Kaw Valley Linear Compensator Comparison

[Skylerbone]

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to assist one of my daughters with assembling her first AR. The piece de résistance was to be a Kaw Valley Linear Compensator to reduce noise. What I realized on opening was that I had mistakenly ordered a 1/2 28 9mm aluminum rather than the 5.56 steel version.

After snapping a few photos of her with her new pistol I quietly removed the comp, which would be no bueno and got online to do some shopping. That is when I discovered Kaw Valley makes a Magnum size in two lengths no less! I found the longer of these (3 1/4”) at Wing Tactical and ordered a pair which arrived yesterday.

I wound up doing some swapping based on balance and barrel profile and I think I’m going to order a few more of each to keep options open. Looking forward to trying the bigger size out at the range.

 

[Sistema1927]

For those looking for a linear comp, but don't want to spend what Kaw Valley gets, Midway presently has theirs on sale for $15. They have them in 5.56, 7.62, and .450 at this price.

 

[entropy]

That's what I put on my builds. They work, not as pretty as the Kaw Valley ones-The magnum one looks great!

 

[greyling22]

on a 16" barrel 223, I found no discernible difference to the shooter or bystanders between the a2 and the midway levang linerar comp. Hopefully you have a better experience.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Most of the reviews I see online produce miniscule differences with a decimeter at the shooting position. This is comparing it to nothing on the muzzle at all. It is generally marginally quieter than a birdcage. I still use a linear comp on my 450. It has an 18" barrel and I don't find it terrible when not using hearing protection (hunting). My 12 ga slug slinger with 20" barrel in noticeably louder.

 

[kenboyles72]

on a 16" barrel 223, I found no discernible difference to the shooter or bystanders between the a2 and the midway levang linerar comp. Hopefully you have a better experience.

Most of the reviews I see online produce miniscule differences with a decimeter at the shooting position. This is comparing it to nothing on the muzzle at all. It is generally marginally quieter than a birdcage. I still use a linear comp on my 450. It has an 18" barrel and I don't find it terrible when not using hearing protection (hunting). My 12 ga slug slinger with 20" barrel in noticeably louder.

You are not going to have any noticeable difference in the sound using a linear comp, it is not a suppressor. It will however effect the felt concussion from the blast, by directing it forward. Folk really need to understand how one works.

 

[Varminterror]

@kenboyles72 - have you ever seen a linear compensator first hand? Have you ever fired a rifle with one?

Because it is pretty clear - the particular stone you’re throwing - YOU don’t understand how one works.

Assuredly if you have done either, you’d note they ARE constructed exactly the same as a single baffle suppressor, and you’d note the considerable difference in concussion to your ears.

 

[Skylerbone]

I was a scepter at one point and the difference is discernible. It won’t mitigate recoil like a brake or sound as much as an BATFE defined suppressor but I like what they do, my fellow shooters appreciate not getting blasted, and I feel the price is more than reasonable at $45/ea.

People are free to believe they don’t work but they would have to also deny that acousticians understand sound. My living room has 7 horn loaded speakers that demonstrate the principle works as anyone off-axis can confirm.

 

[Lizard1911]

For those looking for a linear comp, but don't want to spend what Kaw Valley gets, Midway presently has theirs on sale for $15. They have them in 5.56, 7.62, and .450 at this price.

Thanks!
I just ordered one, plus the last few things to complete my build.

 

[LoonWulf]

you’d note they ARE constructed exactly the same as a single baffle suppressor, and you’d note the considerable difference in concussion to your ears.

SHHhhhh "THEY" gonna hear you......

I've run/ran cheap ones on a number of rifles including my 7mm Remington RAM, and I find them beneficial. I need to pony of for a KAW, to try (tho I expect similar results to the cheapies) and an ICD BFD(cause it's cool, and I shot ICD markers my last few years of paintball, and like the company) to use with my 16" .350 that's brutal with it's brake.

 

[troy fairweather]

I'd like to try one on my ar but to much a risk,

 

[Sistema1927]

"To (sic) much a risk"?

Are you also afraid that BATFE will come after pistol braces and Shockwaves?

 

[troy fairweather]

"To (sic) much a risk"?

Are you also afraid that BATFE will come after pistol braces and Shockwaves?

No not that, don't know if new York would classify them as a flash hidder or a muzzle break. Witch we can't have on a detach mag semi auto.

 

[Varminterror]

Linear compensators are compensators... aka brakes. They aren’t designed to reduce signature, aka, hide flash.

 

[troy fairweather]

I think ny defines anything with a hole in it a brake/flashhider.

 

[Sistema1927]

No not that, don't know if new York would classify them as a flash hidder or a muzzle break. Witch we can't have on a detach mag semi auto.

Understood. Sometimes I forget that not all of us enjoy the same freedoms. Of course, I should speak, in the past two years we have been burdened with UBC's and ERPO's. Sigh.

 

[Varminterror]

SAFE prohibits brakes AND hiders, so a linear compensator, as a brake, is prohibited. Vote.

 

[troy fairweather]

One day I'll build a fix mag ar-15 just so I can try some of the new stuff out.

