Just asking.... GNR Encore/Contender brakes

WB
[subject]
Monday, January 05, 2026, 08:47 (4 days ago)

A friend who owns one was asking ME. How are they installed? I know they are not intended to be casually removed. No doubt they must be threaded to a fine pitch then red "Loc-tighted" or maybe even the green type (used for locking in piston sleeves in engine blocks). Finally turned on a lathe and final polish to integrate with barrel contour.

With the production numbers being pretty high and varied calibers, and since GNR was making his own cylinders, I figure they were all produced in house. Although if not that many were needed, they could have been contracted outsourced too.

I've never heard of one coming loose and in bright sunlight, you can sometimes see a install line on the "blue" versions in bright sunlight.

I don't think they use Loctite

Randy Barnett
[subject]
Monday, January 05, 2026, 11:45 (4 days ago) @ WB

as heat will loosen Loctite.

Your average shooter of large caliber guns will not.

Gary Reeder
[subject]
Monday, January 05, 2026, 11:53 (4 days ago) @ Randy Barnett

shoot enough to cause it to wobble. When we install a brake on one of our custom guns, if it is a large caliber we shoot it around 30 rounds and check it after every 4th or 5th round. So yes red Lok Tite can come loose but that would be very rare. I have shot several of my personal large caliber guns in 1000 rounds or so and I have yet to see any looseness of the brake. The benefit of the Lok Tite far out-weigh any problems.

That red is good stuff, to 600 deg.

WB
[subject]
Monday, January 05, 2026, 14:12 (4 days ago) @ Gary Reeder

The Green too, but even with heat it chemically galls with some metals. I told the O'l boy right, but I find it fascinating to hear it from GNR. You never know if you don't ask.

One thing with brakes, it's common sense, stay away from sabots! Not that it's commonplace. I've never had a problem with loose gas checks or anything, that I knew of.

JD Jones chronicled once, I think he was shooting culls from a helicopter (!), fired a round that flared it's base, or tipped, and split the brake. That's what GNR's 0.020" is for.

All of our brakes are fitted and then screwed on.

Gary Reeder
[subject]
Monday, January 05, 2026, 11:45 (4 days ago) @ WB

We then use a slight bit of red Lok Tite. That way the brake is on forever. My guys know I don't want to see the fine line where they are screwed on. I also don't want to see a slight bulge where the two pieces fit. Back a hundred years ago I put a brake on my 378 GNR and to give it a better expansion chamber I gave it a slight bulge. I don't remember giving that bulge on any other brake thru the years with the exception being a large caliber. A caliber like the 458 Win Mag can be helped with the addition of a brake, but if he has a light weight tapered barrel that gun needs a brake to keep the recoil down and give life to his scope, and in cases like that I give it a very slight bulge. In that case a slight bulge is ok..

For a good brake you need a couple of things. First you need a good expansion chamber. Looking at the brake from the rear the wall in the front of the brake needs to be perfect as far as it being exactly centered in the expansion chamber. This is so that the gases from firing hit the back side of the brake and are forced out each side. That is what gives it a slight push to the shooter. Next the hole in the front of the brake needs to be the caliber plus 20 thou per side, no larger.
We designed our brakes so that the shooter can't take them on and off. Taking your brake on and off is just asking for trouble. Taking the brake off and on causes it to wobble slightly and after a few times it can wobble enough that your bullet hits the inside wall of the brake and that is bad.

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