Does a muzzle brake slow down your velocities?

[@tomlarue654]

Wow! Not the outcome I was expecting. Thanks for doing this video.

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

Thanks for watching and commenting Tom!

[@sakostwwy1903]

I have done this test on several rifles I have owned and the muzzle brake has always added velocity. Not drastic but I think it slightly adds to the overall burn length of the barrel. Most of these have been the same style of brakes as Weatherby uses.

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

Thanks for sharing

[@garrytalley8009]

You are spot on. I have many brakes, and this is always true. It is amazing that anyone would think that it could possibly slow a bullet when it is actually an extension of the barrel containing pressures that still help forward movement of the bullet. It is only a very slight difference, but it is a gain not a loss.

[@mr.thrasher4029]

I thought the energy loss going out the sides of the brake would translate to reduced velocity. But the actual overall effect is essentially an extended barrel length which means *increased* velocity. Thank you for setting me straight.

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

I'm not sure there was enough of a difference... But it definitely doesn't slow down having a brake.

[@MostRealMaxwell]

I like your content man! Keep it up. I have a Weather Vanguard FirstLite edition in .300 WBY Mag. After watching some of your videos I really want to start hand loading.

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

Thanks for commenting and watching! You should reload your 300 Weatherby!

[@garrytalley8009]

Answer Products when they were in business had a similar test. The increase in bullet speed is not going to make a significant difference but a muzzle brake does increase velocity. And why? It actually extends the barrel, but vents gas out the side, but it still increases the pressure to the back of the bullet more than all the gasses going escaping everywhere immediately after exiting the barrel. It really is common sense. I guess all those not so bright people that thought it would reduce the velocity let that word brake mean the wrong thing. It broke recoil not velocity.

[@gunman-6646]

Pretty cool! I am going to Morgan Utah next month to check out Browning.

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

Fun little fact, Winchester also has a factory out in Morgan Utah. Browning and Winchester now work together... hence the 6.8 Western.

[@gunman-6646]

@@ReloadingWeatherby Cool, I will have to check that out also.

[@vettepilot427]

Anything you add to the muzzle acts as a barrel extension. In the case of a brake, we add ports to provide beneficial effects for recoil reduction. In the case of a suppressor, it acts as an expansion chamber to reduce sound, blast, and delay (not reduce) the recoil impulse. You WILL see an increase in velocity with a suppressor because of this. The suppressor itself, although acting as an expansion chamber, still gives more time for gasses to act on the bullet which increases velocity. In this case, I would say that there’s no change in velocity, because gas is vented as soon as it reaches the first port. You may see less effect on larger directional brakes than a radial brake and even less effect with a short action cartridge. Great test, thanks for posting this.

[@MarkBerenger]

Everything you said is debunked by people with access to the guns and equipment to make the videos lol

[@texpatriot8462]

I feel for anyone on that firing line. That gun must be crazy loud.

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

Haha it's payback for all the guys that bring their AR-15 and mag dump next to me

[@adamshaw8214]

I hate muzzle blast. I'd rather take it in the shoulder than in the ears.

[@Paul-q3m7k]

@@adamshaw8214. 💯

[@jk-kr8jt]

RW, good try on this video. To really get to the core of the issue it will take more than 6 rounds from 1 rifle and only 1 style of break. I don't think that normally a break would make any/much difference in velocity. Naturally there will be many variables. Probably the biggest being if the powder column is fully burned before the bullet reaches the barrel muzzle (not the break). Also the tightness of the breaks bore and distance from the muzzle to the first vent. Just to name a few. Years ago, 1980s and early 1990s, people claimed that a muzzle break reduced their velocity. The more I spoke with them I fully understood how. They sent their rifle off to have a break installed, but wanted to keep the overall rifle length the same. So the gunsmith would cut approximately 2 inches off the barrel and install the break. Well no sh#t there'll be a velocity reduction. Often people claimed a break destroyed the accuracy of their rifle. Usually this was a "gunsmith" either damaged the crown or cut off the barrel and did not recrown the muzzle. I've also seen where the break was not trued to the bore. I'm sure you know this, but if you're going to hunt without the break, sight in without the break. Go ahead and develop loads with the break on but resight the rifle as you'll be using it in the field. Most of this is because the break changes the harmonics of the barrel and that harmonic transfer to the action then the stock/bedding. Cheers, Jeff

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

Thanks for sharing! Very insightful.

