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54-513: QLG-10 is a single shot, manual, front loading grenade launcher. Grenade launcher is pre-engraved with rifling to provide in-flight stabilization with rotation. Standard projectile weights 169 gram with muzzle velocity of 78 meters per second. Type 10 projectile is caseless and low velocity, designed for shoulder fire and handheld operations. Type 10 grenade utilizes high-low cartridge designed for low recoil operation with extended range. The grenade has an effective range of 400 meters. An iron sight

108-650: A design invented by then Swedish artillery captain Harald Jentzen  [ se ] and therefore known in Sweden as a "Jentzen-brake" ( Swedish : Jentzen-broms ). The Soviet Union started modernizing old artillery systems with new barrels, such as the 107 mm gun M1910/30 , 152 mm gun M1910/30 etc., predominantly featuring cylindrical muzzle brakes with long slits on each side. Several European countries started designing and producing anti-tank rifles featuring muzzle brakes. In late 1930s and especially during World War II

162-488: A diagonal cut at the muzzle end of the barrel to direct some of the escaping gas upward. On the AKM assault rifle, the brake also angles slightly to the right to counteract the sideways movement of the rifle under recoil. Another simple method is porting, where holes or slots are machined into the barrel near the muzzle to allow the gas to escape. More advanced designs use baffles and expansion chambers to slow escaping gases. This

216-515: A dozen pages to list all the variants and nations producing 40-mm grenade ammunition based on the U.S. Army's development of the 1960s. Shortly after the Vietnam War ended, the Soviet Union introduced a 40 mm grenade launcher that used the high-low principle, but with a twist on the original design. The GP-25 40 mm grenade launcher fits under the assault rifle and fires a caseless projectile that

270-444: A family of muzzle brake designs, one of which was used on 8 cm kanon vz. 28 , and in 1928, Schneider et Cie (which was allied with Škoda at the time) updated their 220 mm TR mle 1915/1916 with a muzzle brake patented by Eugène Schneider II way back in 1912. In mid-1930s, Bofors designed several successful artillery pieces (e. g. 37-mm and 105-mm guns) with new perforated muzzle brakes, so-called pepper-pot muzzle brakes,

324-423: A fluted chamber as it is intended for the cartridge to stick to the chamber wall making a slight delay of extraction. This requires a welded-on sleeve with an annular groove to contain the pressure. The State of California outlaws flash suppressors on semiautomatic rifles with detachable magazines, but allows muzzle brakes to be used instead. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) made

378-426: A hazard to individuals without eye protection. Troops often wet the ground in front of antitank guns in defensive emplacements to prevent this, and snipers are specially trained in techniques for suppressing or concealing the magnified effects of lateral muzzle blast when firing rifles with such brakes. Linear compensators and suppressors do not have the disadvantages of a redirected muzzle blast; they actually reduce

432-521: A high-low system was by the Swedish firm FFV in their development of the 1960s-era Miniman one man infantry antitank weapon. The Miniman was simpler and cheaper than anything imagined by designers in World War II. Inside what looked like a rocket launcher tube, is a high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) projectile attached by a break-away bolt to an alloy aluminum tube with ports drilled in it and which acts like

486-412: A kind of high-pressure chamber. The launch tube in which it is mounted acts as the low-pressure chamber. When the propellant is ignited in the aluminum tube, gases escape through the ports and are allowed to build up in the launch tube to the point of almost causing a recoil. The break-away bolt then snaps, allowing the projectile to move forward. Unlike other high-low systems, gases are allowed to escape to

540-490: A muzzle brake had been experimented with for many years prior to its successful implementation: in 1922, a US Army Ordnance Department official stated in US Congress that "the muzzle brake was used in another form 20 years ago, and even longer ago than that, but it has never been successfully applied". Antoine Treuille de Beaulieu invented a prototype based on the idea in 1842 and had it tested in 1862, but he himself called

594-399: A muzzle brake is to redirect and control the burst of combustion gases following the departure of a projectile. All muzzle brake designs share a basic principle: to partially divert combustion gases from the muzzle end of the bore at a (generally) perpendicular angle to the long axis of the barrel. The momentum of the diverted gases thus does not add to the recoil. The angle toward which

