 The muzzle brake of the 105 mm gun on an AMX 10 RC fighting vehicle.
 The muzzle brake of an M198 howitzer venting propellant gas sideways. Muzzle brakes and recoil compensators are devices that are fitted to the muzzle of a firearm or cannon to redirect propellant gases with the effect of countering both recoil of the gun and unwanted rising of the barrel during rapid fire[1]. Muzzle brakes are very useful for combat and timed competition shooting, and are commonly found on rifles firing very large cartridges (often big-game rifles), as well as some artillery and tank guns. They are also commonly used on pistols for practical pistol competitions, and are usually called compensators in this context[2]. Image File history File links Mergefrom. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata AMX-10RC_017-frein-de-gueule. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata AMX-10RC_017-frein-de-gueule. ...
The AMX-10RC is an armoured car built by GIAT. Over 300 are in service in the French Army. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixel Image in higher resolution (3072 × 2048 pixel, file size: 2. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixel Image in higher resolution (3072 × 2048 pixel, file size: 2. ...
The M198 Howitzer during the Persian Gulf War The M198 howitzer is a medium-sized, towed artillery piece. ...
The muzzle of a firearm is the end of the barrel from which the projectile will exit. ...
Firearms redirects here. ...
For other uses, see Cannon (disambiguation). ...
An early naval cannon design, allowing the gun to roll backwards a small distance when firing The recoil when firing a gun is the backward momentum of a gun, which is equal to the forward momentum of the bullet or shell, due to conservation of momentum. ...
This article is about the video game. ...
Rimmed, centerfire . ...
For other uses, see Artillery (disambiguation). ...
Practical shooting is a sport which challenges an individuals ability to shoot rapidly and accurately with a full power handgun, rifle, and/or shotgun. ...
Terminology
There are a large number of terms, including muzzle brake, recoil compensator, compensator, recoil brake, recoil check, hybrid compensator, Mag-na-port, and more, which all refer to devices that serve to direct propellant gases upwards, outwards, or rearwards to reduce muzzle climb and recoil. These range from the simple slotted barrel of the original Mag-na-porting to the Schuemann "hybrid" system, which mates a specially ported barrel and slide with a threaded compensator for maximum reduction of muzzle rise. With the exception of names for proprietary systems, such as Mag-na-porting and hybrid compensators, and brand names such as Muzzle Tamer, the various terms are used interchangeably.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Concept Muzzle brakes are simple in concept. One of the simplest designs can be found on U.S. 90 mm tank guns. This consists of a small length of tubing mounted at right angles to the end of the barrel. Brakes most often utilize slots, vents, holes, baffles, and similar devices to redirect and control the burst of combustion gases that follows the departure of a projectile. Another method, called porting involves ports or holes in the barrel near the muzzle that vent gas prior to the departure of the bullet. A third method involves slowing the departure of combustion gases rather than redirection. Slowing of the gases is the method used on suppressors and linear compensators[11]. In conventional designs, combustion gases depart the brake at an angle to the bore. This counteracts the rearward movement of the barrel due to recoil as well as the upward rise of the muzzle. The effect can be compared to reverse thrust systems on aircraft jet engines. The mass and velocity of the gases is significant enough to move the firearm in the opposite direction of recoil. On the AKM assault rifle, the brake is angled slightly to the right to counteract the sideways movement of the gun under recoil. The PGM Hecate II is the standard heavy sniper rifle of the French Army. ...
A powerful American anti-tank and anti-aircraft gun similar to the renowned German 88. ...
Several firearms with detachable suppressors Bolt-action rimfire rifle with suppressor Semiautomatic rimfire pistol with suppressor A suppressor or sound moderator is a device attached to a firearm to reduce the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon. ...
KLM Fokker 70 with reverse thrust applied. ...
Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ...
Construction Construction of a brake or compensator can be very simple; the AK-47, for example, some models used a diagonal cut at the muzzle end of the barrel to direct some of the escaping gases upwards. Another simple method is porting, where holes or slots are machined in the barrel near the muzzle to allow the gas to escape[12]. Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ...
