.223 muzzle brake and flash hider question

[Walkalong]

I have seen a couple of muzzle brakes where the makers advertises the sound and blast go to the side and not back to the shooter vs the ones that smack the shooter.

Anyone know if this is true, or just advertising. I have never used one on an AR in .223, but have looked some over thinking about trying one, just because.

Also, some makers of flash hiders hint around that they also do some muzzle control, any truth to that?

What are some of your real life experiences with different models of flash hiders and brakes? What do you use them for, why do you use them etc.

 

[me26245]

Smith Enterprises Vortex for flash suppression. I don't use a muzzle break on a 5.56 caliber AR.

 

[briansmithwins]

Effective brakes are going to be louder than a flash hider. Some compensators aren't noticeably louder than a flash hider.

I suspect that some brakes reduce recoil and climb simply because hanging 1lb of metal off the muzzle will reduce recoil and muzzle climb by itself.

BSW

 

[Walkalong]

I recently bought an AR barrel to build and upper with, and eyeballed the brakes, but ultimately bought this Wilson flash hider.

I am curious though, and figured you folks with more experience with both could educate me.

 

[HJ857]

I used a vortex for one season and ended up feeling that there was no difference between it and a standard flash hider, plus it produced a ringing sound.

I won a PWS FSC556 brake at a competition, but knew nothing about them at the time. The FSC556 makes a huge difference in recoil and especially muzzle movement. Sound is not much different at the shooter position, but is much louder off to the sides.

If you shoot competitions where ultra fast follow up shots are key, then a brake is pretty much mandatory and I wouldn't be without one anymore.

Also, if you shoot long distances without a spotter, the reduced muzzle movement will allow you to see your bullet impacts.

Brakes with top venting holes are good for 3 gun or offhand positions, but are a liability when shooting from a bench or bipod as it will drive the muzzle down and ultimately make muzzle jump worse.

 

[mtrmn]

I've never used a brake on any gun, but the old A2 flash hider has the bottom closed off supposedly to keep down dust when firing prone. I would think due to the fact that all the slots point upward it would serve as a not-very-effective brake of sorts.

There are some brakes that have all the ports looking downrange, none on the top or sides. I surely don't understand how that would reduce recoil or muzzle climb, but as I said I've never USED one.

 

[gotigers]

If you're not shooting 3 gun or long rang steel matches, you don't need a brake.

 

[J_McLeod]

I have two ARs. Both have a 16" barrel, one has a carbine gas system and standard A2 brake. The other has a mid length system and a Rainier XTC. To me, the rifle with the Rainier device has noticeably less recoil and muzzle climb. I haven't noticed it to be any louder either. I'll probably buy a second one for my other rifle. Frequently the combination of a 14.5' barrel and a muzzle brake can be very loud. (copied from another thread)

 

[243winxb]

Muzzle Brake

Waste of $ even on a M16A1 carbine with 14.5" bbl. on full auto. This one reduced recoil, made more noise, pushed the muzzle down & right, off target. (left hand shooter) On full auto, let the butt bounce off your shoulder, loose hold. This way the muzzle cant climb as easy. Rifle just sits there and vibrates. Bench shooting or off hand.

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[/URL][/IMG] Said to be a Russian design, copied after the tanks muzzle brake.

 

[Robert]

The JP Cooley comp works great. It is rather pleasant while on the trigger. Now if you are not the shooter it is another story. I have a Miculek comp on my rifle and like it. it is not as effective as the JP but then it does not give concussion head aches to everyone around you.

 

[Walkalong]

JP Cooley comp

That is the one I was looking at, and almost ordered.

Miculek comp

I'll have to check that one out.

 

[cfullgraf]

I also have a Miculek brake on a 20" barrel AR-15. Recoil is noticeable less than un-braked but it is not like the 223 Remington has lots of recoil to begin with. Also, I notice a little increase in noise over an un-braked barrel but again, not like it will blow your ear drums out.

The barrel is a DCM Service Rifle profile so a bit heavier than a standard barrel.

I have another rifle with a single chamber AAC brake on it. I really do not notice any inprovement with it. I got it because it was shorter than other muzzle devices and looked better than a thread protector.

 

[benEzra]

My 16" AR has a Smith Vortex flash suppressor. It is definitely more pleasant to shoot than a 16" AR with a bare muzzle.

Because my AR also serves as my defensive long gun of choice, I absolutely would not want a brake on it, and a flash suppressor helps keep you from flash-dazzling yourself in low light.

 

[ugaarguy]

I think it's important to note that a true muzzle brake reduces recoil, while a compensator reduces muzzle climb. The only way to reduce recoil to vent some of the gasses rearward, even if slightly so, to counteract recoil. A compensator directs some of the gasses upward to reduce muzzle climb. In contrast a linear compensator directs the gasses forward, which greatly reduces the muzzle blast (felt and heard) experienced by the shooter. A linear comp doesn't reduce noise, but it does reduce noise as perceived by the shooter since the flash and blast are directed straight forward or nearly straight forward.

The Noveske KX3 is great example of a flash hider that's also a superb linear comp. The M16A2 flash hider, the birdcage without the bottom vents, is actually classified as a flash compensator; even though it's not great at either. The SEI Vortex, YHM Phantom, and similar devices are superb flash hiders. As BenEzra has observed, they also provide a small, but noticeable, amount of linear compensation as result of their helical cut vents that actually start at forward angles and gradually twist over to side angles along their length. YHM even claims that the Phantom 5C1 and 5C2 are standard comps as well since they do have a top vent and no bottom vent.

 

[Quiet]

Vuurwapen Blog muzzle device comparison

Vuurwapen Blog did an excellent comparison with pics and video of several muzzle devices.
*bare muzzle
*standard A2 flash suppressor
*AAC Blackout
*BattleComp 1.0
*B.E. Meyers 249F
*Black Weapons Armory X Comp
*Primary Weapons Systems FSC556
*Primary Weapons Systems Triad
*Proto Tactical Z-Comp
*Proto Tactical Z-Tac
*Rainier Arms XTC
*Silencerco Specwar Brake
*Silencerco Trifecta
*Simple Threaded Devices 5.56
*Spike's Tactical Dynacomp
*VG6 Precision Gamma 5.56
*Vltor VC-1
*Yankee Hill Machines Phantom

 

[J_McLeod]

Vuurwapen Blog muzzle device comparison

Vuurwapen Blog did an excellent comparison with pics and video of several muzzle devices.
*bare muzzle
*standard A2 flash suppressor
*AAC Blackout
*BattleComp 1.0
*B.E. Meyers 249F
*Black Weapons Armory X Comp
*Primary Weapons Systems FSC556
*Primary Weapons Systems Triad
*Proto Tactical Z-Comp
*Proto Tactical Z-Tac
*Rainier Arms XTC
*Silencerco Specwar Brake
*Silencerco Trifecta
*Simple Threaded Devices 5.56
*Spike's Tactical Dynacomp
*VG6 Precision Gamma 5.56
*Vltor VC-1
*Yankee Hill Machines Phantom

That is an excellent blog. Learned a lot. After reading it, I'll save it in case I build another AR. I'm happy with my choice of the Rainier but I'm going to acquire an A2 device in case I ever fight at night.