle. Port design matters a lot.

With that said, one brake that I have personally used a decent amount (and I much prefer suppressors) that is both very effective and has minimal "back blast" or concussive effect is the Shot Caller brake by Straight Jacket Armory. I have no affiliation with them, I just know that their brake works well for what you desire. The first port is at 90 the other ports are at 30. A similar brake is made by Patriot Valley Arms but I forget the name of it.
Click to expand...
Yeah I'd love to use a suppressor but wait aside the expense is unrealistic right now for me. And they do have drawbacks of their own. Doubling up on earpro helps but there's no combination that reduces some brakes to a safe level, especially if you're the guy at the next table. Like when stuff is flapping around on the bench next to you and everyone is getting stuff behind their eye pro? I don't think we shoudl be doing that to ourselves. I know it's be different away from a formal range with no roof or cement but that environment is just going to be there some of the time. I know the efficacy is directly linked to the direction of the blast, and some debris is a fact of life with a brake, but it just seems like I'm entering the market at a time when the demand is for an extreme level of recoil performance with no consideration of other slices of the shooting comfort pie. Again, I get it, I'm just personally uncomfortable with it.

I'll look into your recommendations, thanks for that.
 
JakeC said:
Hi all, hope everyone's having a decent winter. It's barely been winter at all here in Utah which is both great and terrible.

I've looked and looked and can find no concise way to learn about an individual muzzle brake's dynamics when shopping. What I'm looking for is a brake that is horizontally ported with maybe a little compensation and with no more than 90 degree venting. I understand how and why backward venting brakes work so well, but I am pretty intolerant of the gas blast. I'd much rather get thumped in the shoulder than shot with air and unburnt powder and sand. I'll shoot 2 boxes of unbraked '06 heavies and 2 of duck loads in my sxs before I shoot one of creedmoor with one of those backward brakes. I was also born with pretty bad hearing and don't want to risk anything else. At the same time self-spotting would be really, really nice. Anyone seen what I'm talking about? I've heard they're out there but I'll be darned if I know how to find them.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Tell us more about your rifle. Barrel profile and such. Some brakes just don't look right on thin, sporter barrels. Barrel profile will also determine max thread size which may eliminate some options as well.
 
I don't think you will be able to find much on the market to not throw a bunch of "air" at the shooting bench next to yours. I have Kirby Allen's brakes on a few guns and they work amazingly well, and no dirt bath from shooting prone. My 7mmAllen Magnum (11.5#) shooting 195g bullets at 3225 fps has the same recoil as my 6.5# .243 shooting 85g bullets at 3250 fps. http://apsrifles.com/
 
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