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648-499: A muzzle brake was first introduced for artillery. It was a common feature on many anti-tank guns , especially those mounted on tanks , in order to reduce the area needed to take up the strokes of recoil and kickback. They have been used in various forms for rifles and pistols to help control recoil and the rising of the barrel that normally occurs after firing. They are used on pistols for practical pistol competitions, and are usually called compensators in this context. The concept of

702-419: A projectile of the same size and weight. It has a far more efficient use of the propellant, unlike earlier recoilless weapons , where most of the propellant is expended to the rear of the weapon to counter the recoil of the projectile being fired. In the final years of World War II , Nazi Germany researched and developed low-cost anti-tank weapons. Large anti-tank cannon firing high velocity projectiles were

756-406: A reason for promoting accelerated shooter fatigue and flinching. Furthermore, the redirected blast may direct pressure waves toward the eye, potentially leading to retinal detachment when repeated shooting is performed with anti-materiel and large caliber weapons. A barrel chamber with pressure relief ports that allows gas to leak around the cartridge during extraction. Basically the opposite of

810-584: A regulatory determination in 2013 that the muzzle device of the SIG Sauer MPX Carbine , adapted from the baffle core of the integrally suppressed version's suppressor and claimed by SIG to be a muzzle brake, constituted a silencer and rendered the MPX-C a Title II NFA weapon . SIG Sauer , the rifle's maker, sued the ATF in 2014 to have the designation overturned. In September 2015, Federal Judge Paul Barbadora upheld

864-484: A seventh of the weight of the 88 mm Pak it was to supplement, and less than a tenth of the weight of the famous 88 mm anti-aircraft gun turned anti-tank weapon. The only major drawback was its maximum range of 750 meters (in direct fire against tanks), but this was offset by an armor penetration of 140 mm and no telltale back-blast. At over 500 meters, this was superior to both the German long barrel 75 mm cannon, and

918-419: A shooter realign a weapon's sights more quickly. This is relevant for fully automatic weapons. Muzzle rise can theoretically be eliminated by an efficient design. Because the rifle moves rearward less, the shooter has little to compensate for. Muzzle brakes benefit rapid-fire, fully automatic fire, and large-bore hunting rifles. They are also common on small-bore vermin rifles, where reducing the muzzle rise lets

972-569: A smaller high-pressure chamber to store propellant. It allows a much larger projectile to be launched without the heavy equipment usually needed for large caliber weapons. When the propellant is ignited, the higher pressure gases are bled out through vents (or ports) at reduced pressure to a much larger low pressure chamber to push a projectile forward. The high-low system allows the weight of the weapon and its ammunition to be reduced significantly. Production cost and time are drastically lower than for standard cannon or other small-arm weapon systems firing

1026-421: A standard general-purpose high explosive (HE) 8.1-cm mortar bomb which had been modified to function as an anti-tank round with a shaped charge . Such charges are now commonly called high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warheads or projectiles. Unlike high-velocity armour piercing ammunition, which has a heavy steel case, the shaped charge had only thin metal wall, reducing the weight of the shell body and increasing

1080-486: A type of long-rod penetrator (LRP) (or kinetic energy penetrator), are used. Since these APFSDS rounds are the most common armour-piercing ammunition currently, virtually no modern main battle tank guns have muzzle brakes. A serious tactical disadvantage of muzzle brakes on both small arms and artillery is that, depending on their designs, they may cause escaping gases to throw up dust and debris clouds that impair visibility and reveal one's position, not to mention posing

1134-511: Is above the center of the contact points, this creates a moment or torque (rotational force) that causes the firearm to rotate and the muzzle to rise. Muzzle brakes are simple in concept, such as the one employed on the 90 mm M3 gun used on the M47 Patton tank . This consists of a small length of tubing (mounted at right angles) at the end of the barrel. Brakes most often utilize slots, vents, holes, baffles, and similar devices. The strategy of