 

[Skylerbone]

I been looking for a block of time to order everything I need, bullets, primers, parts and pieces, scopes, etc. but after today; and I realize this is waaay off topic, I’m a bit spooked.

Seeing people in stores making a run on everything and shouting at clerks has got me reconsidering spending too much on what can wait a few weeks. If that isn’t the case where y’all are at just know some people are getting restless so be safe.

Lest I stray too far, I’m hoping to give a range report since canceling plans to head to Texas this week. I hope the report will be as heard at the club and not while in defense of home and property. Optimistic but vigilant.

 

[BigBL87]

I been looking for a block of time to order everything I need, bullets, primers, parts and pieces, scopes, etc. but after today; and I realize this is waaay off topic, I’m a bit spooked.

Seeing people in stores making a run on everything and shouting at clerks has got me reconsidering spending too much on what can wait a few weeks. If that isn’t the case where y’all are at just know some people are getting restless so be safe.

Yaaaaaa... there have been literal fist fights here over toilet paper. I was going to buy some ballistic tip .223 here soon (all I have is FMJ, not ideal for the coyotes) but in light of recent insanity, I think I'll push it off for a week or two. All schools are closed here in IL til at least March 31st, and my wife being a speech language pathologist in the schools its unclear how her pay/time off/etc. will work since shes not in the teacher's union.

Luckily, I stocked up on the essentials beforehand so we don't have much in the way of everyday supplies to worry about. My biggest annoyance was we were supposed to have a quarter cow by now but it got pushed back to April for unrelated reasons. I want me some beef!

 

[Sistema1927]

I don't consider myself a prepper, but we do normally keep enough "stuff" on hand to last at least a month. Strangely enough, the wife just re-stocked on TP and Paper Towels about a week before the big rush began.

We have taken stock of what we have on hand, and figure out that we can hunker down in place, should the need arise, for 8 weeks without having to resort to drastic measures. The only thing that we purchased that we didn't already have on hand, was some dried milk.

 

[Varminterror]

If the burden of a few weeks of staples is a considerable threat to anyone’s financial stability, purchasing a firearm (especially “another”) or components is contraindicated. Fear-mongering to make our current societal health and national economic situation seem worse than reality is irresponsible. This virus is significant, and deserves consideration, but this isn’t the end of days. Our economic downturn cannot be as bad as many liars are promoting - frankly, a lot of us have been waiting for SOMETHING to slow the market to open a window to invest; we’ve been sitting on capital, respecting the simple “buy low, sell high.” There’s a lot of capital waiting to be infused now. These silly reports suggesting this will be worse than the 2008 Recession are irresponsible - that event saw a multi-year collapse of over 20 trillion dollars. Sure, suspension of leisure travel, sporting events and entertainment, etc will have and IS having a significant market impact, but we’re not talking about the collapse of a foundation stone market which will lead to financial detriment larger than our national GDP...

Wash your hands, avoid contact, avoid crowds, and practice the same fiscal responsibility which always applies. The world will keep turning.

 

[LoonWulf]

Wash your hands, avoid contact, avoid crowds, and practice the same fiscal responsibility which always applies. The world will keep turning.

And stop stealing all the toilet paper!

Had my my new Grendel out with the cheap eBay linear comp yesterday.
We were taking turns shooting that gun and the sks I sold him a few months ago.
We were also side by side on a 6" plastic table under a pop up hiding from the ever present rain.......
Same barrel length, but the Grendel burns 3grs more powder, and operates at higher pressure. Still the concussion was less offensive from the Grendel, and it blew less water off the pop up than the sks.

only real down side to the linear comps is crap builds up inside them, and they are harder to clean than a regular brake or flashider. While it might not be a huge issue elsewhere all that stuff absorbs water, and wolf ammo seems bad for making the insides rust, so I have to take them off and clean them every trip or so, or just scrub the rust out and every few months and live with pitting.

 

[boom boom]

only real down side to the linear comps is crap builds up inside them, and they are harder to clean than a regular brake or flashider. While it might not be a huge issue elsewhere all that stuff absorbs water, and wolf ammo seems bad for making the insides rust, so I have to take them off and clean them every trip or so, or just scrub the rust out and every few months and live with pitting.

What do you use to clean them? I have several that are waiting to be installed including a stainless steel linear compensator clone of the KAW, that I picked up somewhere.

Off topic, any panic buying in the tropics of Hawaii?

 

[LoonWulf]

soak them in clp, or detergent motor oil, then bore brush the port channels and rinse them out with chlorine free brake clean or carb cleaner.
I then repatch the barrel and clean the muzzle with long wood handled qtips/inoc swabs.

The easier way is fill them full of foaming bore cleaner and spray out. this works well for light usage, but for the crusty stuff it takes cleaning.


If they come off it's just spray, 12ga bore brush on a drill them spray again with brake clean and wipe.

and again it doesn't effect performance, it's just that everything here rusts.


We trend the same as the mainland, locals can be just as stupid as everyone else. We DO usually have decent stockpiles of emergency rations, simply because of hurricanes, and we like canned food.....but for some reason folks feel they need toilet paper, and the easy cleaning supplies to deal with a upper respiratory illness that's usually transmitted by direct contact.....