Designing / Building Muzzle Brakes

[photomankc]

Hello all,

I have recently aquired a BF-20 mill and Grizzly 10X22 lathe and have been making a few gizmos, mostly getting DROs setup on the mill and a few accessory items on the lathe.   Came to me that I could probablly try tackling a few gun-related projects.  Rail accesories, and mounts are one some of the items I think I could try but another I would like to try is a muzzle brake for my .308 rifles.  Neither is terrible for recoil but I would like to limit muzzle rise as they are all semi-autos.  A 16" FAL and an 18" DPMS SASS.

Is there any real tricks to this?  I'm not going to try and make them match the diameter perfectly and dont want to even consider cutting on the barrels to alter the existing threads or profile.  I just wondered if there are things to watch out for.  I know they shouldn't trade paint with the bullet but they should also stay pretty close fitting to be a brake and not a flash hider.  I'm partial to the slotted side look and a slightly oval profile.

What material is the best to use?  Do you have to single-point thread them or can they be tapped for the usual .308 barrel thread using a tap held on center.  Is there a type of design that is reasonably effective but not insanely loud?

Yes I could probably buy this easier, but the fun is learning to do something for myself.  Later on down the road, after the mill is converted to CNC I would like to tackle making an AR-10 lower for exactly the same reasons.


Thanks in advance for any tips, tricks, or advise.

[couch]

Although I don't have much to add to this thread I'd like to welcome you to the site! Although this site moves pretty slow you will get some pretty detailed and helpful posts down the road.

As for the thread, I'd personally single point it with a nice thread relief at the bottom unless you have a couple taps to spare as you'll need to tap pretty much to the bottom of the counterbore. If you do tap it I'd start the thread with a spiral bottom tap then go in again with either a different spiral bottom with the lead ground off or grind the lead off that original tap to save a few bucks. If you plan to do multiple parts though I'd either go the two tap route or single point them.

Now that I have my mill I'd like to thread my barrel for my 10/22 and turn/mill a compensator similar to the ones offered by Tactical Solutions.