Muzzle Brakes the new IN thing?

[Paulo_Santos]

I remember up until a couple of months ago, guys used to trash muzzle brakes as being obnoxious and some some guys even indicated that they would not allow them at their range or even want to be an RO at matches for guys using them. Living in NJ, I have always had to have muzzle brakes on my personal ARs. I think I have tried every single one out there from the PRI QC, AK style, JP Tac Comp, Izzy brake, FSC556 and FSC30. I understand the negatives about the muzzle brakes such as the noise/side blast and added flash, but I always thought the advantages that the muzzle brakes provide such as the muzzle flip/recovery time was a huge advantage.

For me, when the FSC556 came out, that really started to change the perception of the muzzle brakes because you get the benefits of a muzzle brake and while they are still a little louder than most flash hiders, they are not as obnoxious as other muzzle brakes. And now with the BattleComp and the KAC Brake, they are even better.

Is anyone else looking at muzzle brakes differently, or is it just a FAD?

[Duffy]

I've always liked and collected muzzle devices, some brakes are just obnoxious, but fun if you want to blast your shooting buddy's baseball cap off. I have and use them, sure they do tame the muzzle climb, but everything has a cost. When it really counts, it's a flash suppressor for me, I can do something about muzzle climb but not too much about reducing the muzzle signature without a good flash suppressor.

[Quib]

Is anyone else looking at muzzle brakes differently, or is it just a FAD?

With some of the latest reviews covering new MB's to hit the market, it certainly has changed my view of them. If the prices could come down a bit that would probably push me over the edge towards purchasing one.

[UDT]

With new MB's hitting the market and if the prices could come down a bit that would make me more inclined to purchase one. At this time I beleive my first choice would be the BattleComp

[rob_s]

I still won't SO people with them if there's a way for me not to. The exceptions being the Triple Tap and the Battlecomp.

I do think it's a fad to some extent, and it's due in part to a shifting of who the industry celebrities are and what they are using.

I still wouldn't put one on my home defense gun, or a gun I intend to use indoors. The TT and BC may change that, but the FS556 most certainly would not. My HD gun wears a can, however, so the muzzle device is immaterial.

So I can't really answer your poll, as all three are true for me.

As an SO I Still don't like them
In combination with other developments My opinion about them is changing.
As a competitor and provided they are of the right design I prefer to use muzzle brakes.

[rob_s]

I will also add this, which is sure to annoy some people....

There are still more brakes sold to people looking to buy skill than there are to people who can actually take advantage of whatever improvement they may add. They're right up there with aftermarket triggers in this regard. To be sure, I have some shooters that can run the shit out of their guns and the brakes help them do it, but for every one of them I have another 10 or 20 that may have a brake on the end of their barrel but still need to be timed using a sundial they are so damn slow. One of the hands down best shooters we ever had, and best shooters I've ever seen, ran a stock DPMS with a Trijicon Reflex sight on it and a stock Glock 19. He was so good that if he showed up the contest was for second place. AND he was left-handed so he was at a disadvantage in manipulations.

Buy a 6920 and put an Aimpoint and BFG Victory sling on it. Shoot the hell out of it. About the time you're ready to change the barrel out, but certainly not before you've shot out the bolt, you'll be ready to start worrying about changing parts on the gun.

[tac40]

Here in California, options are a little different. Those with pre-ban, post-ban and after- ban-whatever that means AR style rifles with various flash hiders and muzzle breaks, the private shooter and some in the LEO community uses muzzle breaks because the laws on the books are sometimes confusing. California has the "OLL", off list lower, which kinda allows you to have a pre-ban configuration but with a bullet button which locks a 10 rd magazine in place. The muzzle break is not a fad but part of a means to satisfy the needs of the state law. I see lots of weekend shooters with muzzle breaks and yes what a pain, I've seen a post ban Colt AR with no muzzle break or flas hider, very loud indeed. Having used the Rainier Arms muzzle break and currently the Battle comp, these are good examples of means to a need, demand and fix to shooters in states with restrictive gun laws.

[Stickman]

The generation of Comps that are coming onto the market have a different goal than those of 5 years ago. I hate to use the word "Tactical", but these newer variants are giving up some of their comp abilities to kill flash, and some of them are able to do it without the horrendous side blast that we see from most open sided comps.

[Wondering Beard]

The generation of Comps that are coming onto the market have a different goal than those of 5 years ago. I hate to use the word "Tactical", but these newer variants are giving up some of their comp abilities to kill flash, and some of them are able to do it without the horrendous side blast that we see from most open sided comps.

+1

[todd.k]

I just don't like the blast, at all.

My suppressed SBR's shoot soft (Switchblock or small gas port) AND are pleasant to shoot.

[Op4guy]

I'm working on a muzzle brake review right now. Hoping for it to be done by mid November but I am waiting on one final brake from Knight's before I do a final round of testing. At the present, I run a PWS FSC on my guns. But the brakes I have in the line up are:
-Troy Industries: Medieval and Claymore
-Primary Weapons System FSC 556
-Rainier Arms Xtreme Tactical Comp
-Battle Comp 1.0
-Knight's Armament Triple Tap
-Standard A2 birdcage

Very excited to get all this info in one place as I think it will be a good look at everything from a simple A2 cage and up. Like I said, hoping for about mid November but it depends on a parts arrival date. If it comes down to it being past that due to production dates I may just 2 part series the whole article.

