I was originally going to agree with mongrel that freezing the brake would be the method that works, but I have observed otherwise (sorry mongrel). The place I work at installs guide pins and bushings into injection molds by cooling the parts and dropping them into holes. Then I remembered a thing I learned at one of my first engineering jobs. The application was a collar installed on the shaft of a compressor. The collar (ring) had to be heated in a toaster oven (no kidding!) before it was able to be slipped over the shaft (just as Keifer described). It worked quite well, and the part pretty much stayed in place after cooling down to room temperature.
So my feeling is this:
<LI>Installing a shaft into a hole - freeze the pin, drop it into hole.
<LI>Installing a 'hole' onto a shaft - heat the 'hole' and slide it onto the shaft.
I have observed both, and I am pretty confident the above is true.
I like the 'temperature assisted' press fit idea. No ugly set screws. I don't mind the silver solder, but it is something that non-gunsmiths cannot work with.
One problem I see with heating the brake and slipping it onto the barrel is that the heat generated from firing the rifle may cause the brake to loosen and "ping!", your expensive muzzle brake is 30 yards downrange.
This may not happen though because the barrel will also heat up and expand and continue to retain the brake.
The best way to use these techniques would probably use them both together. Freeze the barrel, and heat the brake. Theoretically this will give the tightest fit. I would be careful though, the brake may contract enough to constrict the bore and worse case scenario would be "Kaboom!".
Another failure is that the muzzle brake would crack under severe stress.
Kurt, do you have an opinion on this?
Jason
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"Ray guns don't vaporize Zorbonians, Zorbonians vaporize Zorbonians"
The Far Side
[This message has been edited by jcoyoung (edited March 03, 2000).]