Some are even buying test equipment identical to what I used to aid in future designs. In fact, a few sent me prototypes of new designs to try out for them. That’s why many manufacturers were excited when I approached them about this, because they’d love to have some hard data to guide them. They put thought into the design, but at the end of the day, many are just drilling holes in metal, then taking it to the range and asking each other “Well, you think that one was better?” There is virtually no data-driven aspect to design. There are a ton of designs out there, and even the leading manufacturers would tell you for the most part they’re just winging it. I’m also hoping this helps us understand what designs are most effective. It’s my way of giving back to the shooting community, and promoting this sport I’m so passionate about. I don’t do this for money, I do it to learn and to help people. I ended up spending twice as much money on this test as I made off the website all of last year! But, I’ve always been in the red on this website. Honestly, I’d been dreaming about doing this test for over a year. My goal with this project was to equip fellow long-range shooters with as much hard data as I could reasonably gather, so they can make more informed decisions. I did put my best effort into this being as objective, precise, and unbiased as practically possible using the best equipment I could afford. Keep in mind this is a field test, not a laboratory test … and I’m not claiming it’s flawless. I also collected other information about each model (including price, whether it requires gunsmithing, what calibers it is available in, etc.) to make it easy to compare them side-by-side. Then I took a lot of high-resolution photos and videos of each brake. We tested in accordance with MIL-STD-1474D using calibrated military-approved equipment, and we tested the noise level at the shooter’s position.

I enlisted the help of a seasoned veteran from the suppressor industry to help me precisely measure how much louder each muzzle brake made a rifle.

Noise Level – Muzzle brakes are loud, but some are louder than others … like 3-4 times as loud.

Using lasers and high-speed cameras, I was able to objectively quantify how well each design helped you stay on target.

Ability To Stay On Target – David Tubb helped me develop this part of the test, because he believes this is the most important aspect of a muzzle brake.

So I felt like this could be a valuable contribution to the shooting community. There is very little published on this subject, especially from an independent source. I literally spent thousands of dollars on this part of the test, because I wanted to ensure I got it right. Although the recoil cycle happens very quickly (around 1/100 th of a second), my test equipment could record up to 1,000 force data points during a single recoil cycle! So I was able to gather a lot of high-resolution data that was consistent and repeatable. I fired over 1,000 rounds of match-grade ammo through 4 different rifles, ranging from a mid-sized 6mm to the monster 300 Norma Magnum.

Recoil Reduction – I was able to directly measure the entire recoil signature of each muzzle brake using high-speed sensors.

I tested 20+ muzzle brakes in many ways, including: Thanks to all the guys that helped me with this! This included leading manufacturers, top shooters, gunsmiths, mechanical engineers, university faculty, and defense contractors who have done similar work for the military. Hundreds of hours have gone into this research, and the tests I conducted are built on advice and feedback from some of the most respected experts in the industry. This represents an unprecedented, data-driven approach to evaluating the best precision rifle muzzle brakes on the market. This is the first post in a series that will cover the results from an epic muzzle brake field test.

Kahntrol muzzle brake for 300 win mag