[@garrytalley8009]

You are the most spot on of all the replies to this video. Personally, I hunt with the brake. Why? It disperses the sound in a way that it is hard for the game to distinguish where the sound came from. That only helps if you miss or if you are wanting to take more than one animal amongst a few, but sometimes that happens.

[@RobertNoble-jy4gd]

Hey i know this is a super old video but before and after the brake install did you have to re develop your loads? Im thinking about getting the accubrake for my mark v 300 wby but dont want to if i have re build my load that shoots awesome

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

No they shot the exact same

[@Paul-q3m7k]

For me if the recoil is too much on the bench get a sled just to get that perfect zero. After that shoot fewer and smaller groups when you practice . This helps with flinch and recoil shoulder lol. I shoot two shot groups with my hunting rifles . That’s all you’re gonna get when hunting and the flyers are the result of heat and flinching lots of the time . Brakes are great but they just aren’t for me or my hunting partners ears 😊

[@WayStedYou]

Within the margin of error. The gap is basically non existent

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

Exactly

[@landofparadise2295]

Hello Sir have a nice day I'm requesting to you pistol muzzle break can effect also velocities

[@ScottGostick]

With both sets having 1 round shoot dramatically faster I'm led to somewhat question the integrity of the velocities vs brake on/off vs load variation with this small sample. There will be many variables affecting the answer to this question though. Some set ups are going to go slower with brake, others will go faster. One thing that should not be questioned though is if a brake affects your ballistics in general as the answer is that it most certainly does. Do not assume that it will shoot the same in the field w/o the brake when you have proofed it at the range with the brake! Brakes will naturally have greater impacts with slower velocities due to the nature of diminishing returns as we push our velocities higher.

[@garrytalley8009]

I would like to see an example where a brake would slow a bullet in speed. It creates more push to the bullet after exiting the barrel. Without a brake the gasses go everywhere immediately after exiting the barrel. Think on that. The only way you lose velocity putting a brake on a rifle is when you have shortened the barrel to put the brake on. That is the only time. Point of impact and ballistics as well as barrel harmonics can change with a brake.

[@Therionx]

Interesting video always wondered how a brake effects velocities . Do you think a 308 or 06 would have a greater difference ?

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

I don't think there would be that big of a difference

[@garrytalley8009]

The higher recoil rifle will have more effectiveness as a brake as a rule. 300-win mag more than a 30-06, 30-06 more than a 308. I have many brakes on many different caliber rifles. I even have brakes on low recoil rifles just to be able to see the impact of the bullet through the scope. It's nice to have a varmint rifle that you can see the bullet hit at 300 yards.

[@karriefranklin4555]

Two things, maybe it could depend on the brake that you use? Also, it looks like the brake slightly improved the numbers!?

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

Possibly

[@rockylavigna5977]

Great Video,in fact I bought some brakes from Weatherby they have a holiday sale, so I now have some extra brakes.Now the next big question.Important question.Accuracy|? Will installing a brake effect accuracy?

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

I don't think it has changed my accuracy

[@garrytalley8009]

A brake will change your harmonics. It most likely will change the point of impact and the combination of brake and rifle can only be field tested to see. There are many different styles, sizes and weights. There is no one size fits all rule with gun and bullet combinations especially when you go throw an aftermarket part in the mix.