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1188-483: Is muzzle-loaded. Instead of having a case, the high-pressure chamber is located on the rear of the projectile with ten vent holes, in which the launcher barrel acts as the low-pressure chamber. The ignition of the propellant gases also causes the drive band to engage the launcher grooves, similar to the American Civil War Parrott rifle muzzle loading rifled cannon. While little documentation exists, in

1242-438: Is provided with seven adjustable range marks. The YMAL10-35 red dot sight can be attached to the left side of the grenade launcher, providing range-finding function. Four types of grenade are available: International: High%E2%80%93low system The high–low system (or high–low pressure system , high–low propulsion system , high–low projection system ) is a design of cannon and anti-tank warfare launcher using

1296-454: Is the basic principle behind a linear compensator. Ports are often added to the expansion chambers, producing the long, multi-chambered recoil compensators often seen on IPSC raceguns. Most linear compensators redirect the gases forward. Since that is where the bullet is going, they typically work by allowing the gases to expand into the compensator, which surrounds the muzzle but only has holes facing forward; like any device which allows

1350-472: The Barrett M82 . Measurements indicate that on a rifle, a muzzle brake adds 5 to 10 dB to the normal noise level perceived by the shooter, increasing total noise levels up to 160 dB(A) ± 3 dB. Painful discomfort occurs at approximately 120 to 125 dB(A), with some references claiming 133 dB(A) for the threshold of pain. Brakes and compensators also add length, diameter, and mass to

1404-419: The reverse thrust system on an aircraft jet engine: any blast energy coming back at the shooter is pushing "against" the recoil, effectively reducing the actual amount of recoil on the shooter. Of course, this also means the gases are directed toward the shooter. When the gases are primarily directed upward, the braking is referred to as porting . Porting typically involves precision-drilled ports or holes in

1458-534: The 1950s the Soviet Army developed a 73 mm cannon for wheeled armored reconnaissance vehicles that fired a munition very similar in operation to the original World War II German concept. However, it was never introduced into service, and instead the Soviets developed a 2A28 Grom low velocity 73 mm cannon that fired a rocket projectile which was ejected by a small charge in the normal fashion. The only other major use of

1512-425: The 5-cm and 7.5-cm anti-tank cannons being used then by German forces, which required heavy constructed carriages, both heavy and complex hydraulic recoil-mechanisms, and muzzle brakes to contain the great recoil on firing. The Rheinmetall solution required only a lightweight recoil-unit and muzzle brake. The 81 mm weapon weighed significantly less than even the obsolete 50 mm cannon and Allied 57 mm guns, less than

1566-577: The American 76 mm gun, even when the latter was equipped with tungsten high velocity armor-piercing rounds. The Germans ordered the Rheinmetall gun into production, designating it as the 8-cm Panzer Abwehr Werfer 600 (PAW 600) . Only about 250 were produced before the war's end. Few were reported to have seen combat (in one british regimental history, see the PAW600 wiki article). The high-low system developed on

1620-537: The German firm Rheinmetall –Borsig came up with a completely new concept for propelling a projectile from a cannon, which, while not recoilless, greatly diminished recoil and drastically reduced the manufacturing cost. This concept was called the " Hoch-und-Niederdruck System " which translates to "high and low-pressure system". With this system, only the very back of the cannon's breech had to be reinforced against high firing pressures. Rheinmetall designed an anti-tank cannon using their "high-low pressure system" that fired

1674-601: The PAW 600 was later used to propel the shells for the ubiquitous American 40 mm grenade launcher. The Allies captured and examined the PWK, but initially showed little interest in the new system developed by the Germans. The first example of a type of high-low system developed after World War II was the British Limbo antisubmarine weapon, which launched depth charge-like projectiles. The Limbo

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1728-410: The Rheinmetall concept pushes a projectile out a barrel at a slower muzzle velocity. As a shaped charge was used, no need exists for the high velocities of conventional anti-tank guns, and the muzzle velocity was comparatively low at 540m/s. There is still recoil, but the combination of lighter projectile, lower velocity, and a different acceleration profile meant that there was nowhere near the recoil of

