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What is the purpose of fitting a muzzle break to a full bore rifle 6.5 Creedmore for instance. Why do people fit silencers to full bore rifles other than for Vermin control of course. I notice the firing point on club full bore shoots is now full of rifles with all sorts of cans and gizmos on the end. They seem to be much more in evidence now a days. I'm curious as to why. If I screw cut my Steyr SSG P1 and fit a can is it going to make my groups shrink below the factory 1/2" at 100 yards.

I am generally more accurate with a sound moderator.

It reduces recoil as much as ( if not more than ) the brake it replaced.

The noise reduction also makes the rifle more "comfortable" to shoot. This in turn helps me to concentrate on the marksmanship principles.

What are 'marksmanship principles'?

The 4 Principles of Marksmanship

1. Position and hold
2. Natural alignment
3. Sight picture
4. Shot release and follow through

http://www.accurateshooter.com/gear-rev ... -accuracy/

Triffid

Neither negatively affect accuracy and both make shooting the rifle more pleasant for the shooter. Muzzle brakes however can make things unpleasant for those to either side of the gun and depending on the type of shooting, potentially dangerous. IMO on the types of guns available through normal channels in the UK there aren't really any downsides to moderators other than the additional weight (and cost I suppose if you want to look at that way), but if you're just lying on a firing point and not carrying the rifle, even the weight isn't an issue.

Alpha1 wrote:What is the purpose of fitting a muzzle break to a full bore rifle 6.5 Creedmore for instance. Why do people fit silencers to full bore rifles other than for Vermin control of course. I notice the firing point on club full bore shoots is now full of rifles with all sorts of cans and gizmos on the end. They seem to be much more in evidence now a days. I'm curious as to why. If I screw cut my Steyr SSG P1 and fit a can is it going to make my groups shrink below the factory 1/2" at 100 yards.

Hi Alpha,

we don't have such a thing as "Silencers" for firearms in the UK, we have "Moderators" :)

I have a moderator which I replace my M/B with if I am shooting at bisley and have people either side of me, slightly more sociable, but to be honest I don't care if someone has a M/B or a moderator on next to me.

Just to link back to your other thread about moderators, I have them on .22 also not to bunny bash but for Health and Safety reasons and a young adult shooting with me.

Don't use muzzle breaks as they're anti-social (for those around, been on the receiving end of people shooting .308+ next to me with them and they resonate the inside of my head which cannot be good long-term. I wouldn't wish it on anyone), however I do have multiple moderators.

What, no-one admitting they have them because they look cool...?

For me, it's recoil easing, not that I need it now, but long term I don't want dodgy shoulders. Also noise abatement. Yes I wear ear-defenders, but doubling up on protection can never be a bad thing. I play music in a band, I want to be able to hear the crappy songs I write and record now long into my old age.

And, they do kinda look cool

I am just in the process of replacing a muzzle brake on my AR15, with a flash eliminator. Last time I was at the club, people wanted to know if I was shooting a .308. When I told them it was a 5.56 mm they told me that my muzzle brake was very anti-social. Both will serve to mount my quick-detachable suppressor, but the flash eliminator is just a lot more socially acceptable.

The purpose of the muzzle brake is to divert gas from the muzzle to reduce the felt recoil from shooting. It is a nuisance for people shooting next to you though. I have shot next to someone who was using a muzzle brake on a .338 lapua magnum which is something I don't want to experience ever again. Even with good hearing protection on (in-ear plugs and over ear protection) it still felt very uncomfortable, such that I left my firing position to go and find another position.