No muzzle device.

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mountaindrew

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I am considering my next AR build, and I am wondering about the necessity of muzzle devices. I have more powerful rifles than .223, and they make do with no flash hider, compensator, ect. So I have a couple of questions.
I like barrels on the shorter side. I'm thinking about a 10.5 barrel, so a pistol build for now. Primary use would be home defence, general defence. I don't want to go too short on the barrel and give up power, but as far as I can tell, losing the 2" a2 flash hider gives up nothing on the practical. Would no middle device be louder, more confusion in a enclosed space? Would it have more flash as viewed by the shooter? It is my understanding that a flash hider is designed to obscure the flash from the view of the target, not the shooter.
Are there any other considerations I need to think about?
 
Stick a can on that B.

My boy shot his deer this year with a 10.5” 6.8SPC, didn’t get his muzzle out of the window, and we were still whispering together after the shot - no headache, no ringing ears… all of the difference in the world.
 
A friend had a 16” 5.56 with only a thread protector. Fireball was typically large as expected. I gave him an A2 birdcage which reduced the muzzle flash significantly.

After my experiences with shorties, I’d advise getting a BRT Covert Comp (linear comp) until you can get a suppressor.
 
mountaindrew said:
. . .223. . . I'm thinking about a 10.5 barrel
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You haven't heard loud until you've heard a 10.5" .223.

I suggest three things:
-give up the idea of using this in the house without earpro. You won't have any useful hearing left.
-get a flash can. They are simple and cheap, and will at least direct the fireball away from your eyebrows.
-plan to shoot alone. Anyone else on the range will hate you by the 5th round.
 
I should have clarified that I already have a setup in .300 blk similar to what I am proposing, with a linear comp. I have also had 10.5 barrel .223s before too, just never without a muzzle device. I'm a little puzzed about all the talk about shooting in a room and the hearing stuff. If I have to shoot someone in my house, the last thing I am thinking about is hearing protection. And as far as I know, linear comps, flash cans, and flash hiders do nothing to mitigate sound in an enclosed space.
I should also state that I never have nor will need to shoot this at an indoor range. I hate those places.
 
Hearing damage happens fast. My father in law had a muzzle brake installed on his 270 a few years back. Shot 5 deer in a week with it and shortly after went to a hearing specialist because he couldn't hear anything. They diagnosed him with 80% hearing loss in one ear and 40% in the other. I would keep the 300 blk but trade the linear comp for a krink brake. I get what you mean about being more concerned about surviving vs hearing, but why choose almost certain hearing damage?
 
mountaindrew said:
If I have to shoot someone in my house, the last thing I am thinking about is hearing protection.
Click to expand...
True, which is why you should consider it before the event.

A flash can will certainly reduce blast to your ears noticeably. It will not save your hearing, but it might be the difference between merely destroyed hearing and ruptured drums. Either will change the way you live, every day, for the rest of your life, but the second is differentiably worse. It's certainly worth considering ahead of time.
 
Lots of input from folks who have never fired a short-barreled .223 indoors. I have fired my 10” Contender (no muzzle device) indoors - and outdoors for that matter - many times. Hint: it is very loud and unpleasant, but you won’t rupture your eardrums with a single shot - oh the made-up drama!

The OP likes a short barrel, adding a can to a 10.5” barrel defeats the purpose, he’d be better off with a 16” barrel to start with. Not only will the sound and flash be less, but he’d gain 300-400 fps in bullet velocity. Another hint - he’s not the first guy to build an AR pistol….

http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/223rifle.html



.
 
25-20 WCF said:
Lots of input from folks who have never fired a short-barreled .223 indoors. I have fired my 10” Contender (no muzzle device) indoors - and outdoors for that matter - many times. Hint: it is very loud and unpleasant, but you won’t rupture your eardrums with a single shot - oh the made-up drama!

The OP likes a short barrel, adding a can to a 10.5” barrel defeats the purpose, he’d be better off with a 16” barrel to start with. Not only will the sound and flash be less, but he’d gain 300-400 fps in bullet velocity. Another hint - he’s not the first guy to build an AR pistol….

http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/223rifle.html



.
Click to expand...

Do you shoot your contender in a bedroom hallway with no ear protection?
 
I have shot short barreled rifles inside closed structures next to others shooting the same and it is loud even with hearing protection. A short barreled rifle or pistol is not flash bang grenade loud but it is still loud enough to make you go deaf without hearing protection.
 
10" ARs are crazy insanely loud, I think it's been said enough to verify the accuracy of that statement.

I agree with silencer.

I run mine with a linear comp. Helps a little, but still enough to make you go deaf.

Allegedly, the Witt Machining SME muzzle device makes it more hearing safe for the shooter with a stamp. There's some videos online that may help support that, but again, this is the internet so who knows.

https://www.wittmachine.net/sme-sound-mitigation-equipment-slimline.html
 
I fired off my AR47, 7.5" barrel at an outdoor range with my electronic ear protection down on my neck (don't remember why I did that but yeah it was stupid.......). The blast was LOUD and the fireball momentarily blinded me, I'm just glad I was outside and not inside........
 
A rifle barrel that is 16 inches or longer is a bit different than shooting something with a 10.5" barrel, especially when indoors. Plus I bet your hunting rifles have barrels at least 22" long.
 
A friend has a M16 with a 7.5" barrel. It's like being inside one of those old school flashbulbs when it goes off
 
How about a 22-250 from a 14" barrel, 500 S&W from a 5" barrel, or a 410 from a 3" deringer? Or 30 and 357 herrett, 222, and 223 from 10" barrel? All of which have not even a muzzle thread. Never shot indoors, but have in an enclosed forrest which adds a bit of reverberation.

I have touched off an sks in a 2 door vehicle. That was loud as heck. (Stupid highschool shenanigans)

I am thinking of making a krink break for my 10.5" 7.62x39 AR
 
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Trust me on this, you do in fact want to do everything that you can to mitigate the report/muzzle blast no matter the caliber of firearm. Otherwise there is a good chance you will be wearing hearing aids way before most people need them.

We weren't always given the proper hearing protection while I was in the Army and I had to get hearing aids shortly after retiring.
 
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