[Stickman]

Looks like we are working on similar projects. [:)]

[The-S]

I'm working on a muzzle brake review right now. Hoping for it to be done by mid November but I am waiting on one final brake from Knight's before I do a final round of testing. At the present, I run a PWS FSC on my guns. But the brakes I have in the line up are:
-Troy Industries: Medieval and Claymore
-Primary Weapons System FSC 556
-Rainier Arms Xtreme Tactical Comp
-Battle Comp 1.0
-Knight's Armament Triple Tap
-Standard A2 birdcage

Very excited to get all this info in one place as I think it will be a good look at everything from a simple A2 cage and up. Like I said, hoping for about mid November but it depends on a parts arrival date. If it comes down to it being past that due to production dates I may just 2 part series the whole article.

I have the claymore and LOVE it. But I am the only person I know with it.

[Op4guy]

Looks like we are working on similar projects. [:)]

Very cool Stick, would love to BS with you via PM sometime about it as well as some photo questions.


I have the claymore and LOVE it. But I am the only person I know with it.
I really like the way the Claymore works. It's a more tactical version of the Levang and is effective.

[Stickman]

Are you going to be reviewing them on a 16" barrel? If so, I'll go the route of the shorty, that way we aren't duplicating things.

[Op4guy]

All of them will be on 16" except for one that is 14.5". Wish I could get them shorter but the .gov gets picky in the state of WA about that.

[The-S]

I really like the way the Claymore works. It's a more tactical version of the Levang and is effective.

I am still torn for use on a shorty between it and a KX3

[neo9710]

I'm working on a muzzle brake review right now. Hoping for it to be done by mid November but I am waiting on one final brake from Knight's before I do a final round of testing. At the present, I run a PWS FSC on my guns. But the brakes I have in the line up are:
-Troy Industries: Medieval and Claymore
-Primary Weapons System FSC 556
-Rainier Arms Xtreme Tactical Comp
-Battle Comp 1.0
-Knight's Armament Triple Tap
-Standard A2 birdcage

Very excited to get all this info in one place as I think it will be a good look at everything from a simple A2 cage and up. Like I said, hoping for about mid November but it depends on a parts arrival date. If it comes down to it being past that due to production dates I may just 2 part series the whole article.


Looks like we are working on similar projects. [:)]

Any more news on the comparison?

[Stickman]

Any more news on the comparison?

One of the guys on the review team still has the weapon and the BC. The BC wins overall, though we left the KAC TT out of the testing. There is a lot that comes into play with this review, and certain people will be better by other options. I'm hoping to get this written up and completed this week.

[AR-10]

I'm hijacking this thread rather than make a whole new one, what's a good brake for a 16" .308?

I'm considering one for obvious reasons and I don't have any experience with them.

[Paulo_Santos]

I'm hijacking this thread rather than make a whole new one, what's a good brake for a 16" .308?

I'm considering one for obvious reasons and I don't have any experience with them.

If you don't mind a little noise, the FSC30 is an excellent brake. I had one on all of my 6.8 ARs and it worked great.

[AR-10]

What would be your number two and number three choices, I was turned off by the open-prong tip of the FSC30.

[Paulo_Santos]

What would be your number two and number three choices, I was turned off by the open-prong tip of the FSC30.

I can tell I never had any problems with it. They used to sell a version called the DNTC30, which was pretty good also. If money is not an issue, check out the Battle Comps. That would be my #1 choice if money isn't an issue. Another good choice is the POF. If you want a pure muzzle brake, the JP Rifles Comp is real good, but loud.

[reiswigt]

PWS makes the PRC that is designed for more of a precision rifle. It doesn't have the open tines that the FSC30 has. I'm trying to decide between the BABC and FSC30. I'd make someone a good deal on a POF .308 brake.

[CCK]

I'm partial to surefire MB's that are adaptors for their suppressors.

Chris

[rob_s]

Strictly from a competitive standpoint...

We had a monster stage this week. I won the stage/match with a time of 102.xx seconds. No brake, and shooting 300 BLK. There were many shooters with brakes.

The stage consisted of a diagonal run across the range totaling 75-100 yards or so. Engage steel at 50 yards, shoot bowling pin at next barrel then engage two targets on the move. Shoot steel at 30 yards, shoot bowling pin, engage two. Shoot steel at 25 yards, engage one on way to shoot house. Enter house, engage 8 targets out of 16 with color of target being assigned at door. Exit shoot house, engage one on the move, engage two more, transition to handgun, and engage 4 poppers. Use of cover when available required.

If this doesn't make sense, it's ok as that's not really the point. The point is that given EVERYTHING else that one had to do in order to perform well on this stage, and the penalty of 30 seconds for failing to neutralize a target or hitting a non-threat, the marginal advantage that a MB offers was absolutely nil. Adding in the color coding of the targets wherein each shooter had to identify the threat/non-threat targets as they sliced the pie and did not have the ability to "game" the stage to determine shoot order or shot placement prior to running the stage, and the arrangement of same targets to allow for a high percentage of shoot-throughs...

Now, I do not deny that if we had three top-level three-gun shooters that their times *may* have been close enough to one another for the winner to be the one with the best brake, but even at that level there were so many opportunities to screw up that I bet even those guys would have made at least one mistake each, thereby again negating the benefit of the brake.

I am coming to believe that brakes matter in some competitive environments where they are designed to matter, in some limited drills performed in a vacuum and *maybe* when every single other thing is performed perfectly. In the realities of far more complex scenarios and situations IMHO they are rather useless, and after running many shooters through the shoot-house may also be a strong detriment depending on how much hearing protection a shooter can don prior to the shooting event.

The "range as laboratory" trend that's going on of late is interesting, and I myself engage in that pursuit quite often, but I think that sometimes the translation from laboratory to reality is getting lost.

[Stickman]

Which round were you shooting for this?

[rob_s]

Subsonics