Effect of having a muzzle break?

[44Blam]

I had a muzzle break on a .308 rifle and I decided to take it off and found that my POI is about 4" higher at 100 yards without the muzzle break.

The reason why I took the muzzle break off is because I had some lead / powder coat splatter on one side after shooting some cast out of it. Someone mentioned that sometimes the muzzle breaks don't quite line up right and I was wondering if I was hitting the MB and causing some accuracy issues... I was getting about 2 MOA accuracy at 100 yards with cast boolits but less that 1 MOA with j-word bullets...

Does anyone know the dynamics of a muzzle break vs just a crowned barrel?

[Winger Ed.]

Lots of discussion on that.
Sometimes accuracy gets better, sometimes worse, sometimes no effect.
Browning had a adjustable one for that effect, they called it the BOSS system.

All things considered: If recoil isn't an issue, I wouldn't use it.

[tazman]

Anything you add or remove from your muzzle will effect the way the barrel vibrates during the shot. Sometimes for the better. Sometimes not.
I have a 308 Savage with a threaded barrel that has a pair of thread protectors on it. When they got a little loose and moved slightly, my groups would open up. I finally locktited them in place to remove the issue.

[44Blam]

Well, there we go. I perused the archives and sure enough a lot of people talk about the difference in the point of impact...
Go figure. The rifle is an AR style 308 with a heavy 20" barrel, so recoil isn't really an issue. So, I'll leave the muzzle break off and keep shooting it that way.

[INTRLOPER]

Muzzle brakes do two things well. Make noise and separate folks from their money.

[Hickory]

Muzzle breaks add a small amount of mass to the end of the barrel causing it to slow the rise of the barrel when fired.
Removing that mass will cause the end of the barrel to rise a little faster while the bullet is in the barrel during recoil causing it to print higher.

The jet type blast from the muzzle break can affect bullet impact also, as can the lack of the jet blast with the muzzle break removed.

A few thousands of an inch at the muzzle can mean inches out at 100 yards.

[robg]

brakes just make a lot of noise ,a moderator cuts noise and recoil

[crackers]

If I see a brake show up near me, I leave. I think they're rude on a line with others and I don't wait for the sound or the thump. That somebody bought a rifle so powerful that he can't shoot it isn't the next guy's problem.

[Texas by God]

I detest the loud stupid things. Oh, muzzle brakes? I thought we we talking about Democrats. I don't care for muzzle brakes either!

[georgerkahn]

I had experience of having a muzzle brake on an M1 being a "lead collector". Suggested to me was a perfectly machined barrel gauge to insure 99.9999% alignment. I spent the big bucks and purchased, then used one -- and much to my happiness the leading -- 'though NOT totally eliminated -- was ever so much reduced. I could clean/de-lead after I got home -- post ~180 shots (at matches) -- rather than fret half-way through. The tool I purchased comes from Fulton Armory: https://www.fulton-armory.com/flashs...mentgauge.aspx Re "accuracy improvement" -- quite frankly my intent was to improve the off-hand leg of matches, and while my scores in other legs seemed to get a tad higher -- I stayed just as lousy an off-hand shot with or without the brake shooting off-hand.
geo

[LenH]

I was shooting 3 tables down from a guy a couple of years ago. He was shooting a 308 and leaving the brass on the ground, good for my 308 stash. Then he pulls out a .338 Lapua with
said muzzle break. The first round he set off made me think `Gees Joe Bob, what the heck was that.' I thought it was going to rattle the fillings out of my teeth. Thank goodness he only shot 5 of those before packing up and going home. Funny enough he put those brass back in the box but left about 40 Black Hills .308 brass laying on the ground.

[lightman]

Muzzle brakes do two things well. Make noise and separate folks from their money.

I respectfully have to disagree! A well designed brake can reduce recoil. I'm thinking about putting one on my next 223 barrel just to keep from loosing site of the target during recoil. I'll also make a thread protector to use when shooting at the bench, around others. Or I will move as far away from other shooters as possible. Are they loud? YES!!! I also hate shooting next to someone with one.

[Larry Gibson]

Also consider there are muzzle brakes which generally just reduce recoil. There are also compensators which control muzzle climb during recoil. And there are the combination of the two; those that reduce recoil and control muzzle climb. Based on the 3" vertical POI with and without I would venture a guess and say the OP has one of the latter.

They are most often beneficial to the shooter but can have a negative impact on anyone to either side of the shooter.

[Gtek]

They should make special areas on the ranges for them and then they could all go thump each other!

[RED BEAR]

I don't see anything wrong with muzzle breaks i don't have them on most guns but a couple i do and they do reduce perceived recoil. I catch a lot more flack on the pistol range for my carry gun. Low roof and 41 mag = lot of complaints.

[dragon813gt]

They should make special areas on the ranges for them and then they could all go thump each other!

And this is why there is no gun “community”. It’s a bunch of people that all have different interests and if it’s different then what they like it should be taken elsewhere. Or in most cases they want it taken away all together.

I get it, they’re no fun to shoot next to. But I don’t like when an AR is throwing hot brass on my bench. And I don’t like when pistols do the same thing. It is what it is and I either endure or move away.

[RED BEAR]

I do try to be courteous. Always go to end station when shooting autos so brass doesn't hit anyone will do same on rifle range when possible. Will put up barrier if i can't get the last station. But i have never complained about the caliber of gun anyone is using. And i am sorry but i pay dues just like everyone else and i realize that my gun is loud and will acknowledge that you can feel the concussions all the way down the line but it ain't that loud and your required to wear hearing protection. I have had peoples brass hit me and they don't think anything of it i just let it pass as brass is going to fly and its not pleasant but its not a big deal ether. I personally have never been bothered by a person using a compinsator.

[44Blam]

Also consider there are muzzle brakes which generally just reduce recoil. There are also compensators which control muzzle climb during recoil. And there are the combination of the two; those that reduce recoil and control muzzle climb. Based on the 3" vertical POI with and without I would venture a guess and say the OP has one of the latter.

They are most often beneficial to the shooter but can have a negative impact on anyone to either side of the shooter.

I looked at the offending Muzzle Break and it does have some holes on the top, so the POI increase must be from the lack of compensation from the MB. It shoots great without it, so I'll be less obnoxious when I bring it to the range from now on.

[sureYnot]

And this is why there is no gun “community”. It’s a bunch of people that all have different interests and if it’s different then what they like it should be taken elsewhere. Or in most cases they want it taken away all together.

I get it, they’re no fun to shoot next to. But I don’t like when an AR is throwing hot brass on my bench. And I don’t like when pistols do the same thing. It is what it is and I either endure or move away.

Exactly

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

[Loudy13]

I learned some things last year about Brake/compensators as I put one on my 3-gun rifle (300 BO 16" barrel shooting 150gr boolits @1700 fps). 1, there not created equal as with anything some are functional and some look functional. 2. In my experience they are dependent on velocity I have more muzzle lift with slower cast boolit rounds then with jacketed higher velocity rounds.

They are louder but in the 3-gun arena its almost expected but my little 300 isn't to bad.

Just my 2 cents for what its worth