The Mosin Nagant is one of my favorite rifles. I love its accuracy without optics, and its intriguing history. So when the co-owner of Howling Raven found me on social media and asked me to review their muzzle brake, I jumped at the opportunity.
Howling Raven’s muzzle brake only works with the Mosin Nagant model 91/30. The company touts the following features:
– Reduces recoil by 50% and eliminates muzzle rise
– No gunsmithing or threaded barrel needed
– Slips around front site post and secured with brass set screws.
– Made out of 12L14 Solid steel with Black Oxide finish
– Weighs only 10.6 ounces
– Made in Texas with a limited lifetime replacement warranty
The muzzle brake isn’t permanent. It comes with the three screws necessary for installation and an Allen wrench needed to tighten the screws. It’s that simple, folks. No instructions were really necessary, but it came with those anyway. The muzzle brake is solid and machined well. I didn’t notice any burrs or errors when I gave it a once over. It’s built to last.
Once installed, the muzzle brake looks appealing. But now I need to test it. Everyone is aware that the Mosin kicks like an old mule. One of the reasons for adding this muzzle brake is to decrease the felt recoil.
Testing the muzzle rise and recoil will be a little more difficult for me. You all will have to take my word for it and use the videos provided, obviously. I have no way of gauging except that I will admit that when firing with the muzzle brake attached, recoil was reduced substantially. Was it reduced 50% like Howling Raven claims? Absolutely. Probably more actually. But it definitely a noticeable difference when firing the gun. The muzzle brake makes the Mosin comfortable to shoot.
Based just on how much easier the Mosin was to shoot because of the reduced recoil, this is a modification I would whole-heartedly recommend. But make sure you watch the videos so you can see the difference. I will now show myself firing the Mosin Nagant 91/30 first without the muzzle brake. I had to slow it down because the video cut short right before I shot.
And then I fired the Mosin with the muzzle brake installed. I will shoot from the same position to try to keep things simple so comparisons of recoil and muzzle rise can still be made.
*After taking the videos, my videographer and husband made notice of something I feel is important to mention. He said that when I fired the Mosin with the muzzle brake on, he could feel more concussion. He was straight out to my right level with me while I shot. He also noticed that the gas was obviously being dispersed differently around the muzzle brake (things I would not notice while shooting the gun and were not picked up well on the videos.)
I just tightened the screws hand tight and after 20 rounds of 7.62x54R 148gr FMJ rounds, it was still secure. And I could easily remove it in the field in order to compare the shooting without this muzzle brake.
Listed at a very fair price of $69.99, Howling Raven often lists these for sale and you can snag it for less. I’ve seen it listed on their website for as low as $44.95. Easy to navigate and with gift certificates available, Howling Raven’s website is pretty easy to figure out.
Ratings (out of five stars):
Aesthetics * * * * *
This muzzle brake is honestly a good looking piece of metal. Add to the fact that it’s not permanent, there should be no hard feelings about using it while firing a Mosin for the purists. Couple that with functionality and it automatically becomes a more attractive piece anyway.
Ease of Installation * * * * *
Really, this one is a no-brainer. No instructions were needed to install this muzzle brake. The three simple screws hold it in place. You can easily remove it or add it while at the range as well. Again, I cannot think of anything that could make it any easier.
Quality * * * * *
The muzzle brake is well thought out in design and function. It’s solid and sturdy and the macining was top notch.
Price * * * *
Could it be cheaper? Sure. But it’s well worth the almost $70 Howling Raven is charging.
Function * * * * *
Once put to the test in the field, the muzzle brake outperformed the stats given to it by Howling Raven. Talk about underpromising and over-delivering. It most definitely decreases recoil, and it obviously reduces muzzle rise.
Overall * * * * *
This is coming highly recommended. I absolutely love that this muzzle brake is so easy to install while not permanent. While I am a sort of Mosin purist myslef this is a modification that I intend to keep on the Mosin – for the immediate future anyway.