Muzzle brake: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Anti-recoil gunbarrel attachment}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{More footnotes needed|date=April 2018}}
{{Original research|date=January 2021}}
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[[File:Flickr - The U.S. Army - www.Army.mil (350).jpg|thumb|The muzzle brake of an [[M198 howitzer|M198 155mm howitzer]] venting propellant gases sideways as the [[howitzer]] is fired]]
 
A '''muzzle brake''' or '''recoil compensator''' is a device connected to, or a feature integral ('''ported barrel''') to the construction of, the [[firearm muzzle|muzzle]] or [[gun barrel|barrel]] of a [[firearm]] or [[cannon]] that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter [[recoil]] and unwanted [[muzzle rise]].<ref>[http://www.nraila.org/glossary.aspx Muzzle brake] in the NRA Firearms Glossary</ref> Barrels with an integral muzzle brake are often said to be '''ported'''.
 
The concept of a muzzle brake was first introduced for artillery. It was a common feature on many [[anti-tank gun]]s, especially those mounted on [[tank]]s, in order to reduce the area needed to take up the strokes of recoil and kickback. They have been used in various forms for rifles and pistols to help control recoil and the rising of the barrel that normally occurs after firing. They are used on pistols for [[Practical shooting|practical pistol]] competitions, and are usually called compensators in this context.<ref name="limcat">[http://www.stiguns.com/USPress/gungames/limcat.html STI article] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929024448/http://www.stiguns.com/USPress/gungames/limcat.html |date=29 September 2007 }} on Limcat Undergas Bypass Turbo System recoil compensator</ref>
 
== RationaleHistory ==
The concept of a muzzle brake had been experimented with for many years prior to its successful implementation: in 1922, a [[US Army Ordnance Department]] official stated in US Congress that "the muzzle brake was used in another form 20 years ago, and even longer ago than that, but it has never been successfully applied".<ref>{{cite book |title=Diplomatic and Consular Appropriation Bill, 1922: Hearing[s] Before Subcommittee of House Committee on Appropriations ... in Charge of the Diplomatic and Consular Appropriation Bill for 1922. Sixty-sixth Congress, Third Session |date=1921 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |page=152 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MBIwAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA152 |access-date=15 May 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
 
[[Antoine Treuille de Beaulieu]] invented a prototype based on the idea in 1842 and had it tested in 1862, but he himself called the idea "too new".<ref>{{cite book |title=Journal of the United States Artillery |date=1945 |publisher=United States Coast Artillery Association. |page=32 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H1FSxQzjNBQC&pg=RA2-PA32 |access-date=18 May 2023 |language=en}}</ref> A US patent was issued for a "recoil obviator" in 1871 (there is no indication it was ever tested),<ref>{{US patent|118933A}}</ref> while an experimental British [[anti-tank rifle]] in 1918 featured a muzzle brake, but was not adopted.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.historicalfirearms.info/post/183659980049/godsal-1918-anti-tank-rifle-while-the-imperial | title=Historical Firearms - Godsal 1918 Anti-Tank Rifle While the Imperial }}</ref>
 
In the later 1920s, there was some limited progress: around 1926, Cutts compensator became an option in the [[Thompson SMG]] (R. M. Cutts' earliest patent is from 1925<ref>{{cite web | url=https://patents.google.com/?q=(F41A21%2f36)&inventor=Richard+Cutts | title=Google Patents }}</ref>), in 1927 [[Škoda Works|Škoda]] patented<ref>{{patent|FR|657091A}}</ref> a family of muzzle brake designs, one of which was used on [[8 cm kanon vz. 28]], and in 1928, [[Schneider et Cie]] (which was allied with Škoda at the time) updated their [[220 mm TR mle 1915/1916]] with a muzzle brake<ref>{{cite web | url=http://landships.info/landships/artillery_articles.html?load=/landships/artillery_articles/220mm_Schneider_M16.html | title=Landships II }}</ref> patented by [[Eugène Schneider II]] way back in 1912.<ref>{{patent|GB|191218491A}}</ref>
 
