Muzzle Brakes vs. Suppressors: Which Is Better?

The two most common are muzzle brakes and suppressors. Muzzle brakes are designed a million ways from Sunday, but they all feature a series of ports that redirect the gasses expelled from the barrel and reduce felt recoil. Suppressors, on the other hand, use a series of internal baffles to decrease the sound (or “report”) produced from the ignition of gunpowder.

Both are useful for hunters and competitive shooters, but each offer advantages and disadvantages that might make one better for you. Making that decision requires a bit more information, which is exactly what you’ll find if you keep reading.

How Does a Muzzle Brake Work?

When a rifle cartridge is ignited, the gasses that burn and fly out of the end of the barrel produce an equal and opposite reaction in the other direction–that is, into your shoulder. A muzzle brake works by redirecting some of those gasses out to the side or back towards the shooter. This counteracts the bullet and gasses that fly straight downrange and reduces the energy transferred into the rifle. (I’m sure the physicists out there will quibble with that description, but that’s the gist for laymen like myself.)

That’s what the ports on a muzzle brake are designed to do. They redirect those gasses so even a large cartridge is manageable for the average human. Generally speaking, larger muzzle brakes redirect more gases and reduce felt recoil better than smaller brakes–some by as much as 50%. They also reduce muzzle rise, which helps the shooter see hits more easily.

The large ports in MDT's Comp Muzzle Brake cut recoil significantly.

One thing to note: not all muzzle devices are muzzle brakes. Some muzzle devices are designed to hide the flash of a rifle shot, and some are designed to do a little flash hiding and a little recoil reduction. Be sure to read the product description for whatever you plan to buy so you know what it’s designed to do.

How Does a Suppressor Work?

Suppressors also attach to the end of a rifle, but they’re designed for a different purpose. Rather than redirect gasses and reduce felt recoil, suppressors act like the muffler on your car. Again, there’s some complicated physics involved here, but that’s the idea. Suppressors are made with a series of internal baffles that trap and slow the expanding gasses from a cartridge. They don’t affect the crack of a bullet as it breaks the sound barrier, but they do significantly reduce the shot report from burning rifle powder

The internal baffles in the MeatEater BANISH suppressor from Silencer Central.

Like muzzle brakes, the amount a suppressor reduces that shot report is related to its size. A long, wide suppressor will do a better job reducing sound than a short, thin suppressor. No suppressor can completely silence the sound of a large-caliber hunting cartridge, but they can make them much less damaging to your hearing if shot without hearing protection.

So, Which Is Better?

By now you can probably see why the only real answer to this question is, “It depends.” Would you rather reduce felt recoil or shot report? If the latter, a muzzle brake is the way to go. If the former, get in line for a suppressor.

Let’s put more meat on those bones. To do that, I reached out to MeatEater’s own Garrett Long, this year’s winner of the NRL Hunter Grand Slam (Factory Division) and a bona fide killer in the mule deer mountains. I asked him whether he’d rather have a suppressor or muzzle brake, and here’s what he said.

“If I had to choose one for the rest of my life, and only one, I would go suppressed,” Garrett said. “Running competitions with a suppressor is doable, and folks have been successful doing it. Running a muzzle brake while hunting is doable, and folks have been successful doing it. But ultimately the pain in the ass factor is more real when thinking through hearing protection while hunting relative to recoil management while competing.”

In other words, most hunters prefer a suppressor because they’d rather not worry about hearing protection, and reducing recoil for one or two shots isn’t important. On the other hand, a muzzle brake can significantly increase shot report. To take just one recent example of my own, when I was running accuracy tests for this Ruger American rifle, I had to use ear plugs under my muffs to avoid developing a headache. I was shooting the exact same ammunition out of the Savage Axis I was also testing, but the muzzle brake on the Ruger made it noticeably louder. I would never want to fire that rifle in the field without hearing protection.

However, competitive shooters can easily throw on hearing pro for each stage of a match. They also value recoil reduction for comfortable shooting all day, and reducing muzzle rise helps them see their hits and adjust for the next shot. A suppressor can also throw off a rifle’s balance, which makes shooting from barricades more difficult. For them, a muzzle brake’s advantages are more useful than a suppressor’s, and so many opt for a brake rather than a suppressor.

In an ideal world, you’d own every kind of muzzle device and select the one that offers the most advantages for any given application. But this isn’t an ideal world. Cost and availability are real obstacles for many hunters, and in that category, a muzzle brake holds the edge. While suppressors are easier to get now than they’ve been since 1934, working through the application process is still a pain. The government also requires a $200 tax stamp per suppressor, and that’s on top of the $500-$1200 price tag for the can itself. The most expensive muzzle brakes run maybe $200. You can get a super effective brake for far less than that, and you can have it shipped directly to your house.

On the other hand, a suppressor’s benefits to Average Joe Hunter might be enough to outweigh the cost and hassle of purchasing one. Garrett has worked with hunters and competitive shooters alike, and in his experience, most rifle hunters flinch not due to recoil but due to the bang of the shot report. A suppressor makes the shooting experience more pleasant–and thus helps the shooter make more accurate shots–while a muzzle brake makes the shooting experience less pleasant.

What’s more, if you’re really concerned about recoil and muzzle rise, you can find suppressors that also feature integrated muzzle brakes. The MeatEater BANISH suppressor from Silencer Central includes a tunable brake that, in Garrett’s estimation, reduces felt recoil by 40%. The price tag will be a barrier for some hunters, but it’s the kind of one-size-fits-all product that’s just as at home in the deer blind as the NRL competition.

Last Shot

Hopefully by now you have all the info you need to make the best decision for yourself. But I’ll also offer my own take. I rarely use a muzzle brake. I do most of my rifle shooting with mid-power cartridges like the 6.5 Creedmoor or the .308 Winchester at the gun range or in the field. In those scenarios, I’d rather have a bare muzzle than a brake, and I always prefer a suppressor if I have one available. Muzzle brakes can do amazing things, but I hate the increased concussion, and I can still see my shots with a suppressor. I also love not having to worry about hearing protection, and my kids are much happier to shoot and hunt with me when we’re using a suppressor.

Of course, you may not be like me. You might be shooting a magnum cartridge from a lightweight rifle, or you might be an aspiring competitive shooter. In those scenarios, I can see why you’d prefer a brake over a suppressor. Whoever you are, the goal is to match your muzzle device with your application and personal preferences. If you do that, you can’t go wrong.