Mounting Muzzle Break
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So I just bought my first centerfire rifle with a threaded barrel and decided it needed a muzzle break. I went ahead and bought a Sig Taper Lok break which is a 2 piece break. The base mounts directly to the barrel and the 2nd ported piece mounts to that and also is timed in the process. My question is how do you guys normally mount a break on your rifles. What do you torque them to? This is on a 5/8x 24 thread pitch on a "semi heavy" barrel from the factory. Thanks for any advice.
M.McCarthy
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I send the rifle to TS Customs with my Thunderbeast brake and say "install this please." :)
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@orkan ohh if only I could I would do the same lol
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The only screw on muzzle brakes I own are on ARs. I use an adjustable muzzle brake jam nut.
I tighten to little past snug.
This lets me time brakes without undue stress to barrel.
I would like to hear Travis's take on the proper way to do it.
Only recently have I put a brake on 1 of my bolt guns and that was a Witt clamp on.
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@mamalukino I too would like to hear Travis's take on the way a rifle smith would go about this.
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I've used crush washers and jam nuts. Crush washers are dependant on deforming the washer. You just keep turning till the brake is aligned. Jam nuts I simply snug up with a standard open end wrench. In both cases I mark the orientation with a paint pen so I can see if anything moves.
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I have used the crush washers and timing shims in the past. The crush washers bothered me due to the torque required on some of them to properly time the brake.
I do not know how true it is, however, I believe that I have read that the crush washers could induce distortion in the barrel although I couldn't tell you where I read/heard that.
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I had not looked at the Sig mounts at all until this was brought up. So I had to research.
https://youtu.be/-KRq2SHeoj0?t=47s
They are using a crush washer to hold the secondary/ported portion of the suppressor that does not interface with the suppressor at all. Really pretty neat design, no screwing around with shims to time up the brake for the home installer. From there however, I can't ever feature myself installing the brake/port portion of the mount as it doesn't appear necessary for the functioning of the mount.
We prefer to time brakes and brake mounts by properly machining the shoulder length for each individual piece. That doesn't mean though, that each brake has a specific tenon length that will properly time it to any barrel. Threads have a rotational orientation as well to where they start around the circumference of their host part - be that a brake, suppressor, receiver, etc.
Shimming to time a muzzle device does absolutely work. It's just not clean and how we'd prefer to present a custom gun.
We also don't typically use roksett or red loctite on muzzle devices. We like to use anti-seize and have the proper tools and fixturing to apply ample torque to a muzzle device to prevent it from removal without using said proper tools again. So yes, that results in A LOT of torque, and if that caused undue stress and accuracy loss in a barrel, somebody forgot to tell Orkan's rifles or any of the other hundreds of brakes we've installed this way.
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@tscustoms So Travis, are crush washers are good to go?
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@mamalukino said:
@tscustoms So Travis, are crush washers are good to go?
I don't see any issue when using them on flash hiders or muzzle brakes that are used only as muzzle brakes, and the muzzle brake has plenty of bullet clearance.
DO NOT use a crush washer to time a suppressor mount of any kind.
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@tscustoms said:
if that caused undue stress and accuracy loss in a barrel, somebody forgot to tell Orkan's rifles or any of the other hundreds of brakes we've installed this way.
Too true indeed. The way @tscustoms does it is the "rightest" way I've seen. If someone has an argument claiming too much torque on the muzzle device causes accuracy or precision problems, they better have enough proof to plug the missouri river... because I have enough TS Customs lasers to offer one hell of a counter-argument.
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Well now I know for sure. So thanks guys...:smiley:
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@tscustoms said:
DO NOT use a crush washer to time a suppressor mount of any kind.
@mamalukino, Unless you like bullets coming out of your suppressor somewhere other than the factory hole. ;)
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No suppressors for me until all the kommi mofos here are dealt with.
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I have a brake for a thunderbeast 338 ultra. I am waiting for the atf to decide I am responsble enough to bring it home. When I order a magnum barrel from Orkan for my DT the brake will be installed by TS Customs. I don't like the idea of peel or crush washers when it can be timed with proper machining.
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@tscustoms I too had found that video on how to mount it but the only information he gives is to torque the base piece. So specific measurement in the video not could I find any online as to what to torque it to. That is the reason I brought up the topic. I do agree with you that the design is very neat so that you don't have to time everything at once just the ported section, along with the tapered mounting system.