[@Willitbass]

What chronograph are you using

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

MagnetoSpeed Sporter

[@clcoleman1]

As others might have mentioned your sample size is too small to be statistically significant. Try 10 round or better yet 20 round groups to get a better idea of your SD and Average. Then you can compare brake on versus off and have a significant comparison.

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

Waste of components... especially when you can't find primers

[@clcoleman1]

Depends on what you are truly after, speculation or reliable information...@@ReloadingWeatherby

[@rpk5250]

Are there any muzzle brakes that you recommend?

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

The one I'm using is pretty good. It's a Bergara

[@rpk5250]

@@ReloadingWeatherby is it a radial brake or one of those that lowers muzzle rise?

[@rpk5250]

@@ReloadingWeatherby is it great at controlling muzzle jump? I keep hearing all these wonderful stories about how easy it is to spot. Bullet impacts through the scope, and I’m wondering what brake people are using to get this kind of result?

[@rocketman1158]

Interesting experiment, will you consider doing the same experiment but with a suppressor instead of a muzzle brake?

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

I don't have a can... or I would

[@adamshaw8214]

What exactly is standard deviation?

[@bruce6099]

It's basically the difference between the average and each individual round fired.

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

In statistics, the standard deviation is a measure of the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of values. A low standard deviation indicates that the values tend to be close to the mean of the set, while a high standard deviation indicates that the values are spread out over a wider range

[@Lexicologist1971]

After shooting only three shots, I wouldn't be terribly confident in the conclusion. But, if you are wrong, you can't be wrong by much.

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

Very small sample size

[@bustabass9025]

IMR-7828...my preferred fuel for my 300 and 340 Wbys. I laid in a supply back in the 90s that I'm still loading today. That's why I scoff at these folks lamenting and hand-wringing over barrel life, in Magnum caliber rifles. It's the least of my worries for the performance I get. Won't happen in my lifetime and even if it did, I would just re-barrel my Mark V's and Noslers...oh horror of horrors!!😨😨

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

I sure like the powder. Hunters shouldn't worry about burning out a barrel

[@bustabass9025]

@Jess Hadlock I'm with you man. I worry about that even less than the other argument against most magnum rifles for fear that, "...if the airline loses your luggage you're (not your) unlikely to find any magnum ammo at the gas station in the one-horse town where you'll be hunting..." 😕 If the high velocity naysayers would stop their doomsday predictions about barrel burnout in magnum rifles long enough to do the math, they would clearly see that the normal use of a hunting rifle (especially if they own more than one in a magnum chambering...I have eight in excellent barrel condition, some I've had for thirty-plus years) is unlikely to reach let alone exceed a thousand shots fired for a single rifle in a hellava long time; at 20 or even 40 cartridges a year. I still have a half box of Weatherby factory loaded ammo I got when I bought my 30-378 over twenty years ago! Although, I have developed and shot many hunting loads for it, during that same period. I would argue, the average Joe DeerTag who only hunts in his home state and maybe one other, doesn't shoot his favorite buck "Busta" (pun intended) that often. You don't necessarily buy magnum rifles and cartridges for the expressed purpose of punching holes in paper. They were designed to maximize the killing potential of the hunter who wants terminal success at familiar and longer distances, despite the probability of a not so well placed shot. In my opinion, that purpose coupled the continued innovative development of bullets and powder these days, makes the choice of magnum rifle/cartridge configurations a no-brainer, especially for us handloaders.

[@bigracer3867]

Muzzle brakes and magnums I don’t like. And I have one!😂

[@jrhunt414]

For such a small data set, no conclusion can be gathered. That’s a screaming load.

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

Yeah....

[@NorthCountryOutlaw]

I don't know why a break would mess with your velocity, your rifling didn't change due to the break. But the time the bullet goes through the break it's pretty much out the barrel 🤷

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

I don't think it makes really any difference.

[@NorthCountryOutlaw]

@@ReloadingWeatherby I agree

[@davhuf3496]

Only to your ear! 😆

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

Ear protection is a must!

