Muzzle brake re-installation after cleaning change POI?

[efm77]

For those of you using brakes. If you take them off to clean them, have you ever had your zero change after putting the brake back on? Even if it's indexed the same as before taking it off?

[wbm]

Sure. Not a problem though.

[efm77]

What's not a problem? Having to re-zero? It is to me because I don't wanna have to re-zero every time I clean if that's the case.

[wbm]

If you take them off to clean them, have you ever had your zero change after putting the brake back on?

Yes.

[efm77]

Think I'll just put the muzzle and brake down in a jar with Lemi Shine, or Bore Tech carbon cleaner and let it soak to break it loose then instead of taking it off every time.

[wbm]

Good idea.

[JeepsAndGuns]

I have never really noticed it on any of my rifles.
Curious as to what could cause the POI to change if it was reinstalled at the exact same clocking/torque?

Now when breaking in a barrel without a muzzle brake, I have had a POI change when I install the brake. Some shot higher, some shot lower, one did not change at all. But never had it change left/right, only vertical.

[efm77]

I don't know. I'm fairly new to brakes. But my 375 changed ever so slightly the last time I removed and reinstalled the brake on it. I should have put a witness mark on it so it could be my mistake. But I thought I had it torqued back the same and it's a radial brake so the gases exit the same all the way around. Again, it wasn't a significant difference, but it was enough to notice and enough to have to adjust my scope. Just enough to be annoying. Since then I've left it on and have never taken my other two off and only cleaned them while still on the barrel.

[CFJunkie]

What else might have changed in addition to cleaning and refitting the muzzle brake?
Assuming the wind was about the same and you didn't remount the brake differently, that is.

Was it significantly colder or warmer weather?
That changes the velocity in a temperature sensitive powder.
A big change might move the POI.

Was your eye a bit closer or further from the rear objective?
I have found that 1/8 inch change can cause a 1/4 inch change in POI up or down.
Sneak in on the rear objective and your POI will be up.

Was the stock in exactly the same spot on your shoulder?
Moving the stock out toward the shoulder bone can change the barrel position during recoil and with a fairly high caliber rifle, it can move the barrel as the bullet is leaving the barrel in the same direction.
You can tell if your reticle is pointing to the right of your POA ( if you are right-handed) after you recover from the recoil.

With my rifles, most of the POI changes, even during the same session, are due to different powder or bullet types.
But with the same load are due to minor changes in my set up, like some of the things I mentioned above.

[efm77]

It was roughly same temperature as it was within about a week and there was virtually no wind. It was a horizontal shift. Now I could have been holding a little different as I’m not a machine. However it was as close as I can mimic. Not saying that isn’t possible, but once I’ve gotten a rifle zeroed, I haven’t had that happen before. Usually if it hits a little off, it’s bc of me and my next shot will be on. That wasn’t the case this time and me taking the brake off and putting it back on was the only thing different I could attribute it to.

[yobuck]

Well when shooting at long distance, including when hunting, there could be numerous things that could affect your initial zero.
So that being the case, my question would be as follows.
If you could take a sighter shot, would you do it?
And if not, then why not?

[mike4045]

Just try to clean them on the gun whenever possible, but have never noticed a significant change of poi.

[abq87120]

Just hit it with a spray can of brake cleaner. Works well on my 116 with integral brake. I clean it after every shoot.