Tell me about compensators...

[boredelmo]

This is most likely going to go on a .45 1911.

Reduces perceived recoil right? Anyone with experience care to share how much they think the recoil was reduced? (ex. Felt like a _____ caliber pistol.)

So a threaded barrel with compensator is better than one that installs on a barrel bushing?

What are my options in compensator, searching around on the internet there doesnt seem like a specific company that have a good line. Nor could i find many options.

Basically im asking everyone to spew as much knowledge about compensating a 1911.

thanks in advance,

-Elmer

 

[Longbow]

It works very well on high volume catridges (.38 super, 10mm, 9mm super comp, 9x25....). The more powder is burnt, the more gasses exits the ports (jet effect) pushing the muzzle down = less to no muzzle jump. So in short, the hotter the cartridge, the better it works. Light bullets is usually the norm, since it allows for more powder space in the cartridge.
For the 1911, avoid those bushing type compensators that doesn't have baffles (it has holes, but no compartments). They're worhtless.

 

[JoeHatley]

In .45 acp, save your money. They do little but add a bit of weight to the front end.

Joe

 

[Longbow]

It does work in .45ACP too, its just not as efficient as in longer cartridges, as case capacity is greater.
There are compensators specifically designed for 45ACP out there, Clark's being one of them.

P.S.
I opted for barrel porting on my .45 1911 years ago and it worked great. ' just thought I might add as another option to consider.

 

[10-Ring]

For the 45 acp, I wouldn't waste my $$...does not typically generate enough pressure to take advantage of what a comp can do.

 

[HSMITH]

45 compensators can be VERY efficient with the right loadings. If you don't handload you will never approach the level of compensation that you would if you handloaded for it.

Bushing comps are a waste of time and money, the only way to go is to have it threaded on and alignment reamed.

Here is the thing with compensators, you need gas volume at pressure for them to work best. More gas at higher pressure works it better, in 45 you don't have pressure so you need more volume of gas at normal 45 pressures. To get this you load lighter bullets with larger quantities of slower powders than what you normally would. You run the bullets at higher speeds by doing this, increasing the felt recoil before you take it back out. There is a balance there, and it might take a good bit of experimentation to find what feels best for you. It has been my experience with compensated 45's that you can get the gun to shoot extremely flat OR extremely soft, but not both.

 

[wally]

I've never had the opportunity to do a proper A/B comparison between a compensated and non compensated handgun. The compensated guns I've fired have not convinced me that just hanging the equivalent weight off the front wouldn't have the same net effect.

I've a pair of 2" .38 specials and one is "ported" (Taurus) the other isn't (S&W 640), IMHO the ports are eyewash.

After shooting a variety of AKs with and without various compensators I'm not convinced they do much for semi-auto rifle fire either, although the flash suppression effect of most is very noticeable.

--wally.

 

[Longbow]

I've never had the opportunity to do a proper A/B comparison between a compensated and non compensated handgun. The compensated guns I've fired have not convinced me that just hanging the equivalent weight off the front wouldn't have the same net effect.

I've a pair of 2" .38 specials and one is "ported" (Taurus) the other isn't (S&W 640), IMHO the ports are eyewash.

After shooting a variety of AKs with and without various compensators I'm not convinced they do much for semi-auto rifle fire either, although the flash suppression effect of most is very noticeable.

--wally.
__________________

You should try those full house racegun for USPSA competitions (9x25, 9mm TJ, .38 super comp...). These guns, when loaded to the max, the muzzle would actually move downward during firing. Its very loud though. Same with rifles with high-end custom brakes.

 

[Hawk]

The fifty cal folks did an exhaustive comparison of compensators a couple of years back.

What struck me was that, at least in the case of the .50BMG, the direction of the ports was irrelevant. The recoil reduction was a function of the ejecta pushing forward on the comp chambers.

IIRC, one of the most effective brakes had forward facing ports.

The "jet effect" in .50 cal. was largely psychological. To what extent this might apply to .45ACP, I don't know. Clearly, most brakes seem to be designed in such a manner that "jet effect" is presumed.

 

[Longbow]

"jet effect" is more evident in full auto, rapid fire or fast double taps. It does happen, its not psychological.

 

[Hawk]

I'd conjecture that on weapons with sufficient barrel thickness, the ports are actually acting, to some extent, as muzzle brakes with the forward portion of the ports acting as "ejecta traps", albeit inefficient ones. In full auto, we're likely talking "real" muzzle brakes which (in the one case extensively tested) did not rely on the direction of the ports and derived no part of their effectiveness on "jet effect".

If so, it's not inconceivable that they would work nearly as well with the ports on the bottom. The fact that they're perceived as effective would not necessarily indicate "jet effect" was responsible.

I certainly wouldn't bet the rent on it but I'd sure like to see someone come up with a fixture to test such things. The Vais brake would not have appeared intuitively obvious but it works fine. I'd also contribute to a project to ascertain if shotgun barrel ports do anything in the context of target loads. What little background I have in propulsion tells me ports in the bottom barrel of a stackbarrel would quickly erode the top barrel if reactive forces only were to counteract recoil to any meaningful extent. However, the upper barrels on those I've observed wipe clean with a tissue. Somehow, this just doesn't seem right but I'm not qualified to dismiss it out of hand.

 

[SDC]

A compensator doesn't reduce recoil, so much as it reduces "muzzle jump"; in 45, I doubt you'll notice much of an effect compared to something shooting 38 Super or similar. Since a comp works by re-directing propellant gasses, you'll get the best results with something shooting a light bullet at high velocity, pushed by a large volume of gas.