Does the added muzzle break make a big difference?

[BRUPE]

For anyone that had a regular .50AE barrel, then sent it in and added the muzzle break; how much does it help with the muzzle rise? Is it worth getting?

Thanks in advance!

[MrBlackCat]

That is somewhat subjective. I suppose I should video with and without to really see how much it changes. It seems like I have seen this compared on YouTube before with Desert Eagles.

I have the four MkXIX calibers with muzzle brakes and without. I prefer shooting with brakes for target, without brake for destroying objects like bricks inside plastic jugs full of water etc. With brake, it does give the gun more of a push and less of a twist, so in that way, the answer to your question is yes. In a blind test I could easily tell with and without in any caliber, but can others? I don't know.
When I got my first 50AE muzzle brake barrel back, it didn't seem to make a whole lot of difference... until I swapped back to a standard 50AE barrel, then it was obvious.

There is a difference, but I really don't know how to quantify that difference. I dual wielded 50's one day, one with and one without muzzle brakes, for three shots. Then I swapped hands and continued... I am mostly right handed, but in my left hand the brake was more obvious.

I am not sure I have an answer, but it isn't like a strap holding the barrel from climb, but there is a difference.
On a side note, there isn't a muzzle brake for .357 Magnum, but Magnum Research agreed to put a .44 Magnum one on a .357 Magnum barrel for me. It still works, which leads me to believe the weight is a good part of the braking effect.

So maybe this is more a question of sensitivity to the gun vs making much of a difference. I do shoot lighter loads for 50AE like Armscor and American Quality more than not, and that makes a difference you can hear and feel. (they are very dirty loadings in my experience, but I don't mind wiping my slide rails down every few magazines)

I was able to buy longer holsters specifically made for Desert Eagles with muzzle brakes even... which could be an issue with some types of Desert Eagle holsters. You can always take it off if you don't like it, and sell it to minimize the financial cost of finding this out for yourself. (I'll buy it) I don't recommend taking it off and putting it back on however... if done improperly, it could create a very dangerous situation.

If you decide to get a muzzle brake on your 50, I would be interested to know your assessment of it.

MrBlackCat

[BRUPE]

MrBlackCat:
A lot of good info thank you!
I've tried to find a youtube video comparing with/without muzzle breaks, but unable to find anything.

I'm currently deployed and decided to buy a DE the other night. My FFL is hanging on to it for me until I return home. I going to shoot it a few times as is (without the break) and see how it is. But I think I'll most likely be adding it in the near future.

Thanks again for your insight.

[GarrettJ]

Not a standard factory muzzle brake, but try this one. Try to get a feel for the amount of muzzle flip with and without.


https://youtu.be/CoGIYjd9kig

[BRUPE]

Great video; I'm not sure how I didn't find that with all the searching I did :(
Thanks.

[Steamdonkey]

I have a .50AE in stainless steel with integral muzzle brake (DE50SRMB) and I've been wanting to get a 6" .50AE barrel w/o integral muzzle brake to compare recoil, muzzle blast and muzzle velocity between the two. Is it reasonable to assume another barrel will just drop in and function properly with my existing frame? Would it be better to get a SS barrel instead of a 'regular' steel barrel with a black finish? I like the look of stainless better than black but I'm not sure it's worth the extra $ unless there material characteristics to consider.

[MrBlackCat]

I have a .50AE in stainless steel with integral muzzle brake (DE50SRMB) and I've been wanting to get a 6" .50AE barrel w/o integral muzzle brake to compare recoil, muzzle blast and muzzle velocity between the two. Is it reasonable to assume another barrel will just drop in and function properly with my existing frame? Would it be better to get a SS barrel instead of a 'regular' steel barrel with a black finish? I like the look of stainless better than black but I'm not sure it's worth the extra $ unless there material characteristics to consider.

Most other barrels will drop right in... I have done this more than most I would say, and it is my opinion that it would be best to get an Israeli made barrel. The precision is higher with Israeli barrels in my experience (particularly the critical gas cylinder diameter) although there seems to be a bit less focus on finish perfection, as the US barrels often "look" better.

The few instances of NOT dropping in were all caused by the locking cam lug being a few thousandths too tight... it can only take a few thousands of an inch for this to need a couple of minutes of attention with fine sand paper on a dowel to fit. Dremel it only if you understand thousandths of an inch. It is really a simple fix for most though. The symptom is the barrel locking lever not going fully up. Just color the barrel lug with sharpie, gently push the locking lever as far as it will go a few times. Remove the barrel and see where it rubbed... sand gently. Repeat until lock position is achieved. Remember factory guns have a bit of clearance in the locked position, they are not completely tight..

As far as barrel material... I don't have experience with that... but there are many instances of mixing frame, slide, and barrel materials for most of the Desert Eagles existence. I don't know of any issues with mixing them or performance differences between them.

I have had external muzzle brakes installed on a set of barrels for all Mk XIX calibers, just for comparison as you describe. I have no integral muzzle brake barrels at this time. I asked someone once how much effect the integral muzzle brakes had on MV, but I don't remember. I think it made a bit less than 100fps difference though. Not a lot at magnum pressures and velocities, but there is a loss. This is part of why I prefer external brakes... no loss.

