Chop An Ar Brake?

[sledgee]

I have a Miculek brake on my 20" AR15. I live in rural Texas, and generally have the rifle in the truck with me. It serves as a GP gun--competition, defense, plinking, occasional varminting.

It's LOUD. A quick shot at a cattle-hassling coyote, without ear protection, is PAINFUL. A shot or two from a brakeless rifle isn't. I'm wondering how much braking efficiency I'd lose, and how much noise reduction I'd gain, if I cut one or even two of the three chambers off. (I'm aware that I should never fire a gun without ear protection--but I do sometimes.)

It seems to me that the first chamber should be by far the most effective, the second less so, and the third less yet. That probably applies to noise production too, I reckon.

Another benefit would be shortening the rifle overall. As anyone who has used long guns in and around vehicles knows, every inch of OAL matters.

So...any thoughts? Or, better yet, experience?

Thanks.

Joe

[GlocknSchpiel]

Sledgee, Not trying to be an smart-A__, but if you can keep a rifle in the truck, it seems that you can also keep a pair of ear-PLUGS (the ones that come in the little plastic box) attached to the sling (even with a rubber band).

Don't modify the break. It's the super-sonic gasses escaping that cause the noise. If you modify, you'll still have the gasses coming out, but it'll be thru an inefficient comp.

Later,

Glockn...

[benny hill]

take the brake off unless you are shooting a match. Problem solved.

[erice]

I am not at all a fan of the "brakes" on AR15 type rifles. Most people want one just for looks, and there are better alternatives than that (I know, the "plain" barrel on an AR is just fugly).

[benos]

I'm with Benny - Take it off unless you're shooting a match. Just be sure to double check your zero though.

be

[2alpha]

Shooting an AR or any centerfire for that matter will damage your hearing if you don't use hearing protection. Whether the damage shows up now or later is unpredicable but once done it can't be undone. I've suffered with Tinitus for over 20 years, I wish someone would have told me before it was too late. BTW Tinitus is constant ringing in the ears along with hearing loss.

[benny hill]

I'm with alpha, I have a constant ringing in my ear's & i'm loseing my hearing[ along w/ my mind, old timers disease you know]

[TBF]

Just my .02, keep the brake. Get some electronic earmuffs with plenty of amplication,

then you can stalk the coyotes by sound and sight, and still hear when you are old.

Only takes a sec. to put them on, and you can hear a twig snap at 50 yards.

Travis F.

[kellyn]

Everytime I've taken a comp off, my zero has gone with it. But your rifle may not do so. They are all individuals. The muzzle blast of any AR comped or not will cause hearing damage so the recommendations to use hearing protection are right on. don't fool yourself that the uncomped rifle is not trashing your hearing. My grandfather lost most of his hearing from unprotected shooting, something i don't intend to do.

[sledgee]

Please stop telling me I shouldn't shoot without hearing protection. I know that. As I said, occasionally a quick shot at a coyote presents itself when I'm out and about in rural Texas. Anyone who has ever stopped a moving truck, jumped out with his rifle, and tried to nail a rapidly departing coyote with his rifle knows that there isn't much time. Every hunter I know at least occasionally fires a shot without ear protection. I, like most hunters I know, routinely hunt big game without ear protection. I need to hear when I'm hunting. Yes, I know electro-gizzies are available which will make me hear like Dumbo, but I don't want them.

As I said, one unprotected shot from a braked AR HURTS! One shot from an unbraked rifle doesn't.

I asked if anyone knew how much braking efficiency I would lose, and how much noise reduction I would gain, if I cut one or two chambers off a 3 chambered brake.

Apparently the answer is that no one does.

Oh, and it's a postban rifle, so the suggestion to put the brake on and off wouldn't work, either, even if it didn't change the POI, which my experience says it would.

I asked the question I asked because it is the question I need an answer to.

Joe

[Flexmoney]

I may be wrong, but...

I would think that the blast you hear is from the gases(powder) that hasn't completely burnt. Without a comp, those gases are blown forward. With the comp, they are re-directed...thus, harder on the ears.

I wonder if shooting a faster powder would help? Something that burns more completely in the barrel?

[2alpha]

Chopping off part of the comp probably won't help in fact it could make it louder. I'm assuming that you have a standard type round comp but how about having your local machinist make a sleeve to fit over the comp? This would cover the ports which direct the sound towards you. It wouldn't last forever but for just a few shots now and then should be the answer.

[sledgee]

Flexmoney-Theoretically, you might have something there, especially with a manually operated rifle. Fast powders can be hard on the operating systems of self-loaders, though. Anyway, I don't load for the 223. I can buy good ammo so cheap it's not worth the trouble to me. (Unlike pistol and bigger rifles.)

2Alpha-I'm not saying you're wrong, 'cause I don't know, but I don't see how cutting off a chamber or two could make the rifle louder. As you say, the ports direct the noise toward the shooter. It seems to me that the first port would still re-direct the same amount, but the missing ports wouldn't re-direct any, so there would be less noise. Am I missing something?

Your sleeve idea sounds workable, and post-ban legal, although I'd still likely run into the two-zeroes problem. Anyway, I don't want to mess with going back and forth, but that's creative thinking. Thanks.

I suppose for $30 I can buy another comp, cut off a chamber and compare, cut another chamber and compare, and find out for myownself. I just thought someone might have either done it, or in designing a comp someone might have experimented with different numbers of chambers and learned something which might be relevant.

Joe

[Loves2Shoot]

My comp makes my ears bleed when I forget the ear plugs, I have a comp that is held on by set screws (oly arms) and I take it off when not shooting a match so I can plink at the furry creatures without going deaf.

[kurtm]

Joe:

The first chamber is the one that does most the work, it is also the one that redirects the most noise. The next 2 inline really don't do much with the noise but they do " flatten" the recoil of the carbine due to 2 extra thrust surfaces in sequential order. You can loose the end chamber with out much ill effect on dampening but it will be just as loud as befor. I don't know a good solution for your dilema, but I do know cutting the brake dosent help. E-mail me your phone # some time soon as its almost time to move and I already packed your # away. Thanks. KURT

[sledgee]

Yowser! I think blood flowing from the ears is one of the early signs of hearing loss....or concussive death, or something.

I think I'll just solder that brake on to keep the ATF happy, and wear earplugs and just crank the stereo a little more when I'm riding around in the country. Sure don't want no blood runnin' out my ears...

Kurt- Thanks for the info. I don't have your email address. I'll see if I can figure out the message system on the forum--if not I'll call you. You going to still be there for the RM3G match in a couple of weeks? I may come up for that.

Joe