MUZZLE BRAKE TESTING

1 Introduction

Randall Innovations LLC contracted NTS-Chesapeake Testing (CTS) to conduct a series of firearm performance tests in which various muzzle brake devices were evaluated. Testing was conducted on 13 December 2021 at CTS’s ballistic testing facility located at 4603B Compass Point Road, Belcamp MD 21017. Testing was conducted in accordance with (IAW) customer request.

 

2 Test Articles

The customer provided all firearms and muzzle brake devices for testing. The following images show each muzzle brake that tested.

Figure 1 – Muzzle Brake Type 1

Figure 2 – Muzzle Brake Type 2

The firearms used for testing were Smith & Wesson M&P-10 semi automatic rifles, chambered for 7.62 x 51mm. Ammunition for testing was provided by NTS and was Magtech Tactical 7.62 x 51mm M80 Ball.

 

3 Recoil Testing
3.1 Recoil Testing – Objective

The purpose of this test was to evaluate the force generated by the firearm platform during a firing event, with several configurations of muzzle brake devices.

 

3.2 Recoil Testing – Equipment and Procedure

For all shots, the firearm was mounted in a fixed gun mount. The butt of the firearm was placed in a fixed-stop device with a PCB 208C05 force transducer positioned directly behind and in contact with the butt. This allowed for the horizontal recoil force to be measured for each shot. The force transducer was connected to a HBM Data Acquisition unit which allowed the measurements from each shot to be recorded. For each shot NTS personnel actuated the firearm trigger by hand. Figure 3 shows the test setup used for each test event.

Figure 1 – Test Setup

A Phantom V1612 high speed video camera was used on select shots to evaluate the muzzle flash and to document the firing characteristics of the firearm. Additionally, the customer provided and operated a FLIR thermal camera to document the thermal characteristics of each firing event.

All testing was conducted in NTS Range 6 and at ambient range conditions (67.1 ℉, 33% RH).

 

3.3 Recoil Testing – Results

As shown in the following data summary tables, three configurations were evaluated:

1. Firearm KN 23878 w/ Muzzle Brake Design 1
2. Firearm KN 23878 w/ Muzzle Brake Design 2
3. Firearm KN 37670 w/ no Muzzle Brake

Table 4 provides a summary of the average, maximum, and minimum recoil force values for each configuration that was tested.

APPENDIX A – CALIBRATION SHEETS