[[File:15 cm haubits M19.jpg|thumb|''Pepper-pot muzzle brake'' ("Jentzen-brake") on a Bofors “15 cm haub M/19” howitzer.]]
In mid-1930s, [[Bofors]] designed several successful artillery pieces (e. g. [[Bofors 37 mm anti-tank gun|37-mm]] and [[10.5 cm kanon m/34|105-mm]] guns) with new [[perforated]] muzzle brakes, so-called pepper-pot muzzle brakes, a design invented by then Swedish artillery staff officer, captain Harald Jentzen, in Sweden known as a "Jentzen-brake" ({{lang-sv|Jentzen-broms}}).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fransson |first1=Stig A. |title=Bofors 350 år |publisher=Probus |date=1996 |location=Stockholm |isbn=918718446X |page=110 |language=sv}}</ref> The Soviet Union started modernising old artillery systems with new barrels, such as the [[107 mm gun M1910/30]], [[152 mm gun M1910/30]], [[152 mm gun M1910/34]], etc., predominantly featuring cylindrical muzzle brakes with long slits on each side. Several European countries started designing and producing AT rifles featuring muzzle brakes. In late 1930s and especially during World War II the device became common on both firearms and artillery pieces.
 
Overall, the development of the muzzle brake was a gradual process that involved experimentation and refinement over many years.
{{expand section|date=May 2023}}
 
== Rationale in firearms ==
[[File:MuzzleRise.png|thumb|Illustration of forces in muzzle rise. Projectile and propellant gases act on barrel along barrel center line A. The shooter resists the forces by contact with the gun at grips and stock B. The height difference between barrel centerline and average point of contact is height C. The forces A and B operating over moment arm/height C create torque or moment D, which rotates the firearm's muzzle up as illustrated at E]]
 
The interchangeable terms [[muzzle rise]], muzzle flip, or muzzle climb refer to the tendency of a handheld firearm's front end (the muzzle end of the barrel) to rise after firing. Firearms with less height from the grip line to the barrel centerline tend to experience less muzzle rise.<ref name="Sweeney2012">{{cite book|last=Sweeney|first=Patrick|author-link=Patrick Sweeney (gunsmith)|title=The Gun Digest Book of the AR-15|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qTh5yxEVqdoC&pg=PA269|date= 2012|publisher=Gun Digest Books|location=Iola, Wisconsin|isbn=978-1-4402-2868-1|page=269}}{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
 
The muzzle rises primarily because, for most firearms, the centerline of the barrel is above the center of contact between the shooter and the firearm's grip and stock. The [[reactive force]]s from the fired bullet and propellant gases exiting the muzzle act directly down the centerline of the barrel.<ref name="Sweeney2012"/> If that line of force is above the center of the contact points, this creates a [[torque|moment]] or [[torque]] (rotational force) that causes the firearm to rotate and the muzzle to rise. The [[M1946 Sieg automatic rifle]] had an unusual muzzle brake that made the rifle climb downward, but enabled the user to fire it with one hand in full automatic.<ref name="Paulsen2008">{{cite book|last=Paulsen|first=Gary|title=The Rifle|date= 2008|publisher=Paw Prints|isbn=978-1-4395-1757-4|page=277}}</ref>
 
== Design and construction ==
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All muzzle brake designs share a basic principle: to partially divert combustion gases from the muzzle end of the bore at a (generally) perpendicular angle to the long axis of the barrel. The [[momentum]] of the diverted gases thus does not add to the recoil. The angle toward which the gases are directed will fundamentally affect how the brake behaves. If gases are directed upward, they will exert a downward force and counteract [[muzzle rise]]. Any device that is attached to the end of the muzzle will also add mass, increasing its inertia and moving its center of mass forward; the former will reduce recoil and the latter will reduce muzzle rise.
 
[[File:AKM muzzle brake.jpg|thumb|The [[AKM]] rifle's slant-cut muzzle brakecompensator

]]
Construction of a muzzle brake or compensator can be as simple as a diagonal cut at the muzzle end of the barrel to direct some of the escaping gas upward. On the [[AKM]] assault rifle, the brake also angles slightly to the right to counteract the sideways movement of the rifle under recoil.
 