1782-460: The barrel of a rifle. Later, the U.S. Army developed a higher-velocity 40 mm round using their high-low propulsion system for use by heavier machine gun-type grenade launchers found on vehicles and helicopters. Today, besides the U.S. military, the 40 mm grenade family is extremely popular and in use by armies worldwide and variants of it are in production by countries other than the U.S., with one reputable reference publication in 1994 needing almost

1836-444: The best option, but costly to produce and required a well trained crew. They also lacked mobility on the battlefield once emplaced. Anti-tank rocket launchers and recoilless rifles , while much lighter and simpler to manufacture, gave the gunner's position away and were not as accurate as anti-tank cannons. Recoilless rifles used a huge amount of propellant to fire the projectile, with estimates ranging from only one-fifth to one-ninth of

1890-420: The blast by venting high pressure gas forward at reduced velocity. The redirection of larger amounts of escaping high-pressure gas can cause discomfort caused by blast-induced sinus cavity concussion. Such discomfort can especially become a problem for anti-materiel rifle shooters due to the larger than normal cartridges with accompanying large case capacities and propellant volumes these rifles use and can be

1944-518: The bottom. On firing, the propellant builds up pressure until it breaks through the copper cover, venting out to the "low pressure chamber". The U.S. Army referred to their high-low system as the "high-low propulsion system". Along with a heavy rubber pad on the M79 butt stock, the high-low system kept recoil forces manageable for infantry using the weapon. The M79 was later replaced by the M203 , which mounts under

1998-406: The device became common on both firearms and artillery pieces. Overall, the development of the muzzle brake was a gradual process that involved experimentation and refinement over many years. The interchangeable terms muzzle rise , muzzle flip, or muzzle climb refer to the tendency of a handheld firearm's front end (the muzzle end of the barrel) to rise after firing. Firearms with less height from

2052-589: The early 1950s to conduct supersonic flight tests on models of the Velvet Glove air-to-air missile. The most well known use of the high-low system was by the U.S. Army , with the introduction of the M79 grenade launcher , shortly before the Vietnam War . The M79 fired a 40 mm shell which contained a standard fragmentation grenade with a modified fuze. The cartridge casing contains a heavy cup-shaped "high pressure chamber" in

2106-399: The explosive payload. A round steel plate with eight holes in it was fitted at the mouth of a cut-down cannon shell casing which contained two propellant bags. A rod attached the 2.7kg round to the plate with a shear pin . On firing, the initial pressure (which had to be quite high in order to reliably and effectively burn the propellant) would be contained in the shell casing, which along with

2160-481: The forward top part of the barrel and slide on pistols . These holes divert a portion of the gases expelled prior to the departure of the projectile in a direction that reduces the tendency of the firearm to rise. The concept is an application of Newton's third law ; the exhaust directed upward causes a reciprocal force downward. This is why firearms are never ported on the bottom of the barrel, as that would exacerbate muzzle rise, rather than mitigate it. Porting has

2214-438: The gases are directed will fundamentally affect how the brake behaves. If gases are directed upward, they will exert a downward force and counteract muzzle rise . Any device that is attached to the end of the muzzle will also add mass, increasing its inertia and moving its center of mass forward; the former will reduce recoil and the latter will reduce muzzle rise. Construction of a muzzle brake or compensator can be as simple as

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2268-408: The gases to expand before leaving the firearm, they are effectively a type of muzzle shroud . They reduce muzzle rise similarly to the mechanism by which a sideways brake does: since all the gas is escaping in the same direction, any muzzle rise would need to alter the velocity of the gas, which costs kinetic energy. When the brake redirects the gases directly backward, instead, the effect is similar to

2322-402: The grip line to the barrel centerline tend to experience less muzzle rise. The muzzle rises primarily because, for most firearms, the centerline of the barrel is above the center of contact between the shooter and the firearm's grip and stock. The reactive forces from the fired bullet and propellant gases exiting the muzzle act directly down the centerline of the barrel. If that line of force

