Increased noise with stock muzzle brake

Generally speaking, the shooter doesn't hear any significant increase, as the gasses are diverted to the sides, not back at the shooter. Bystanders to the side of the gun DO hear a much increased blast, because of the part directed in their direction by the brake.

TOTAL noise (sound level) is NOT increased, only seems like that, because while the total is still the same, the brake increases the amount in specific directions.
 
It's been my experience, admittedly very little, that the shooter does hear a louder muzzle blast. But it is true that the issue is worse for bystanders than for the shooter.

Many guys just use the brake when working up loads, zeroing, and some range practice where they fire lots of ammo in one setting. They then remove it for hunting where 1-2 shots aren't enough for recoil to be a huge issue.
 
Interestingly, the Millennium Compensator I've got on the Beowooof actually directs gases back toward the line.
(First time I fired it I thought I might have blown a primer as I felt a light breeze come back by me.):eek:

Works really well to reduce recoil.
 
My Browning A-bolt in 7mm Rem. Mag. is louder with the ported BOSS vs. the non ported end.
The .300 Win. Mag. I had also got substantially louder once I had a brake installed.
 
OK, I could have been clearer...sorry.

I suppose its like felt recoil, different people notice it differently. I have a couple of "braked" rifles, but nothing where the brake can be turned on and off, so I don't have a clear comparison, apples to apples.

The amount of powder gas isn't changed, all that changes is the position (direction, and percentage) of the muzzle blast relative to your ear.

Shooting the same round from a pistol and a rifle, (same amount of gas), the pistol is noticeably louder, mostly because the muzzle is a foot (+/-) closer to your ear.

Brakes come in many designs, from the earliest Cutts Compensators to modern designs with lots of holes that "swirl" around the barrel, to combination flash suppressor/muzzle brake. The angle and amount of gas directed off the bore axis makes a difference in what each "earstander" hears, dependent on their location, relative to the muzzle.

Slots or ports angled to use muzzle blast to help keep the muzzle down are generally called compensators. Those made to angle the gas back (slightly), to reduce recoil, are muzzle brakes.

The classic Cutts Compensator on the 1920s Tommygun is the earliest common brake I know of. Intended to reduce muzzle climb. A sound idea, but it didn't really work enough to make a noticeable difference, because of the small amount of gas in the .45ACP round (compared to rifle rounds) and the heavy weight of the Tommygun, which already did a lot to damp recoil.

Muzzle brakes on tank cannons begin showing up around 1940ish with differing designs, and those with solid bottoms turned out to have another advantage, which was a reduction in the dust the muzzle blast stirred up,
directly in front
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of the muzzle, meaning the gunner was able to see the target a little sooner, or a little better, immediately after firing.

Shoot a braked, and non braked rifle prone, in sandy conditions, and you can see it for yourself. The amount varies, of course, but the effect is there.
 
As a rule the louder the comp, the better it works.
You see, the dynamics of their function is to simply catch the forward movement of the gas and pull forward on the barrel after the bullet has left the barrel's bore. Think of it as catching water.
If you have a cup with water rushing into it the water will roll out and be forced back towards the direction of the flow.
If on the other hand you force water into a flat wall, the water turns 90 degrees and is forced away.

The cupping direction of the gas forms a "jet" after a fashion coming back at an angle greater than 90 degrees. A simple break with 80 to 90 degree walls diverts the gas mostly sideways.
The "quiet breaks diverts the gas forward away from the shooter at angles of about 60 degrees.

Gas making a 60 degree turn is going to place less pressure on the wall than gas turning 90 degrees, and if the gas if forced to turn harder than 90 degrees it's going to place even more pressure on the walls.

The harder the gas turns the more pressure it exerts. That energy is forced into the air and turns into a shock wave. Shock waves make noise.
So it's not a joke to say breaks turn recoil into noise.

The more noise it makes, the more energy is being converted.

There are no "free lunches" in physics.

The thing to keep in mind is the logical question. "How much reduction do I need"?
If a 30-06 is OK but a 300 mag is not you must understand that the 300 kicks about 25%-35% more than the 30-06 So a 30% reduction is fine.
If you get one of the really ugly, super effective breaks, they can reduce the kick 60% to 70% So making the 300 mag kick like a 243 is pretty cool, but is it really necessary?

Only you can answer that question.

Keeping in mind that the most effective breaks can double the noise. You must then accept the fact that if you want to shoot something like a 378 Weatherby and make it kick like a 30-06 you are going to HAVE TO wear ear protection at all times when shooting them, or just accept that amount of noise and all the detrimental factors that go with it. As I said above, there are no "free lunches" in physics.

I modified a Winchester M-70 308 Winchester for a lady who won it at a Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation dinner. She loved the rifle, but at 5' 2" tall and at 122 pounds, she was bothered a lot by it's kick. I installed a break with 80 degree ports. That cut the kick down about 35-40%. I then installed a mercury reducer in the stock and installed a Kick-eze pad. Those 2 things cut the kick in half again. Those 3 additions together made a pussycat out of the rifle. To show her how much reduction I was able to achieve I took her rifle and held the butt pad to my chin and mouth and fired it. With the new pad, the mercury reducer and the break the rifle felt like a 223. No discomfort at all.
She is not "married" to her gun and in the last 15 years she's killed everything she has hunted with it, from coyotes to elk.

So if you want less kick but don't want to increase the noise very much, look to a pad and maybe a mercury reducer in addition to the break. You may find that it is a better combination for you.

The less a rifle kicks you the better, but there may be a point of diminishing return if the noise is causing a flinch by itself.
 
The 18" barrel by itself is going to have increased muzzle blast and noise. The brake adds a bit more and changes the direction the gasses go. Said gasses are creating a wee tiny vacuum that when the air goes back causes the bang.
In any case, you are not shooting without hearing protection anyway.
There are no "free lunches" in physics. Needed to be bigger. snicker.
 
Many guys just use the brake when working up loads, zeroing, and some range practice where they fire lots of ammo in one setting. They then remove it for hunting where 1-2 shots aren't enough for recoil to be a huge issue.
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Interestingly, the Millennium Compensator I've got on the Beowooof actually directs gases back toward the line.
(First time I fired it I thought I might have blown a primer as I felt a light breeze come back by me.)

Works really well to reduce recoil.
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Referring to the above quotes, it cuts down recoil but is more likely to damage hearing.

In any case, you are not shooting without hearing protection anyway.
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I read with hearing protection without using muzzle brakes, hearing damage can be avoided. OTOH, with hearing protection using muzzle brakes, hearing damage is not avoided. I'm guessing this assumes many rounds being fired.


So if you want less kick but don't want to increase the noise very much, look to a pad and maybe a mercury reducer in addition to the break. You may find that it is a better combination for you.
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Sounds like good advice.
 
Interestingly, the Millennium Compensator I've got on the Beowooof actually directs gases back toward the line.
(First time I fired it I thought I might have blown a primer as I felt a light breeze come back by me.)
Works really well to reduce recoil.
Click to expand...
Referring to the above quotes, it cuts down recoil but is more likely to damage hearing
Click to expand...
Actually not, since the sound is carried off of the shooter by enough of an angle to near completely defect it, but some small part of the gases can still be felt in that passing breeze..
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Simple answer. Yes, it will be louder if the brake is working. You may need extra hearing protection based on the brake. I have one that takes up all the recoil. It is LOUD. I have to wear muffs and plugs.
 
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