More advanced designs use baffles and expansion chambers to slow down the escaping gases; this is the basic principle behind a linear compensator. Ports are often added to the expansion chambers, producing the long, multi-chambered recoil compesators often seen on IPSC raceguns[2]. IPSC can mean: International Practical Shooting Confederation Inhibitory Post-Synaptic Current, in neurobiology iPSC, any of several high-performance computers manufactured by Intel This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
Utility There are advantages and disadvantages to muzzle brakes. Recoil is a subjective concept. One shooter may perceive it as pain, another as movement of the sights, and another as rearward thrust. Recoil energy can be sharp if the impulse is fast or may be considered soft if the impulse is slower, even if the same total energy is transferred.[13] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1638x726, 80 KB) Work by Rama SW Model 500 revolver File links The following pages link to this file: Muzzle brake S&W Model 500 Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1638x726, 80 KB) Work by Rama SW Model 500 revolver File links The following pages link to this file: Muzzle brake S&W Model 500 Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to...
The Model 500 Revolver is a revolver produced by Smith and Wesson, based on the X-Frame. ...
Advantages of muzzle brakes Though there are numerous ways of measuring the energy of a recoil impulse, it's generally true that between 10% and 50% reductions can be measured. There are however muzzle brake manufacturers that claim greater recoil reduction percentages.[14] Muzzle brakes need sufficient propellant gas volume and high gas pressure at the muzzle of the gun to achieve good measured recoil reduction percentages. This means cartridges with a large bore area to case volume ratio combined with a high operating pressure benefit more from recoil reduction with muzzle brakes than smaller standard cartridges.
Besides reducing felt recoil one of the primary advantages of a muzzle brake is the reduction of muzzle rise. This allows a weapon's sights to be realigned more quickly. This is relevant particularly for fully automatic weapons. Muzzle rise is often entirely eliminated by an efficient design. Because the rifle moves rearward less, the shooter has little to compensate for. This is particularly true of rapid-fire, fully-automatic fire, and large-bore hunting rifles. They are also common on small-bore varmint rifles, where reducing the muzzle rise allows the shooter to see the bullet impact through a telescopic sight. A reduction in recoil also reduces the chance of undesired (painful) contacts between the shooters head and the ocular of a telescopic sight or other aiming components that have to be positioned near the shooters eye. Another advantage of a muzzle brake is a reduction of recoil fatigue during extended practice sessions, enabling the shooter to consecutively fire more rounds accurately. Further, flinch (involuntary pre trigger release anxiety behaviour resulting in inaccurate aiming and shooting) caused by excessive recoil may be significantly reduced or eliminated with certain shooters. View through a 4x rifle scope A telescopic sight, commonly referred to as a scope, is a device used to give an accurate point of aim for a firearm. ...
Disadvantages of muzzle brakes The advantages of brakes and compensators are not without cost, however. The most obvious of these to the shooter or gun crew is the increase in sound pressure level as well as the increase in muzzle blast for the shooter or gun crew. This occurs because the sound, flash, and pressure waves normally projected largely away from the shooter are now partially-redirected outwards to the side or even at backward angles towards the shooter or gun crew. While eye and ear protection should always be used when shooting, this is not even enough to avoid hearing damage with the muzzle blast directed back towards the shooter or gun crew. M242 Bushmaster autocannon on an M2 Bradley. ...
"Recorded noise levels (on certified audiological instruments) at the muzzle of a magnum or high velocity rifle with a muzzle break [sic] normally exceed 160 decibels. Permanent ear damage occurs at 120 decibels. If you read the fine print on the finest set of ear plugs and ear muffs available, you will find the total noise reduction only between 22 and 31 decibels. This means that on a rifle with a muzzle brake, even if you are wearing hearing protection, you are suffering permanent damage."[15] The A-weighting curve is one of a family of curves defined in IEC179 and various other standards for use in sound level meters. ...
Measurements indicate that on a rifle a muzzle brake adds 5 to 10 dB to the normal noise level, increasing total noise levels to 160 dB(A) +/- 3 dB.[16] Painful discomfort occurs at approximately 120 to 125 dB(A),[17] with some references claiming 133 dB(A) for the threshold of pain.[18] Active ear muffs are available with electronic noise cancellation that can reduce direct path ear canal noise by approximately 17-33 dB, depending on the low, medium, or high frequency at which attenuation is measured.[19] Passive ear plugs vary greatly in their measured attenuation, ranging from approximately 20 dB to 30 dB, depending on whether or not they are properly used.[20] Using both ear muffs (whether passive or active) and ear plugs simultaneously is a practice that is often used for obtaining the maximum protection, but the efficacy of such combined protection relative to preventing permanent ear damage is not conclusive, with evidence indicating that a combined noise reduction ratio (NRR) of only 36 dB (C-weighted) is the maximum possible using ear muffs and ear plugs simultaneously, equating to only a 36 - 7 = 29 dB protection against a 160 dB(A) noise level.[21] Relative to a noise level of 160 dB(A), this means that even using ear muffs and ear plugs simultaneously cannot protect a shooter against permanent ear damage when using a muzzle brake, through leaving a shooter exposed to noise levels of approximately 131 dB(A) that is 11 dB above the point where permanent ear damage occurs.
