9/11/2023 0 Comments 6.5 creedmoor muzzle brake or not![]() ![]() Companies like American Precision Arms (APA) have become notable for their extremely effective brakes. In some cases, such as on AR-15s or PRS rifles fitted with directional brakes with tunable ports (meaning they can be closed or opened with small screws or even simply drilled out), muzzle jump can be eliminated entirely. The auxiliary ports in the top of the brake are designed to oppose muzzle jump. At the top is a titanium brake by 2A Armament at the bottom is a steel brake by Wilson Combat. This enables rapid-fire competitors to shoot very quickly and accurately. The small remaining kick can be tuned to move directly rearward, with little or no muzzle jump. The best of the lot nearly remove recoil. (Although uncommon, left-turning rifling does exist and causes a rifle to twist left slightly as it recoils.)Ĭutting-edge directional brakes for AR-type rifles feature some very innovative engineering. This is caused by the right-turning rifling twist in the barrel. Taking jump a step further, this impulse usually has a slight twisting motion to the right. Since most stocks position the bore above center, this “muzzle jump” is so commonplace it’s taken for granted. When a rifle recoils, unless the stock and the shooter’s shoulder are directly in line behind the center of the bore, the rifle leaps upward. That said, single-port and four-port brakes are not unknown. Typical directional brakes have two or three ports per side, usually of varying size. For the most part, these side ports perform the bulk of the recoil reduction. Side ports generally vent perpendicular to the shooter, although aggressive versions designed to reduce every last shred of recoil possible sometimes vent at a slight rearward angle. Additionally, small auxiliary ports are often drilled or machined into the upper surface of the brake and are designed to control muzzle jump.Įngineering the side ports and any auxiliary ports can be a complex task. Side vents direct most of the exploding propellant gases to each side, rather than equally all the way around. Directional Muzzle Brakesĭirectional brakes are typically more complex than radial brakes. Many modern directional brakes are indexable via a locking collar, which makes aligning them correctly easier and takes less time. The effect of directional brakes is much more manipulatable, as we’ll discuss shortly. They’re also a pain to install because they have to torque up correctly oriented, and that takes extra gunsmithing time. Directional brakes employ side ports and sometimes small top-side ports to minimize recoil and muzzle jump. And they can vent perpendicular or slightly forward or rearward. About all the designer can do is vary the size and number of the holes and the slant at which they come through the brake. It is not pleasant.Īnother weakness of radial-type muzzle brakes is the lack of control that engineers can apply. Sometimes it does so with enough force to settle around the face of the shooter and leave dust and particulates settling in the front of the scope and even in the action. Super-heated gas jets out in all directions from the brake and can cause the primary complaint about radial brakes: if the shooter is lying on a dusty or sandy surface-or really anything with loose detritus-the gases venting out from the portion of the brake near the ground kick up an unholy cloud of dust. These holes all vent burning propellant gases simultaneously as the bullet exits the muzzle. Simple but effective, radial muzzle brakes are round, usually the same or similar diameter as the barrel at the muzzle, and have several rows of round holes drilled all the way around the circumference of the brake. It effectively takes the edge off without causing excessive blast. The modest Quiet Slimbrake II (at left) is one of the author’s favorite hunting brakes. However, they kick up a big cloud of dust when shooting prone and are not tunable to compensate for muzzle jump. Radial brakes are easy to install and so are more common. We’ll start chronologically, with radial brakes. Let’s dive into the differences between the two types. The reason is they’re much easier to install. While both types have been around for close to a century, radial brakes were the most common until rather recently. When comparing radial and directional muzzle brakes, each one creates a somewhat different rifle response during recoil and, more importantly, a significantly different experience to the shooter.
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