Muzzle Brakes--Why??

[musketjon]

OK, I'm not trying to start any thing here. Just trying to understand something. I'm not new to firearms by any stretch of the imagination--I've been shooting for over 50 years. I shoot big-bore, i.e. 30-06, 7.62x54R, .303 Brit, 7.7 Jap, and several others. I have never needed a muzzle brake on any thing. If you learn to hold the rifle correctly, you can shoot it all day long and not get beat up by it.
My question to you guys is: why do you need a muzzle brake on a rifle such as the AR15 that has virtually no recoil? Are today's shooters that weak-kneed or did they not take the time to learn to shoot properly?
Again, I'm not trying to start a pizzing contest, just trying to have a question answered.
Jon

[hermosabeach]

Same reason why you remove the pipes from a Harley....make it loud so all of South Park knows you are cool

[Citadelgrad87]

First, I don't think anything you described is "big bore", but I get your meaning and I don't shoot much larger than you do.

I think a brake is more, for me anyway, for faster follow up rather than comfort. Even an AR in 5.56 recoils. Can a kid handle it? Sure, but the sights move when shooting.

Don't discount the combat Barbie trend, either, many want their rifles to look a certain way.

[hermosabeach]

A more serious reply-

Some people are recoil over sensitive

The brake helps to hide when a shooter has poor natural point of aim and helps to reduce group size

Some can shoot and spot as the scope does not move off of target

Cool factor

And they do not hunt / shoot them without double ear protection- plugs and muffs

[Saym14]

Use mine for 3 Gun , much faster follow up shots and faster double taps

[Corpral_Agarn]

Use mine for 3 Gun , much faster follow up shots and faster double taps

+1

I have a sleeve for mine. I can turn the blast on or off.

On for competition, off for plinking/ranch stuff.

[Brian7581]

Relative to you, I'm new to shooting. However, I'll throw in my 2 cents on why muzzle brakes.

Every gun has some amount of recoil - small or big. Though I agree with you with the fact that the AR15 has such little recoil for it to be considered anything, there is still recoil.

As such, the muzzle brake or comps are put in place by individuals because they would like to have quicker accurate follow-up shots. It's easier/quicker to get back on target (even if relatively small) when the gun jumps less.

Though I have not been involved in any competitions, I would imagine sometime those small margins of error are enough to decide who the winner or loser is.

Others please chime in as I'm interested in other thoughts.

[Danodog]

All of my pre-built uppers came with one. I never even gave it a thought.

[steelheadmike]

Because I'm not crazy about thread protectors and the CA legislature said I can't have a flash hider.

[mif_slim]

Add to faster follow up shots, with a brake(muahaha!) You can see your bullet impact so you can adjust for the next shot. Espcially if you have sucky or no spotters.

[Erion929]

I think a lot of us newer AR15 owners are just looking for Cali-legal options for featureless, i.e., removing the flash hiders.

For me, "muzzle brakes" just are more commonly heard of....compared to linear comps and 2-piece blast directors....and thus, a starting point for research.

I now know that I don't want a brake due to the side concussion, and decided on a linear comp for forward-directed concussion.

"Brakes" are just a hot topic in Californistan

[ProtectThe2nd]

I think flash hiders were a feature (no pun intended) that yielded
a tacticool advantage in a firefight...

Now that they are literally a feature (as in an AW component)...
Folks needed something to replace it with that wasn't a boring thread cap.

Bring in the loud muzzle break...aside from noise they look cool

[Siberian23]

14.5 or 14.7" barrel needs something pinned to be 16" these days it's gotta be a brake for featureless.

[tamalpias]

I shoot at ground squirrels for years with my 22-250 without a brake. My friends would keep telling me how cool the shots look or relay back what would happen to the squirrel upon impact. Nice to know but after adding on a brake I can see it as it happens because the muzzle does not shake. I shoot 12 gauge, 308, 7mm, and a 375 Holland & Holland without a brake because those are my big game guns.

So to answer your question, it is for entertainment purposes. I don't have a brake on anything else including my bull barrel AR, 22 hornet, and 223 rifles.

[ChuckDizzle]

OK, I'm not trying to start any thing here. Just trying to understand something. I'm not new to firearms by any stretch of the imagination--I've been shooting for over 50 years. I shoot big-bore, i.e. 30-06, 7.62x54R, .303 Brit, 7.7 Jap, and several others. I have never needed a muzzle brake on any thing. If you learn to hold the rifle correctly, you can shoot it all day long and not get beat up by it.
My question to you guys is: why do you need a muzzle brake on a rifle such as the AR15 that has virtually no recoil? Are today's shooters that weak-kneed or did they not take the time to learn to shoot properly?
Again, I'm not trying to start a pizzing contest, just trying to have a question answered.
Jon

It's not about getting beaten up by a rifle or not, it is about getting your sights back on target as quickly as possible. Even a light recoiling rifle like a .22 LR will still have some shift in the point of aim uppon firing. In action shooting competitions you are measuring hits against time, some times in fractions of a second between competitors, thererfore any slight edge you can get in your ability to get the sights back on target and make a hit is worth doing.