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With Naga almost complete and ready for sale (see our Naga project description), it became apparent that one novel muzzle brake was not going to ‘cut the mustard’. Naga prototypes 1-5 were in, and it looked like we had the whole process worked out. We needed one or two more designs, to have a small product line of unique muzzle brakes. We thought of a bunch more head designs, like wolf, lion, tiger, bear, etc… and even a ‘killer clown’. No, we needed something different, not just a variation on a theme. With a little thought came the idea for the ‘snake brake’, loosely based on the entwined snakes used as symbol of rejuvenation, poison, healing, and even as a messenger in the case of Hermes. The way we look at it, it’s a messenger with a nasty bite.
The above sketch was texted to Alison, who once again knocked a design out of the park. During the modeling process, we decided that the heads should probably touch, so as to reinforce each other and not be so easily broken off should the muzzle get hit. The amount of ‘spiral’ of the snakes was also reduced in the model. It just looked better that way, which you could easily see in the 3-D model, not so much on my sketch.
Next came the sizing and 3-D printing phase. This took longer than expected because life got in the way. Alison went off and got a ‘real job’ in game design, and we lost most of her time. It only took 3 iterations this time (versus 12 for Naga) to hone in on the final design, but those 3 iterations took 3 months.
The modeling-to-printing process is fairly straight forward. There is one intermediary step, however. You need the 3-dimensional object broken down into a lot of layers, a process called ‘slicing’. Each layer is then printed one on top of the other to generate a 3D object. The modeling software builds the 3D object, the slicer prepares it for printing, and the printer deposits layer after layer, taking 4-5 hours to ‘print’ a prototype. We used a SLA machine for this, which can produce high detail. These machines are not particularly expensive, ours cost under $300.
Our 3 iterations worked out this way: The first one was just way too big. It would probably weigh over half a pound in brass or bronze. The next was a tad too small. The third was 10% larger than the small, which made it ‘look right’. Time to order a prototype in brass!
Once the first two metal prototypes arrived in August, the snake brake design and manufacturing process is considered complete. We use the same investment casting company as we did with the Naga project, they know us now, we know them. New designs are easy-peasy.
This new product needed a name. A few were bandied about. ‘Snek’ was a candidate; maybe we could tap into an abundant supply of memes? ‘Viper 3’ has a more tactical sound to it, and it came out as our front runner.
Our final task is metal finish. For Naga, we used a black wash to accentuate the scales. Viper 3 needed a finish as well. The as-cast part looks pretty good as it comes in:
We experimented with a number of ‘accelerated oxidation’ processes, to see if we could give Viper 3 a bluish or greenish oxide finish. These just didn’t turn out well enough, so we’ll spend some time figuring how to do this for a ‘special edition’ some time in the future. The black wash we use for Naga brings out the scales and detail of Viper 3, so that is how it will be rolled out.
Viper 3 is available for 5.56 caliber rifles with ½”-28 threaded barrels.
Final result
R&D’s ‘Viper 3’ muzzle brake is a unique piece of hardware that really stands out at the range, or even on display at home. Viper 3 is investment cast from almost 4 oz. of brass to preserve intricate detail. The scales, eyes, and that triangular head that distinguishes the viper from the harmless snakes really come through in the finished product.
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Each Viper 3 comes in a bamboo box, with a crush washer. The crush washer does not have to be used, but some barrels aren't threaded fully to the shoulder, and the crush washer accommodates this.
