

This is why firearms are never ported on the bottom of the barrel, as that would exacerbate muzzle rise, rather than mitigate it. The concept is an application of Newton's third law the exhaust directed upward causes a reciprocal force downward. These holes divert a portion of the gases expelled prior to the departure of the projectile in a direction that reduces the tendency of the firearm to rise. Porting typically involves precision-drilled ports or holes in the forward top part of the barrel and slide on pistols. When the gases are primarily directed upward, the braking is referred to as porting. Of course, this also means the gases are directed toward the shooter. When the brake redirects the gases directly backward, instead, the effect is similar to the reverse thrust system on an aircraft jet engine: any blast energy coming back at the shooter is pushing "against" the recoil, effectively reducing the actual amount of recoil on the shooter. They reduce muzzle rise similarly to the mechanism by which a sideways brake does: since all the gas is escaping in the same direction, any muzzle rise would need to alter the velocity of the gas, which costs kinetic energy. Since that is where the bullet is going, they typically work by allowing the gases to expand into the compensator, which surrounds the muzzle but only has holes facing forward like any device which allows the gases to expand before leaving the firearm, they are effectively a type of muzzle shroud. Most linear compensators redirect the gases forward. 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.ĭoubleTap. If gases are directed upward, they will exert a downward force and counteract muzzle rise. The angle toward which the gases are directed will fundamentally affect how the brake behaves.

The momentum of the diverted gases thus does not add to the recoil. The strategy of a muzzle brake is to redirect and control the burst of combustion gases following the departure of a projectile.Īll 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. Brakes most often utilize slots, vents, holes, baffles, and similar devices. This consists of a small length of tubing (mounted at right angles) at the end of the barrel. Muzzle brakes are simple in concept, such as the one employed on the 90 mm M3 gun used on the M47 Patton tank.
#COOKIE CUTTER MUZZLE BRAKE FULL#
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. If that line of force is above the center of the contact points, this creates a moment or torque (rotational force) that causes the firearm to rotate and the muzzle to rise. The reactive forces from the fired bullet and propellant gases exiting the muzzle act directly down the centerline of the barrel. 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. Firearms with less height from the grip line to the barrel centerline tend to experience less muzzle rise. 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. 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 height difference between barrel centerline and average point of contact is height C. The shooter resists the forces by contact with the gun at grips and stock B. Projectile and propellant gases act on barrel along barrel center line A.
