AK74 Muzzlebrake Loudness?

B

B. Lahey

New member
I was shooting next to a fellow with a 74 clone today, and it sure seemed like an impressive noisemaker. Not nearly as jarring as other brakes I have sat next to, but loud nonetheless.

I've been pondering picking up a 74ish rifle for a while, but today's noisefest has me reconsidering muzzle attachment options. I can't imagine the brake being a big need on a semiauto, despite the nifty and distinct look.

How much of an increase in loudness (measurable or simply perceived) does the 74 brake cause? Is it less obnoxious without the brake, or is the 5.45 simply a slightly obnoxious round regardless?

I don't mind making a bit of noise, but I do have sympathy for those I share the range with. :)
 
The brake on my AK74 exhausts mainly out the sides which would cause quite a bit of side blast. They are very simply to remove and being on/off doesn't seem to make much diff in the POI of mine so shooting at a crowded range with the brake installed is not the best courtesy. Noise w/o the brake is not much diff from a 223. You'll find a carbine length 223 with a muzzle brake type attachment is pretty obnoxious if you're not the shooter. My muzzle braked 300 Win mag seems to slap you in the face unless you're directly behind it(or so I'm told).
 
B. Lahey said:
How much of an increase in loudness (measurable or simply perceived) does the 74 brake cause? Is it less obnoxious without the brake, or is the 5.45 simply a slightly obnoxious round regardless?
Click to expand...

The 74 style muzzlebrake is one of the most effective out there. It noticably reduces recoil, and muzzle flash. Which is an advantage to the shooter. However, all that blast is directed to the sides, which can make your neighbors a bit unnerved.

Removing the muzzlebrake will increase felt recoil, which is still slight in the 5.45. But it will also increase muzzle flash quite a bit, which may also disturb shooters around you.

As for the concussion, the AK74 is really no different than any other muzzlebrake equipped rifle. It's simply a biproduct of the muzzlebrake effectively doing it's job. Ever sit next to someone shooting a BOSS equipped Browning?
 
I have the AK74 brake on my Bushmaster AR ... everyone on the net says how terrible it is for the people next to you ... I guess I'm terrible cause I just feel , it's a firing range , what do you want from me , get some plugs.
 
My Saiga 5.45 of course, came with a bare muzzle. Shooting it that way seemed like the muzzle blast was slightly less than the bare muzzle 16" AR upper I have...with no muzzle flash, while the AR produced a softball sized bright flash. All shooting done in daylight outdoors.
In doing my Saiga conversion, I mounted an AK74 muzzle brake. While the recoil without the brake was minimal, with the brake, it is nonexistent. Especially in rapid fire, it is the easiest centerfire semi auto rifle to keep on target I have ever fired...it practically begs to be fired quickly.
The only time I have fired it with another shooter nearby, he did not complain about muzzle blast...but he shouldn't have...he was shooting an AR in 50 Beowolf, and his muzzle blast was rearranging my hair.
From the shooters perspective, there was no increase in muzzle blast...just the almost eerie lack of recoil, and the perception that the muzzle was being held down.
 
It's all relative. I find people take a lot more notice of my Mosin M44 (obviously lacking a brake) than my AK-74.
 
I find a far bigger problem with the AK-74 at the range is the violent ejection of the cases.
Mine throws the case about 10 feet up in the air and at least 20 to 30 feet to the side.

I wasn't aware of this the first time I fired it and the men sitting at the next bench had to move back behind the line to prevent being hit before I realized what was happening.
A friend has an AK-74 also, and he reports finding cases stuck mouth-first into a tree on his back yard range.

The AK-74 muzzle brake also ejects burned powder particles to the side, which may be harmful to anyone standing to the side of the muzzle.
The ejected cases and muzzle blast cause the AK-74 to kill out the front and maim to the side.

However, compared to a larger caliber rifle like a .308 or 30-06 the AK-74 brake is not that noisy and I've never gotten a complaint on the range.
 
the 74 style muzzle break is pretty loud... not gonna lie. But its only loud when I let friends shoot it, because im standing off to the side. Its really not that noticeable when your the one behind the trigger. Its a great break, dont let something like that turn you off.
 
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