In the European Union (EU), employees are protected by law against impulsive or impact noise exposure over 137 dB(A), with an absolute limit of 140 dB(A).[22] Individual member states often define even lower levels by national law; the United Kingdom, for instance, opted for 120 dB(A), which is where many references indicate that permanent ear damage occurs. The duration of exposure is likewise limited, for environmental noise above 90 dB(A) in the United States by OSHA rules, and for environmental noise above 80 dB(A) in the European Union, for exposure over an entire work day. The EU legislation demands the noise has to be reduced at the origin in the technically best possible way. Professional small arms and artillery users such as military and police personnel, etc., have to be issued with adequately working suppressors or hearing protection to reduce noise to levels as defined by law, since an employer has to anticipate legal action and compensations in cases where an employee that used the provided protective gear suffers work-induced health damage.
Brakes and compensators are additionally often quite bulky, adding length, diameter, and mass to the muzzle end of the firearm, where it will most effect its handling. Further, flinch caused by blast induced sinus cavity concussion discomfort experienced by the shooter can become a problem for anti-materiel rifle shooters due to the big cartridges these rifles fire. An anti-materiel rifle is a rifle that is designed for use against military equipment (Matériel) rather than against other combatants (anti-personnel). Generally speaking, they are large-caliber rifles chambered for a powerful cartridge. ...
A serious tactical disadvantage of muzzle brakes on both small arms and artillery is that, depending on their designs, they may cause escaping gases to throw up dust and debris clouds that impair visibility and reveal one's position. Troops often wet the ground in front of antitank guns in defensive emplacements to prevent this, and snipers are specially trained in techniques for suppressing or concealing the magnified effects of lateral muzzle blast when firing rifles with such brakes. Linear compensators and suppressors do not have the disadvantages of a redirected muzzle blast; they actually reduce the blast by venting high pressure gas forward at reduced velocity. Several firearms with detachable suppressors Bolt-action rimfire rifle with suppressor Semiautomatic rimfire pistol with suppressor A suppressor or sound moderator is a device attached to a firearm to reduce the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon. ...
Legality Muzzle brakes were ruled "legal" by the ATF in the United States a short time after the now defunct Federal assault weapons ban went into effect in 1994. These muzzle attachments were legal to attach to a threaded barrel, so long as they were welded in place on certain firearms (silver solder also sufficed). On the other hand, flash suppressors, and barrel shrouds were seen as 'military' features, and were on the list of features that, provided enough features were also present on the semi-automatic rifle, then the rifle was defined as illegal, if manufactured after the effective date of the ban. This meant, in practice, muzzle brakes had to be certified by the ATF to prevent end-users from accidentally violating the law and installing a device that could later be found to be defined legally as being more of a flash suppressor than a muzzle brake, even if marketed and sold as a muzzle brake, if incidental flash suppression was deemed to be 'significant' by the ATF. The Federal laws governing this sunsetted in 2004, and are no longer of active concern, except in those few jurisdictions in which certain provisions are still retained in specific state laws. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2313x1812, 190 KB) Canon du Fass 90: pare-flames, anneau indiquateur de température, et tête du tube de récupération des gaz en position dégivrage. Work by Rama File links The following pages link to this file...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2313x1812, 190 KB) Canon du Fass 90: pare-flames, anneau indiquateur de température, et tête du tube de récupération des gaz en position dégivrage. Work by Rama File links The following pages link to this file...
Close-up of the flash suppressor on a Sig 550. ...
The SIG 550 is an assault rifle manufactured by SAN Swiss Arms (formerly SIGARMS) of Switzerland. ...
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (abbreviated ATF, sometimes BATF or BATFE) is a United States federal agency; more specifically a specialized law enforcement and regulatory organization within the United States Department of Justice. ...
The Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB) was a subtitle of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a federal law of the United States that included a prohibition on the sale to civilians of certain semi-automatic assault weapons manufactured after the date of the bans...
Close-up of the flash suppressor on a Sig 550. ...
See also A muzzle booster or recoil booster is a device affixed to the muzzle of a firearm, intended to harness the energy of the escaping propellant to augment the force of recoil on portions of the firearm. ...
References
External links - Chuck Hawks' article on muzzle brakes
- Pictures of various muzzle brake types
- Adventures with muzzle brakes
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