Does a muzzle brake really make a difference?

[grayfox]

O yeah, if you hunt in Calif then you need lead free, the 20" does a better job getting the MV up on the Barnes 100 gr's, that's a good bullet for ya. should maybe do about 2650-2700 fps out of a 20".

[BCHunter]

I don’t know about this “running the numbers” but I do agree with the above post from daved20319 about a push vs a punch. The only remaining 223 I have is a hbar colt 16” and it’s recoil is vastly different than all my Grendel’s. It really is like a sharp punch vs the Grendel push.

That’s why I kind of question the numbers you post

RD it is just a hypothetical using a recoil calculator, to illustrated where a grendel would be compared to the OP'S known recoil experience with a .270 and 5.56.

[Jeepster18_88]

I'm not a fan of muzzle brakes. I have 270 that I couldn't shoot more than a couple times. I added a good recoil pad and I could literally shoot it all day long without issues. My friend just had shoulder surgery and wanted me to try out his 7.62x39 that he won. I'm not sure what muzzle brake it has and since I have 2 almost identical to his but with an A2 flash hider on one and a linear compensator on the other, I didn't think it would be a problem to shoot without hearing protection. I hunt with every one of my rifles and I can't stand hearing protection in the woods where I need to hear a slight twig break or distant sounds. One shot and my left ear felt like someone shoved a dull pencil about 3 inches deep. It's still bothering me a week later. As for the recoil after I went home and got my hearing protection. I honestly can't tell any difference whatsoever between shooting his and shooting mine other than noise. I'd get the threaded barrel and add a linear comp or regular A2 flash hider. The recoil is much lighter with the Grendel than every light weight 243 that I own.

[ptarmigan]

I'm not sure that I can tell the difference in recoil between my .223 and my Grendel. Of course I hunt with a Tikka .300wm which is on a whole different level. My 9yr old boy can shoot the Grendel all day, if I supply enough ammo. I peel off flash hiders and brakes from my AR before it ever gets shot.

[grayfox]

The PRS blog and TTAG both have some good testing that show, for 30-50 MB's, how much recoil reduction/barrel rise each one has. It varies from 4% to upwards of 72%. Like I said, different designs yield different results. The APA lil B***rd and the Precision Arms M4-72 were top rated in terms of reductions. At the time of the PRS blog, the APA was, IIRC, one of the most-used MBs for top 50 PRS shooters. Me personally, both of them are a bit too much in 20" and shorter barrels, which is one of the reasons I'm using mostly the VG6 65 gamma. If you try to over-torque a brake onto the barrel (ie, not using the jam nut) you can distort the barrel harmonics but using the jam nut approach I haven't seen any of that effect, accuracy for me improves a lot with the decreased recoil.
They tested 556, 308, 6mm and 6.5 mm brakes. I like tests with objective data in them, it takes out personal biases.

https://precisionrifleblog.com/2019/02/02/best-suppressor/

https://precisionrifleblog.com/2015/08/21/muzzle-brake-summary-of-field-test-results/

https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2016/02/jeremy-s/308-muzzle-brake-test/

[Michael-95037]

Muzzle brake: Better to have and not need , than need and not have

It’ll cost you a couple hundred dollars and time to thread the barrel if you decide later you need it

Why are you hung up on a Wilson Combat barrel and Qcomp?

If you need something now there are many other comparable options...

Good point about the muzzle brake and threaded barrel. Thanks. I got a really good deal on the Wilson combat barrel. 25% off so I only paid $214 for the 18" threaded barrel (normally around $285). If I want to change it and go with the 20", it's another $15 bucks. I've used Wilson Combat barrels in the past and liked the performance they gave me, they're not too heavy, and I like the way they look. I'm not particularly hung up on the Q-comp. It's what Wilson has, so I thought I would use it unless I found something I like better.

[Double Naught Spy]

Muzzle brakes tend to do one or two things, limiting muzzle climb and limiting rearward recoil. Some do more of one and less or none of the other. I like brakes that help control muzzle climb. Whether or not one 'needs' a break is very subjective to the particular user. Beyond that, while something may not be needed, it certainly may still be beneficial.

I didn't think it would be a problem to shoot without hearing protection.

No unsuppressed centerfire rifle is safe to shoot without hearing protection, brake or no brake.

I hunt with every one of my rifles and I can't stand hearing protection in the woods where I need to hear a slight twig break or distant sounds.

Wear electronic hearing protection. You buy the right ones and not only is your hearing protected, but the mics pic up more noise than you would be able to hear otherwise - double benefit.

Hearing damage is cumulative over time and insidious in that you probably won't notice it slowly happening.

[Michael-95037]

You can also get a soft rubber pad for the buttstock, there's a magpul kinda "foam-like" that works well on the CTR stocks... about $20 IIRC.

Grayfox, Thanks for all the info. What's a CTR stock? I plan to use a Leaper UTG Pro Model 4/15 stock just because I had it laying around. I have one on my 5.56x45. It's not my favorite stock, but it works. Do you know if anyone makes a pad for that Leaper stock?

Double Naught Spy, I agree 100%. I use electronic hearing protection all the time. Hunting, target shooting, it doesn't matter. I find I can hear more and have hearing protection. No reason to not use them. BTW, I love your videos. Nothing quite like fresh pork!

[grayfox]

CTR is Magpul's name for one of its adjustable carbine styles... triangular shape and a locking lever for the adjust mechanism - tightens up the stock on the buffer tube. I have a few and they are pretty usable.

[CaptnC]

I thought DNS was going to throw this out there (his points are good ones, my hearing loss is proof of his statements...97% left 93% right...high frequency lost!)...

Back to what I thought DNS was going to mention. I know he runs a piston system on his AR and from his videos, recoil is nearly zero! I have three, new to me, Osprey piston AR's but to be honest I have not shot them enough to know for sure. But they advertise recoil reduction.

I see a couple guys mentioning prices as high $200.00...for a few more bucks get a good piston system and leave the A2 on the barrel.

[Double Naught Spy]

CaptnC, I do run a piston system, but that doesn't affect the recoil. All the things that would cause recoil are still in operation. What is doing it for me is a heavy barrel and a suppressor (more added weight).

[Michael-95037]

CTR is Magpul's name for one of its adjustable carbine styles... triangular shape and a locking lever for the adjust mechanism - tightens up the stock on the buffer tube. I have a few and they are pretty usable.

Thanks. Looks like a nice stock. I just ordered one with the 0.7" pad for my build.

[CaptnC]

CaptnC, I do run a piston system, but that doesn't affect the recoil. All the things that would cause recoil are still in operation. What is doing it for me is a heavy barrel and a suppressor (more added weight).

I know your rifle is still as a church mouse when your shooting. A buddy and I were talking a couple weeks ago about piston systems. I told him I had two piston rifles and two non....I told him I had not noticed a difference in recoil.

But I know it states that on Osprey's web site. So I though I just wasn't paying attention.

The 24" Grendel doesn't move much. I could spot my impacts at 600yds. No piston system on it...just real heavy..

Sweet rig, it's one of my favorite rifles.

Just finished a "short" barrel Grendel that might be my NV rig. It has the Osprey piston on it...reports are all over the map concerning my can being released...so for now it wont have the extra weight. In the process of loading 50 rounds for my next range day.

Anyway...sorry OP for the little detour...just trying to help

[SightedIn]

[LRRPF52]

Good muzzle brakes will help with maintaining a good sight picture if you really want to tame a rifle, but usually come with a side muzzle blast penalty.

The LaRue Tranquilo and Dead Air brakes don't seem to have this problem like most of the gilled or pepper pot brakes out there.