[@joshwilcox8941]

What was that?

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

@@joshwilcox8941 Huh?

[@davhuf3496]

@@joshwilcox8941 LOL

[@blaserlongrange7616]

Maybe you need to shoot 10shoots to se any different

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

Too expensive.... we are still in an ammo shortage

[@adamshaw8214]

@@ReloadingWeatherby you got that right.

[@johnvillalovos5082]

Nice video! The results turned out to be what I expected. A muzzle brake will reduce velocity and thus energy by a small bit. Not enough to make any practical difference. The circumferential holes in the muzzle brake are allowing gases, and thus pressure, to escape before the very end of the bore (muzzle). This would be the situation for holes drilled, integrally, into a barrel, such as the old Pendleton muzzle brake style. And an attachable/removable brake has the same dynamics. Without a brake there is no appreciable pressure relief until the bullet exits the bore. The greater the cumulative area of the holes in the brake, the greater the relief of pressure, thus more loss of velocity. But, again, of no practical difference for any hunting applications.

[@garrytalley8009]

You are absolutely incorrect. Read my comment. The only way it would reduce velocity is if you shortened the barrel to put the brake on. If the brake is an extension to the barrel the velocity will increase. Fact not fiction. It is an insignificant amount of bullet speed but there is a positive change in velocity not negative when adding a brake to the end of a rifle.

[@johnvillalovos5082]

@@garrytalley8009 Thanks Garry, in reading your comment, yes, I agree. The pressure behind the bullet will be greater than the pressure relief of the ported holes in a brake. And the brake does serve as a barrel extension, containing that pressure longer than if the brake were not there.

[@johnvillalovos5082]

A slight increase in velocity certainly applies to muzzle brakes that can be removed from and reattached to a barrel, thus changing the barrel length. In this case, the muzzle brake also serves as a barrel extension. But, in the case of a Pendleton Muzzle Brake where the port holes are integral to the barrel and the barrel length cannot be altered, there is going to be a net pressure loss, of course, through the venting ports, resulting in a velocity loss, however so slight. It is impossible to have an overall increased length of pressure curve, and velocity increase, in this situation, compared to a barrel of the exact same length, with no venting holes, at all.

[@Paul-q3m7k]

No …but it slows down your manhood ….almost as bad as a can but not quite 😂😂😂

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

Good to know

[@stevedavies1261]

Dude who taught you statistics...Minimum sample size for an meaningful regression analysis is 30...Some use 100...3 and you want to quote SD... Silly hillbilly statistics

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

I guess you've been living under a rock for the past 3 years. But let me point it out real clear for you... powder, primers and bullets are very hard to find. No way am I wasting that for a fun little KZbin video.

[@stevedavies1261]

@@ReloadingWeatherby It's OK to be poor, just don't be poor and stupid by stating nonsensical stats based on a sample size of 3...Okey Dokey Einstein...

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

@Steve Davies Wealth has nothing to do with it. I just don't want to waste bullets, powder and primers, which I currently can't find. So what if I didn't shoot enough rounds? Why don't you make a KZbin channel to test the difference in velocity with a brake and without one. Also make sure to shoot 100 rounds or random keyboard warriors will get offended that it wasn't scientific enough!

[@Lexicologist1971]

​@@ReloadingWeatherby❤

[@adama5316]

Thanks

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

Thanks for watching

[@MarkBerenger]

muzzle brakes are open atmosphere, they provide no barrel action for a bullet. Bullets begin to slow down as soon as they exit the rifling whether a brake is on it or not. It's against the laws of physics for a bullet to speed up after losing propelling force behind it. It doesn't matter if it's launched into a slightly bigger barrel, it WILL START TO IMMEDIATELY SLOW DOWN because the gasses now have an easier route around the bullet. If you haven't taken physics, just have a seat on this discussion

[@ReloadingWeatherby]

Who peed in your cheerios this morning? Did you watch to the end where I said it seemed to make no difference?