Gunsmithing muzzle brake exhaust cover???

B

bodywerks

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 19, 2010
1,683
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Tucson,Arizona
#1
I have a savage fcp-k .223 that I want to use to compete with at local 600 yard prone and prairie dog sillouette shoots. They frown on muzzle brakes. Instead of removing the muzzle brake every time and trashing the crush washer, I thought about making some sort of clamp on or slide-over/set screw cover. Question is, will this have any effect on accuracy, what with trapping the gasses in those channels?
It is just a .223, so I guess I could just make a dummy cap...
 
#2
Re: muzzle brake exhaust cover???

why not try a cup shaped cap that is jamed between the break and barrel then petruding forward covering the break and opening forward think of it like placing a washer behind the break then tightening the break then get a piece of tube that is bigger than the break and slide that over the break and weld to the washer this would allow the break to work and discharge the gases forward after the break has done its job could be worth a try i am thinking of testing one out.
 
#3
Re: muzzle brake exhaust cover???

When I made this suggestion a few years back, it was met with silence.

You have my vote and moral support. Go for it; I think it should work.

My suggestion, shape it like a flattened cone, to keep it out of the sight line.

If you're thinking about a sleeve to 'shut it off', it's already been done by Savage. Their system works by rotating a sleeve that aligns to alternately open and shut brake ports. The advantage of this design is that once installed, there is no difference in harmonic mass between an opened or a closed brake. For practical intents and purposes, I'd not be concerned about gasses trapped in recesses; it never seemed to be an issue with the Savage version.

Note, that adding a mass to a harmonic member (barrel) changes its harmonic rate, which in turn should require redeveloping the load. So, yes, it will alter your accuracy. But by the same token, there's no reason why the new load shouldn't shoot as well as, or better than the current one.

Greg
 
#4
Re: muzzle brake exhaust cover???

ahhh, good point on the whole harmonic thing. Luckily, my .223 is a new enough gun that I don't have a load developed for it. The threads are the standard 5/8X24(I think that's standard?), so I may just find some dummy cap or flash suppressor, like for an AR, and screw it on and be done with it.
 
#7
Re: muzzle brake exhaust cover???

Good points. I think it would be an interesting academic question whether the sound energy gets suppressed or redirected.

Of course it could be an expensive exercise proving either proposition.
 
#9
Re: muzzle brake exhaust cover???

Unfortunately this is very true. When the original 50 BMG rifles, later known as the AMAC were introduced, they utilized an "Expansion Chamber" design muzzle brake, combined with a more typical "Ported Brake" as a secondary device. The ATF claimed that it was "Quieter" than it otherwise would have been, and moved to declare it a "Silencer". Evidently they lost on that position and the guns were sold with the original brake configuration. BUT, as always, fighting "City Hall" can result in a Loss even when you Win.

Emory Jones
 
#12
Re: muzzle brake exhaust cover???

When you say thread protector, do you mean something from like Ace hardware, or from some gun shop? I'm looking more toward a permanent replacement for the muzzle brake. I really don't need it for a .223 rifle. But I want something that looks like it should be there, in the same parkerized finish and same or similar diameter as the barrel.
 
#13
Re: muzzle brake exhaust cover???

Found a thread protector from Yankee Hill at midway and ordered a couple( I also have an FCP-k in .308 that I compete with on occasion). It will have to do until I can get to my dad's house to use his lathe to make my own dummies I guess...
 
#14
Re: muzzle brake exhaust cover???

What I have done in the past is have the gunsmith make up a thread protector that is the same weight of the muzzle brake, no change in point of impact or harmonics that I can tell. I have a thread on suppressor which comes on & off every time I go to the range. I have not had a problem with screwing things on and off the barrel.
Semper Fi
 
#17
Re: muzzle brake exhaust cover???

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: rwest</div><div class="ubbcode-body">let em frown, everyone has ear plugs. </div></div> I'm using this rifle for local competitions, based on NRA rules. Some of it is f-class, for example, and muzzle brakes are not allowed. If it wasn't for the rules I'd just tell them to deal with it. Heck, the blast off a .308 brake isn't all that bad - but rules are rules...
 
#19
Re: muzzle brake exhaust cover???

That's a nice option. I'll keep that in mind for a future custom rifle build - a little spendy for a factory savage add-on...costs half as much as the whole gun cost me!
 
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