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== Effectiveness ==
 
Although there are numerous ways to measure the energy of a recoil [[Impulse (physics)|impulse]], in general, a 10% to 50% reduction can be measured.<ref>{{cite web |title=What Does a Compensator Do On a Pistol? |url=https://blog.refactortactical.com/blog/what-does-a-compensator-do-on-a-pistol/ |website=RE Factor Tactical |publisher=Scott Witner}}</ref> Some muzzle brake manufacturers claim greater recoil reduction percentages. Muzzle brakes need sufficient propellant gas volume and high gas pressure at the muzzle of the firearm to achieve well-measured recoil reduction percentages. This means cartridges with a small bore area to case volume ratio ([[overbore]] cartridges) 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 lets a shooter realign a weapon's sights more quickly. This is relevant for fully automatic weapons. Muzzle rise can theoretically be eliminated by an efficient design. Because the rifle moves rearward less, the shooter has little to compensate for. Muzzle brakes benefit rapid-fire, fully automatic fire, and large-bore hunting rifles. They are also common on small-bore [[vermin]] rifles, where reducing the muzzle rise lets the shooter see the bullet impact through a [[telescopic sight]]. A reduction in recoil also reduces the chance of undesired (painful) contacts between the shooter's head and the ocular of a telescopic sight or other aiming components that must be positioned near the shooter's eye (often referred to as "scope 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 behavior resulting in inaccurate aiming and shooting) caused by excessive recoil may be reduced or eliminated.
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[[File:US Navy 090925-N-2915M-052 A U.S. Marine Corps saluting battery detail fires a 17-gun salute during the arrival of Adm. Timothy J. Keating.jpg|thumb|Muzzle flash without muzzle brake]]
[[File:120704-A-IX566-193 (7557291576).jpg|thumb|Redirected muzzle flash with muzzle brake]]
There are a number of potential downsides to brakes and compensators.
 
The shooter, gun crew, or close bystanders may perceive an increase in sound pressure level as well as an increase in muzzle blast and [[lead exposure]]. This occurs because the sound, flash, pressure waves, and lead loaded smoke plume normally projected away from the shooter are now partially redirected outward to the side or sometimes at partially backward angles toward the shooter or gun crew. Standard eye and ear protection, important for all shooters, may not be adequate to avoid [[Noise-induced hearing loss#Acute acoustic trauma|hearing damage]] with the muzzle blast partially vectored back toward the gun crew or spotters by arrowhead shaped reactive muzzle brakes found on [[sniper team]]s firing [[anti-materiel rifle]]s like the [[Barrett M82]].<ref name="Wieland2009">{{cite book|last=Wieland|first=Terry|title=Dangerous-Game Rifles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gn0YAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT550|date=15 October 2009|publisher=Down East Books|isbn=978-0-89272-902-9|page=550}}</ref>
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File:Muzzle of a .375H&H Rifle.JPG|Integral muzzle brake or porting on a [[Blaser R93]] hunting rifle.
</gallery>
 
== Ported chamber ==
A [[Chamber (firearms)|barrel chamber]] with pressure relief ports that allows gas to leak around the cartridge during extraction. Basically the opposite of a fluted chamber as it is intended for the cartridge to stick to the chamber wall makeing a slight delay of extraction. This requires a welded-on sleeve with an annular groove to contain the pressure.<ref>https://patents.google.com/patent/US20150247694A1/en</ref>
 
== US legislation and regulation ==
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* [[Muzzle shroud]]
* [[Silencer (firearms)]]
* [[Glossary of firearms terms]]
 
== References ==
 
{{reflist|30em}}
 
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080208152215/http://www.glock.com/english/pistols_c-models.htm Glock's page on Compensated Pistols]
 
{{Firearms}}
 
[[Category:Glossaries of the military|Firearms]]
[[Category:Firearm terminology]]
[[Category:Firearm muzzle devices]]
[[Category:Artillery components]]