Armory Sponsor
Posted: 6/1/2002 12:43:11 PM EDT
|
Lots of guys talk about the mini Y-Comp muzzle break. Yet I see the full size version. Is it a waste of break and unneccesary length? I'm going to buy a 16" chrome lined and fluted dissipator barrel with a flip-up front sight for my posty AR. I want to put a break on it but want to get the right one. Opinions are welcome! |
Yeah I heard that too, I may just skip the break all together. Thanks! |
Interesting question. Maybe if you're pumping rounds out real fast, like you said. Options options options! |
|
Well, consider this: Have you ever seen a highly accurate AR varmint or silhouette long range accurate rifle with a muzzle brake? Have you ever seen a Military select fire AR with a muzzle brake? Maybe Bushmaster (and others) are right. The AR is generally quieter and more accurate without them. Maybe you would be better off with a target crowned barrel? |
| Whatever you decide (brake/no brake), just don't go with the Mini-Y. I am unable to fire mine without hearing protection and it's a drag to have to wear inserts while walking a trail. I'll be sending mine to Kurt's Custom in the near future for a switch. The Mini is so loud it literally hurts. |
No, the point is to stay on target for multiple rounds, maintain your sight picture, and be able to transition quickly. I don't think anyone will ever mistake a Mini Y-Comp for a A2 flash hider. That being said, the Y-comp is one of the most effective breaks on the market. The tactical rifle matches that I have attended demonstrate very clearly the need for a break; you don't stand a chance without one. |
Well, rabbit9, that being the case, why doesn't the military, who need all these qualities, use muzzle brakes? |
Muzzle breaks, in direct proportion to their efficiency, are LOUD AS HELL!!! All that extra noise is not the best thing for "command and control". The military "might" have a need to hear what's going on around them, while a competitor in a match does not. By the way, alot of what makes it into the SF kit was derived from competition; think Aimpoint. |
|
Is the military really going to worry about the increased noise emitted by a brake on the battlefield, when any number of people are banging away, some/all on burst/FA? How about the noise from tanks, vehicles, bombs, mortar rounds , grenades, planes, ad nauseam? Doubt the difference is noticeable after the first few seconds of battle. One's ears would "clamp down" and auditory exclusion would be the name of the game. I strongly suspect that the military spurns brakes because they would MUCH rather have flash-suppression what with all the NVDs being used, and the penchant for operating at night (force multiplier). A muzzle brake would: (1) Quickly ruin the shooter's night vision. (I know, it's not gonna last long anyway, but why rush night blindness if you don't have to?) (2) Damage or render temporarily useless NVDs upon which we now rely heavily. (And not necessarily just your own, either...) (3) Make a much better target for opposing forces than a flash suppressor. As far as Tac rifle matches go, not everything they develop is a good idea in combat. Think fragile "space gun". |
|
The NVD concept makes sense. As does the noise complaints. However, say in 'our' world, where most of us have post-ban rifles, does it make sense to get a muzzle break? IE, a 20" heavy barrel wouldn't need one. Would a 16" barrel? Picture a SHTF scenario, would you really want one? |
|
RAF, very good point about the night vision; makes sense. You can't use the more effective breaks without hearing protection. Auditory exclusion is a psychological phenomenon, while bleeding from the ears is a physiological occurrence. I've also never seen anything "fragile" used in a tactical match; it's pretty much "SHTF" gear only. |
|
I shoot the nine. Of course I'm very fast and very accurate... Although somewhat humble in my abilities.  Dang, right post...wrong topic!  I guess that's what happens when your working nights and have been awake over 24hrs. Oh well, I said it and I'm not taking it back...whatever it means.
|
|
For my recent experiences with the Mini-Y: www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?id=122459 |
|
It's not about recoil hurting your shoulder, hell if you can't take a few hundred .30-06 rounds you're holding the rifle wrong - it's about sight picture. The proper way to hold the rifle is with the support hand just supporting the handguards - not gripping it. See Jim Crew's book for pictures and details why but basically the support hand will transmit corrections (flinch) to the barrel before the bullet leaves the barrel. The barrel of even a fairly heavy 20" rifle will flip upwards with each shot causing the target at some distance to be obscured. On paper targets that don't often shoot back this is not a problem. At ranges where you can throw the rifle and hit the target this is also not a problem. When a more hostile target disappears from my sights I want to know if it's seeking cover or room temperature. Next some mechanics men. The amount of energy coming out behind the bullet is relatively fixed in relationship to muzzle treatments. Suppressors (silencers) work by retarding the release of these gases muffling the energy release that we detect as sound. Flash suppressors (which the military uses because they are exempt from the screwy laws) are designed to modify the gas release to reduce the fireball to save the shooter's night vision. From the target's perspective you can still see the flash. Finally muzzle brakes take some of the energy and redirect it away from it's normal path (towards the target) and channel it off to the sides (recoil reduction) and upwards (to counter the flip). The brake doesn't add noise - it only redirects it. Some times it's a good thing to reduce the amount of noise directed at the target. Wearing proper hearing protection it's hard to hear the difference between a .223 and a .308 let alone a bare barrel and a muzzle brake. If it came to the point where I had to take an unprotected shot, damaging my hearing for life, it would be a situation of life or death and the tiny difference in damage wouldn't be of much concern compared to putting fast lead into the target. |
Armory Sponsor