What Is A Muzzle Brake & What Does It Do?

As an avid gun owner or hunting enthusiast, you probably already know a lot about your firearms and how they operate. However, various shooting accessories often go underestimated when it comes to their usefulness, such as the muzzle brake. These small yet mighty devices can up your game by miles, serving as one of the most paramount additions to your gun.

What Is a Muzzle Brake?

Muzzle brakes are available in many different sizes, colours and can often be custom-made. 

A muzzle brake is a device you connect at the end of your rifle’s barrel to reduce recoil, maintain linear movement and resist any lifting of the muzzle. They redirect the gasses and send them backwards or along the sides to create these desired effects. 

It’s important to take your time and choose the right muzzle brake for you and your gun, keeping in mind the initial investment will likely give you a lifetime of benefits.

While you can opt for a regular muzzle brake, you may want to explore the idea of an adjustable one, where you can modify it according to your own personal preferences.

How Does a Muzzle Brake Work?

In order to understand how a muzzle brake works, it’s important to know why a gun recoils. 

When you pull your trigger, the firing pin compresses and gunpowder is ignited by the primer. An explosion ensues and gas is released to send out the projectile. 

An equally intense reaction then takes place in the opposite direction (think of a boomerang) – i.e., the recoil. 

Muzzle brakes dampen this fierce subsequent movement by redirecting the gasses either backwards or to the sites; a cushion for said explosion, if you will!

What Does a Muzzle Brake Do?

As mentioned, a muzzle brake’s primary use is to soften the blow of your gun’s recoil. If you chat up any fellow gun-owner that has one, they’ll probably let you know it’s very handy to have around and something they frequently use. 

A main motivator when it comes to using a muzzle brake would be its power to improve the quality of your aim by significantly reducing fatigue caused by recoil’s impact.

It’s particularly important to reduce recoil for those especially vulnerable to recoil fatigue, or are suffering from an injury that recoil could aggravate.

Muzzle brakes can also be helpful in limiting the amount of smoke a gun discharges after being fired. 

If you’re doing target practice and want to take quick, successive shots in a row, reducing the amount of smoke produced will make room for more corrective action to take place, thus improving your aim for any following shots.

While we’ve now discussed how muzzle brakes can assist any gun owner out there by reducing recoil and smoke production, these advantages are merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this immensely innovative device. 

Learn more about muzzle brakes and their incredible capabilities right here!

And, when you’re ready to level up your shooting skills, take a look at the different muzzle brakes we have available for rifles, shotguns and handguns! 

Got questions for us? Shoot em’ off (pun very intended) right here or via Instagram over here – we’d love to know what you’re up to out there!