replacing a muzzle brake, DIY

[scottyboy]

i am curious to see what is involved in replacing a muzzle brake, if i wanted to do it on my own.

basically what it boils down to is i am not certain how difficult this is, i have read that on side ported brakes, you need to 'index' them so the ports are horizontal etc but if i had wanted to replace/install a radial brake (i am not trying to get into the pros vs cons associated with radial brakes) can i simply just screw it on and be done with it? <assuming same thread pitch and caliber of course>

with the side port brakes that include a crush washer, are those easy to index as well or is that flavor better suited for the experts/gunsmiths?

i am not too concerned with turning down the brake to fit my barrel contour exactly, this would be more of a "its not pretty, but it works" scenario.

 

[huntinherrrington]

Look up self timing muzzle brakes. They allow you to install the brake and "time it" without shims or washers.

 

[ShtrRdy]

You should be able to install a radial type brake by just screwing it on

 

[scottyboy]

Thanks guys! I am thinking of ordering a radial brake from christensen or something similar to theirs, I guess I just wanted to cross my t and i's as I do not want to risk any inadvertent damage to the barrel or anything else.

It almost sounds too easy to just screw it on (which it of course very well could be) which makes me think it shouldn't be, if that makes any sense Then again, with a removable brake I guess you are more or less doing the same thing if you take it off, put the thread protector on etc

I know I am being overly cautious and putting way too much thought into this, so I apologize for that. Thanks again! Scott

 

[eklarsen]

They are very easy to do, if the brake was not timed (which this would not be) you will need to use washers on a side port. I would suggest getting a shim washer kit from Brownells or someone else, crush washers can separate slightly but the shim kits will not. They are varying thicknesses to time it right. On a radial it wont matter screw it on and have at it.

 

[jimbires]

I agree , you should be able to just screw on a radial brake . most brakes are sized about .020 bigger than the bullet . so try to measure if you can , at least drop a bullet through the brake to be sure it fits . for me the big down side to a radial brake is they blow a lot of dirt when shooting prone . I've replaced 2 radial brakes with side discharge brakes because of the blowing dirt . I still have one rifle with radial brake . I'm half afraid to change it, the rifle shoots so well . when I target shoot with this one , I lay a cardboard down under the brake so it won't blow up a bunch of dirt .

 

[FEENIX]

Look up self timing muzzle brakes. They allow you to install the brake and "time it" without shims or washers.

+1! Another option is the Hellfire by Jon Addis of Area 419 ...

[ame]https://youtu.be/CP4Msd3UNTo?t=2[/ame]