Determination of Suitable Structural Characteristics of a Muzzle Device Improving the Stability of an Assault Rifle During Short Burst Firing

Abstract

This paper presents a method for determining the optimal structural characteristics of a muzzle brake compensator to enhance the firing stability of automatic assault rifles during short bursts. Utilizing the principle of independent force action in mechanics, the rifle is modeled as a multi-body system with rigid bodies and concentrated masses, assuming forces acting on the gun, including the shooter’s visco-elastic coupling, are independent. The method focuses on minimizing muzzle deflection at the moment a bullet exits the barrel by accurately determining the structural characteristics - aT, ay and az - which quantify how the gas reaction force from propellant gases generates compensatory impulses along the axial and lateral axes. Theoretical analysis involves solving nonlinear differential equations based on Lagrange’s formulation and using internal ballistic data to simulate gun motion and optimize device parameters. Experimental validation, conducted with specialized equipment, demonstrates strong correlation between calculated and observed values (with errors below 9.8 %), confirming that a well-designed muzzle device can significantly reduce recoil and enhance the overall stability and accuracy of automatic weapons.