Tactical Muzzel Brake

[ODA CDR (RET)]

I'm tired of spending all night searching and not finding info I'm looking for. Can someone explain the diff between Tactical Muzzel Brakes, Compensator, Flash Suppressor, Birdcage, etc.

How can I use this information to work for me? I didn't know it mattered much.

I read Wikipedia thanks.

[The Reaper]

I'm tired of spending all night searching and not finding info I'm looking for. Can someone explain the diff between Tactical Muzzel Brakes, Compensator, Flash Suppressor, Birdcage, etc.

How can I use this information to work for me? I didn't know it mattered much.

I read Wikipedia thanks.

A flash suppressor is designed to break up the flash of the weapon and make it less visible. The M16 birdcage is a good example.

A flash hider is normally a conical muzzle device designed to conceal the flash. The flash hider on the muzzle of a M1919A6 or a Enfield Jungle carbine is a good example.

Muzzle breaks are designed to divert the gas from the muzzle at the front of a weapon to the rear to help reduce the recoil. The shoulder fired .50 rifles like the Armalite or the Barrett usually have muzzle breaks.

Compensators are designed to divert the muzzle gases up to reduce muzzle climb. If you look at the older IPSC Open Class pistols, most of them have compensators of some differing number of ports to heep the muzzle down during rapid fire. The older 1921 and 1928 Thompsons used Cutts Compensators as well.

Each of these muzzle devices does something different. Usually, using one creates worse problems with the other factors. What weapon are you using and what do you want to change?

Hope that helps.

TR

[Streck-Fu]

Edit: Reaper posted while I was typing so, what he said.... :D

There are Flash Supressors and Muzzle Breaks/Compensators.

Flash suppressors reduce the flash of the fired round.

Muzzle breaks/compensators are supposed to reduce recoil.

There are muzzle break/suppressor combos that advertise to do both but probably don't.

The 'Birdcage' is common term for the AR-15 flash suppressor that resembles a birdcage if you hold it vertically and squint really hard and imagine a bird inside it.

Go for a decent flash suppressor with a .223 weapon. I doubt you need the recoil reduction.

[JJ_BPK]

Go for a decent flash suppressor with a .223 weapon. I doubt you need the recoil reduction.

And I would add,, If your prey is not looking to return fire,, you realty don't need to put anything on the weapon to reduce flash. Maybe muzzle jump, in the case of competition weapons or the likes of the 50 cal,, MAYBE...

PS: There are bunches of youtube vids showing night time use of flash and muzzle brakes. But be wary, as a poor camera can not react to the flash and record a true image. At the typical 30 FPS, the flash may not be recorded. AND there are many designs that do nothing but spread the remaining unburnt propellent into a spectacular light show (C attached).....

[Buffalobob]

One thing to remember is that muzzle brakes not only divert gasses to the rear but also sound waves so that there is a need to wear ear protection. There are claims of muzzle breaks that somehow cancel the noise by having different angled ports but I am dubious of the claim. A brakes function from velocity and quantity of muzzle gases impinging on the brake surfaces. Low pressure light weight cartridges are not as effectively braked as high pressure cartridges.

Ported and compensated is about the same thing.

There are generally three designs of brakes

1. The tanker style often seen on 50 cals and is simply a plate with a hole in it in front to the muzzle.
2. Slotted brakes
3. Perforated brakes

If you shoot a lot from prone in very dry and windy conditions then a brake that has holes in the bottom will allow the exhaust gases to kick up dirt which then gets into the action and your eyes and obscures the target and would in a tactical situation provide a signature.

[ODA CDR (RET)]

Heading to the range today to zero and see what this does. Never seen a tactical muzzle brake and curious as to what it does.

http://www.rockriverarms.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=462&CFID=217764186&CFTOKEN=66756011&jsessionid=f03040220f89487c7f3b

[Ambush Master]

The "Tactical" side of their devices is that the end of it is serrated so that when you make a "Muzzle Strike" it grabs or digs into the object you are punching. For example, you come around a corner of a building and a person, dog etc is right there and you fend them off with the muzzle , rather than shoot them, until you can assess the situation.

On a Muzzle Brake, they also improve the accuracy. We have a .177cal 10 meter Air Pistol that has, believe it or not, a Muzzle Brake. Before the tail of the projo clears the muzzle, the nose enters into the front of the brake. When the tail leaves the muzzle, the gasses that erupt are stripped away and deflected away from the flight path of the bullet so that it is flying into "clean air"!!

Later
Martin

[ODA CDR (RET)]

That sounds like rocket science! Yeah, I wouldn't want the end of this thing getting slammed into my face for sure.

[Ambush Master]

Here's a pic of the Walther, a $1200 CO2 .177 Pellet Gun!!

[Dohhunter]

Here's a pic of the Walther, a $1200 CO2 .177 Pellet Gun!!

Shit, does that thing whip cream too!

[Ambush Master]

Heres the 5 Shot Group from 10 Meters that came with it!! If you miss, you can't blame the pistol!!