Are you referring to just muzzle brakes or compensators too? Most muzzle breaks that I've seen have side ports. Compensators like BC, Dynacomp, or BCM comp are loud but not as bad as muzzle breaks IMO.
Thanks Ku, I never thought of that.
Here's what I thought was good article comparing brakes vs. compensators.
And is also expands on Tom G's Newton thing. ( since I don't have a lot of imagination
Just kidding around
)
Let me know if you guys agree with the assessment. Looks like I should look for a compensator vs a brake.
Either that or I'll just get a Noveske Pig and throw flames.
Cite is from
http://kahntrol.com/muzzle-brakes-vs-compensators/Muzzle Brakes vs. Compensators
Posted on February 29, 2012 by Jeremy
Among many people there is a misconception that muzzle brakes and compensators are the same thing. This could hardly be further from the truth.
Firearm recoil is a combination of three different forces;
1. Newtons 3rd law, When the bullet starts moving it forces the firearm to start moving in the opposite direction, this force only last milliseconds.
2. Thrust, When the bullet leaves the muzzle the escaping gases provide thrust which allows the rearward motion of the firearm to continue.
3. Axial rotation, Except in rare instances, the barrel of a firearm is above the center of gravity of the firearm and any forces acting on the barrel are going to induce rotation around the center of gravity (commonly refered to as muzzle flip).
A muzzle brake is designed to arrest the rearward momentum created by the first 2 forces and in turn prevent the 3rd alltogether. The first force CANNOT be stopped, but it’s over so fast that without the thrust from #2 to continue the motion, the firearm would hardly move at all. However, the 2nd force, thrust, can be “caught” by the muzzle brake, which basically acts like a parachute catching the escaping gases. These gases are moving roughly 3-5 times the speed of the bullet and even though we think of gases as not weighing anything, they in fact do have weight/mass, and since energy is mass times velocity squared, even the minute weight/mass of the gases impact the brake with enough force/energy to stop the rearward momentum almost entirely.
A Compensator, Such as the ones you see on AR style rifles and competition pistols, are ONLY designed to mitigate #3, rotation or flip. They accomplish this, not by catching the gases, but by redirecting them to create thrust in the direction opposite the rotation imparted by the first 2 forces. Even though Compensators may reduce recoil slightly, their purpose is to control flip or muzzle rise.
In finishing, A Compensator is like a steering wheel, it “steers” the recoil. A Muzzle Brake is like, well, a brake, It Stops the recoil.