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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>
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[[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
[[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
Overall, the development of the muzzle brake was a gradual process that involved experimentation and refinement over many years.
{{
== 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=
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.
== Design and construction ==
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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: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]]
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