Good luck and please comment on what you figure out. :)

MrBlackCat

[Steamdonkey]

Most other barrels will drop right in... I have done this more than most I would say, and it is my opinion that it would be best to get an Israeli made barrel. The precision is higher with Israeli barrels in my experience (particularly the critical gas cylinder diameter) although there seems to be a bit less focus on finish perfection, as the US barrels often "look" better.

The few instances of NOT dropping in were all caused by the locking cam lug being a few thousandths too tight... it can only take a few thousands of an inch for this to need a couple of minutes of attention with fine sand paper on a dowel to fit. Dremel it only if you understand thousandths of an inch. It is really a simple fix for most though. The symptom is the barrel locking lever not going fully up. Just color the barrel lug with sharpie, gently push the locking lever as far as it will go a few times. Remove the barrel and see where it rubbed... sand gently. Repeat until lock position is achieved. Remember factory guns have a bit of clearance in the locked position, they are not completely tight..

As far as barrel material... I don't have experience with that... but there are many instances of mixing frame, slide, and barrel materials for most of the Desert Eagles existence. I don't know of any issues with mixing them or performance differences between them.

I have had external muzzle brakes installed on a set of barrels for all Mk XIX calibers, just for comparison as you describe. I have no integral muzzle brake barrels at this time. I asked someone once how much effect the integral muzzle brakes had on MV, but I don't remember. I think it made a bit less than 100fps difference though. Not a lot at magnum pressures and velocities, but there is a loss. This is part of why I prefer external brakes... no loss.

Good luck and please comment on what you figure out. :)

MrBlackCat

Good info as always MrBlackCat, thanks. I finally got around to ordering a barrel (BAR506SR) and I'll report back when I eventually make it to the range and get some chrono data, probably sometime this spring.

[Steamdonkey]

We had an unusually warm (and windy) weekend so I got to the range with my Labradar chronograph to compare a standard 6" barrel (BAR506SR) and the IMB barrel that my gun came with. The new barrel dropped right in and both functioned perfectly with full power ammo (which is all I had). The difference in felt recoil was definitely noticeable but I wouldn't say it was a huge difference. I was mainly there to get chrono data and blast some gallon jugs of water on video so I didn't compare how well I could put groups on a target with each barrel. I'll do that next time I'm at my local indoor range. I will say the standard barrel w/o the muzzle brake generates some amazing fire rings that are visible in direct sunlight. :)

As for the chronograph results, I foolishly left my ProChrono optical unit at home and only brought my Labradar unit and it was being temperamental. The first issue was it suddenly decided to stop recognizing my SD card once I got to the range. The built in audio trigger was very flaky so I had to switch to the ballistic trigger. And somehow the muzzle blast, even at 18" away, was enough to rattle the the AA batteries around and shut the off the Labradar without recording a shot. Very strange. Using an external battery and a USB cable I was able to keep it powered up with each shot. With all the unrecorded shots in the beginning, I was getting grumpy and stingy with ammo so some of the ammo / barrel combos comparison are based on only 5 shot strings. I'll paste in the data straight from excel and hopefully the formatting won't be completely lost.



Manufacturer
Hornady XTP
Hornady XTP
Underwood
Underwood
Reloads
Reloads
Reloads
Reloads


Bullet
300 gr.
300 gr.
300 gr.
300 gr.
300 gr.
300 gr.
325 gr.
325 gr.


Barrel
6" Std
6" IMB
6" Std
6" IMB
6" Std
6" IMB
6" Std
6" IMB



1250
1246
1297
1225
1332
1238
1315
1292



1294
1237
1401
1221
1269
1264
1310
1323



1269
1256
1361
1275
1280
1269
1373
1319



1298
1261
1337
1355
1247
1249
1348
1319



1307
1285
1383
1369
1328
1258
1336
1313



1303

1419








1278

1283








1263










1308










1305




















Average FPS
1288
1257
1354
1289
1291
1256
1336
1313


IMB FPS loss

31

65

36

23



Compared to the previous readings from the ProChrono optical chronograph I'd say the 1289 fps average of the Underwood 300 gr. ammo using the IMB barrel is atypical and you wouldn't normally lose 65 fps with the IMB. So from this small test I'd sum things up by saying that when shooting full power ammo the IMB provides a noticeable reduction in felt recoil at the expense of 25-50 fps at the muzzle, which ain't bad.

[MrBlackCat]

This is the most data I have seen for years... thank you for sharing this. :)


So an inch or so of barrel loss isn't too bad with 50AE.


I have been planning to do a similar comparison of factory loadings in 6 and 10" barrels to see how they all perform. I have about a dozen different rounds so far and really just one, maybe two, to go... some Buffalo Bore 50AE. Their ammo is expensive ($3 each basically) then the shipping is like a $25 minimum. So two boxes of 50AE costs almost $150. That is a lot of money for 40 rounds. For 50BMG, that is a good deal, but not for 50AE.


I might just go on and do it... we shall see. These kinds of comparisons are inspiring. :)


Thanks again for sharing your experience. :)
MrBlackCat

[Steamdonkey]

No problem, always glad to contribute to the forum when I have a chance.