Have you noticed how many muzzle brakes are on the market today? So when our friends at Alamo Four Star told me they were going to build the Cowl Induction Brake, I almost yawned, but I was intrigued by the name. Alamo Four Star cranks out predictably solid products from their Return To Zero DLOC scope mounts, to their Harris bipod mounts, to their sniper tripod so I knew it would be good. But why a new muzzle brake in an already crowded field of good muzzle brakes?
Based on a sneak peak at some data and pulling the trigger on my own AR with a prototype CIB muzzle brake, I can tell you right now hunters and shooters will love this thing. But WHY they will is a story by itself. I’ll start there and then get to the numbers.
Mark Deros is the founder of Alamo Four Star. He started inventing in 2002 and formed Alamo Four Star in 2004. Having known Deros now for about three years I can attest he’s wired a bit differently. I suspect all inventors are. He constantly sees what others overlook. The Cowl Induction Brake, or CIB, is one such example.
Deros likes big guns – who doesn’t? So one day he’s out shooting a .338 Lapua Magnum and receiving an “ass whipping” every time he pulled the trigger. The rifle was equipped with a factory muzzle brake, but it did little to impress. He began to think about the 18,000 PSI of pressure being released from that muzzle. With that much pressure, that much energy available to be exploited, he figured there had to be a better mousetrap that would allow a more enjoyable shooting experience and faster follow up shots.
Deros began looking at commercially available muzzle brakes sorting the questions of why those brakes did or didn’t perform well, what their ports actually did and how that impacted performance. His goal became finding the most effective way to use the escaping gas pressure against the surfaces inside his brake to reduce recoil and manage muzzle rise. The other requirement was that his new muzzle brake couldn’t look like it belonged on a Howitzer.
The result is the Alamo Four Star Cowl Induction Brake. As for the “Cowl Induction” bit, it sounds great from a marketing standpoint, but really, what’s up with that? As it turns out the definition of “cowl induction” describes the function of the brake: “A covering for a chimney that controls the way smoke flows out.” Maybe Deros can invent one that actually works for my fireplace…
In my entirely unscientific testing, I was quite impressed using a .223/5.56 CIB. Watch the video and you’ll see how little the gun moved when I shot it. I think my single shot .22 Long Rifle may have more recoil. Like I said, entirely unscientific but I sure had a big grin on my face after shooting with the CIB!
Want science? Well you’ll have to wait for some reputable third party testing results to be released but I can tell you that the numbers I saw from a highly regarded organization are most impressive. We’ll append them to a thread on our forum (here) when they become available. What I can say here is that the CIB fared extremely well reducing muzzle recoil in the neighborhood of 50%, better than some well known alternatives.
What makes it all possible is the Alamo Four Star process. To get his DLOC mounts made for real Return To Zero performance Deros created his own custom tools for his CNC machines. For the Cowl Induction Brake, he moved away from the often repeated method of simply drilling ports and instead focused on the internal shapes of the muzzle brake. The process is accomplished through CNC cross milling of the CIB ports.
The initial release of the Cowl Induction Brake will include variants for the following calibers: .223/5.56, 6mm, 6.5, 6xc, .308, .300 Winchester Magnum. Two finishes are offered, heat treated black nitrated, and satin.
6xc/6.5mm/6.0 and .300 Models
Outside Diameter 1.100
Length 2.88 inches
.223/.556 Model
Outside Diameter .830
Length 2.88
Retail is $169. A .50 caliber brake is in the works, but the others can be ordered now at AlamoFourStar.com and through their authorized retailers.
Whether you’re competitive shooter, an outdoor sportsman or law enforcement, Alamo Four Star wants to see this brake on your rifles. From either a price or performance standpoint the Cowl Induction Brake looks like a winner to me. You don’t always find both in the same package.
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