So muzzle brakes are loud, are they? Don’t believe everything you hear! This new shrouded muzzle brake, or compensator, from Australia’s Grizzly Precision Products, actually reduces muzzle blast while also reducing recoil.
The concept is simple: take a standard radial muzzle brake and screw on a shroud to deflect the blast forward.
A regular muzzle brake works by directing much of the muzzle blast sideways, reducing the amount of blast going straight out of the barrel and, as a result, reducing the recoil. The unfortunate side effect is that a lot of the redirected blast hits you in the ears — and it’s often unbearable.
It’s also no good for anyone around you, which is one reason brakes are shunned on the range.
But Grizzly’s compensator doesn’t just negate the problem, it goes a step further by slightly reducing the effect of muzzle blast as it affects you behind the butt as well as those in the firing bays alongside you. All while retaining the point of a muzzle brake in the first place.
It comprises two main components: a stainless-steel muzzle brake on the inside and a stainless-steel outer shroud that’s finished in Armor Black Cerakote.
The brake is Grizzly Precision’s standard design but with an external thread added so the shroud can be screwed on.
Don’t confuse these brakes from Grizzly Precision Products with those from America’s Grizzly Gunworks. Grizzly Precision is an Australian business making its own unique brakes in NSW.
I’ve used these Grizzly brakes on rifles before and can vouch for them being effective on everything up to the likes of the .300 Win Mag, with measurable recoil reduction despite their diminutive size, which is perfectly suited to sporting rifles.
Paul Stathis of Grizzly Precision says the transition from brake to compensator was straightforward.
“We didn’t change the brake except to add the thread for the deflector,” he says.
The deflector lets the brake do its work after you fire a shot, then regathers the pressure that had been sent out radially, and directs it forward, out of the front of the compensator through eight large holes.
The brake screws onto a threaded barrel and is torqued up with a spanner before the shroud is then screwed on, hand tight only. This permits easy removal of the shroud so you can clean everything if and when necessary.
You can use the brake without the shroud if that ever becomes desirable, but I can’t think why it would.
Rather, you get to enjoy shooting without the recoil of an un-braked rifle and without the muzzle blast of a braked rifle smacking you in the ears. And of course sometimes even earmuffs don’t completely dull the impact of a muzzle brake.
The effect is obvious. I don’t have the equipment to measure the drop in sound pressure but it was unmistakable and appreciable.
I only tested the compensator on a Southern Cross Taipan Evo in .223, but the rifle’s short barrel is loud. Behind the Grizzly, the impact of the sound’s shock wave was dramatically lowered.
And before you ask, no, it’s not in any sense a suppressor. The Grizzly deflects blast forward but it doesn’t capture or reduce the sound.
I shot the Taipan with and without the Grizzly on targets at 100m and detected no measurable change in accuracy, but a minor variation in point of impact.
Other rifles may react differently, so it’s worth checking accuracy before committing to a hunt with a freshly fitted grizzly — just as with any muzzle attachment.
It weighs 255 grams, altering the way the little Taipan handled — smoother swing and a steadier hold but with a slight reduction in agility, but after taking it on and off a number of times, I can’t say it really made much difference in the field.
Except, that is, to my auditory comfort.
The Grizzly is available with various threads to suit most rifles: ½-28, ⅝-24, M14-1P and M15-1P.
Dealers tend to sell the Grizzly compensator from about $295, some a bit more. If you want one, contact Grizzly Precision Products via email to be directed to a dealer; dealer inquires are also welcome. You can find these compensators in gunshops that already stocks Grizzly Precision products, including the excellent magazines. The one we tested came from our local gunshop, Mudgee Firearms.
If you have ever had reason to complain about your rifle’s volume, or anyone you shoot with has, this is how to solve your problem.
It makes shooting a lot more pleasant, reducing recoil and the assault on your ears.
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