2376-474: The idea "too new". A US patent was issued for a "recoil obviator" in 1871 (there is no indication it was ever tested), while an experimental British anti-tank rifle in 1918 featured a muzzle brake, but was not adopted. In the later 1920s, there was some limited progress: around 1926, Cutts compensator became an option in the Thompson SMG (R. M. Cutts' earliest patent is from 1925 ), in 1927 Škoda patented

2430-436: The muzzle end of a firearm, where it most influences its handling and may interfere with accuracy as muzzle rise will occur when the brake is removed and shooting without the brake can throw off the strike of the round. Another problem can occur when saboted ammunition is used as the sabot tends to break up inside the brake. The problem is particularly pronounced when armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding-sabot (APFSDS) ,

2484-421: The muzzle of the firearm to achieve well-measured recoil reduction percentages. This means cartridges with a small bore area to case volume ratio ( overbore cartridges) combined with a high operating pressure benefit more from recoil reduction with muzzle brakes than smaller standard cartridges. Besides reducing felt recoil, one of the primary advantages of a muzzle brake is the reduction of muzzle rise. This lets

2538-438: The propellant gases being used to push the projectile forward. The German military asked for an anti-tank weapon with performance in-between that of the standard high velocity cannon and the cheaper rocket and recoilless infantry anti-tank weapons. They also stipulated that any solution had to be more efficient in the use of propellant, as the German war industry had reached maximum cannon propellant production capacity. In 1944,

2592-468: The rear of the launch tube, causing a fully recoilless effect. Muzzle brake A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral ( ported barrel ) to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwanted muzzle rise . Barrels with an integral muzzle brake are often said to be ported . The concept of

2646-456: The reinforced breech acted as the "high pressure chamber". Propellant gases would then bled out the holes in the steel plate into the space between the round and the plate, which acted as the "low pressure chamber" until pressure built to the point that the shear pin broke, releasing the projectile. Unlike standard cannons, in which the propellant accelerates a projectile out a barrel with a very high, almost instant force, to maximum muzzle velocity,

2700-428: The shooter see the bullet impact through a telescopic sight . A reduction in recoil also reduces the chance of undesired (painful) contacts between the shooter's head and the ocular of a telescopic sight or other aiming components that must be positioned near the shooter's eye (often referred to as "scope eye"). Another advantage of a muzzle brake is a reduction of recoil fatigue during extended practice sessions, enabling

2754-399: The shooter to consecutively fire more rounds accurately. Further, flinch (involuntary pre-trigger-release anxiety behavior resulting in inaccurate aiming and shooting) caused by excessive recoil may be reduced or eliminated. The shooter, gun crew, or close bystanders may perceive an increase in sound pressure level as well as an increase in muzzle blast and lead exposure . This occurs because

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2808-512: The sound, flash, pressure waves, and lead loaded smoke plume normally projected away from the shooter are now partially redirected outward to the side or sometimes at partially backward angles toward the shooter or gun crew. Standard eye and ear protection, important for all shooters, may not be adequate to avoid hearing damage with the muzzle blast partially vectored back toward the gun crew or spotters by arrowhead shaped reactive muzzle brakes found on sniper teams firing anti-materiel rifles like

2862-575: The undesired consequences of shortening the effective barrel length and reducing muzzle velocity, while a muzzle brake is an extension added to the barrel and does not reduce muzzle velocity. Porting has the advantage for faster follow-up shots, especially for 3-round burst operation. Although there are numerous ways to measure the energy of a recoil impulse , in general, a 10% to 50% reduction can be measured. Some muzzle brake manufacturers claim greater recoil reduction percentages. Muzzle brakes need sufficient propellant gas volume and high gas pressure at

2916-534: Was a development of the World War II Squid , which, while effective, was limited by a set range of 275 meters. The Limbo, by opening and closing vents that varied the pressure of the gases on firing, allowed for a range that could be varied between 336 meters to almost 1000 meters. Another example was the system developed by the Canadian Armament Research and Development Establishment (CARDE) in

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