Author Topic: What's on your muzzle?  (Read 4519 times)

Big Frank

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What's on your muzzle?
« on: November 24, 2018, 11:34:03 PM »
I don't care what's in your wallet. I just want to know what's on your muzzle, and how well it works for you.

I have a Fabian Bros. Muzzle Stabilizer, AKA the DTA Mil-Brake, but it doesn't say that anywhere on it. It just has the Fabian Bros trademark, MUZZLE STABILIZER, CAL. 5.56. The 4th one in the picture is a "California compliant muzzle device.  Not a flash-hider." that they're making now. "Due to incredible demand, the Fabian Bros. Muzzle Stabilizer is back in active production and provides significant benefits for automatic or semi-automatic weapon systems." Mine has an expansion chamber with 3 rows of 4 small holes in the rear compensator portion. In front of that is a smaller diameter hole and an A2-style flash hider section. It looks like the 2nd and 3rd one in the picture. It has a jam nut so you can clock it to any position you want. Mine is at 12 o'clock, but if I had full auto I might need to adjust that.

How well does it work? Back when my dad was still alive we were at our cabin in the middle of the Hiawatha National Forest in the U.P. There was another cabin on an adjoining property but very rarely anyone there. The owners refused to sell 70 or so years ago and it's basically just 2 cabins in the middle of nowhere. There's a point I'm getting to. When the moon isn't out it gets darker than a raven. The inside of one. You literally can't see your hand in front of your face.

I had the Mil-Brake on a 16" barrel on my AR and walked out in the yard, loaded one round, shut off my flashlight, and fired into the ground about 5 feet in front of me. Bang, and that was it, little to no discernible muzzle flash, like a firefly so far away you barely saw a blink. I got my dad's Mini-14 with the standard 18.5 inch barrel and no flash hider, and did the same thing with another round from the same box of ammo. Bang, and the flash was so bright I was half-blinded. I turned on my flashlight and was still seeing a big blob of light everywhere I looked until my retinas recovered. I couldn't even see the cabin for a few seconds. I haven't fired enough rounds fast enough to say how well the compensator works, but the flash hider in front of the expansion chamber works great. I saw a different video of a guy testing several muzzle devices on full auto, including the DTA Mil-Brake, and will post it if I find it again. Some rounds make a flash you can easily see and some don't. Here's one on a Galil.

P.S. The muzzle stabilizer is the same diameter as an A1 or A2 flash hider so you can still use a bayonet with it. It looks like my blade sticks out an even 4" beyond it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shRoGN32PKs
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

billt

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Re: What's on your muzzle?
« Reply #1 on: November 25, 2018, 05:06:18 AM »
All of my AR's carry the standard "Birdcage" flash suppressor. I've never seen any reason to incorporate anything different. The .223 / 5.56 MM round is low recoil / low noise. So when you get right down to it, it really doesn't require anything other than perhaps a threaded barrel for suppressor adaptation.

Same with all of my AK's. They all carry the standard 45 degree "slash" brake as well. (With the exception of my 2 Arsenal models). They produce a bit more recoil, but certainly nothing objectionable.

Now my .338-378 and .460 Weatherby are a different story. They both carry the excellent Weatherby Accubrake. It does a fantastic job of reducing the recoil of these cartridges by as much as 40%. Depending on load and bullet weight. I also have a .375 H&H Magnum in a Browning A-Bolt Medallion with the Browning BOSS System. Again it reduces the recoil to that of my non braked .300 Win. Mag. when loaded with 270 and 300 grain bullets.

Granted all of these brakes substantially increase muzzle blast. So it becomes a trade off. This is especially true in .50 BMG. Recoil on my Bushmaster BA-50 rifle is very manageable, (about that of a .30-06), But the blast is all but painful to endure if you are standing off to the left or right, at a 45 degree angle to the muzzle.

les snyder

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Re: What's on your muzzle?
« Reply #2 on: November 25, 2018, 08:07:16 AM »
my 3 gun rifle is old school... Miculek brake with the rear wiper drilled through to diameter of minimum thread diameter for 1/2 x 28 to open it up a little... seems to smooth out the impulse.... the entire brake boss is threaded to delete the lock nut, and clocked slightly to 1:00 with shims

the SBR has a LeVang linear, the AR pistols have flash cans

MikeBjerum

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Re: What's on your muzzle?
« Reply #3 on: November 25, 2018, 12:26:24 PM »
What is the benefit of using shims rather than the lock nut?  Also the 1:00?
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les snyder

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Re: What's on your muzzle?
« Reply #4 on: November 25, 2018, 05:20:11 PM »
Mike... the use of different thickness shims or removing metal from the brake itself can align the comp to the desired orientation by just tightening... the thickness determined  by the thread pitch and necessary amount of rotation needed... at 28 threads per inch, one revolution takes about .036"...  makes a better looking installation, plus shortens it a bit... I like to orient the vertical blast component vector to around the 1:00 position, as I perceive less scope movement... the experts say this is due to the rotational torque applied as the bullet moves down the rifled barrel, I think it is more likely due to the force of the ejected brass kicking the butt to the left.... the 5.56 game rifles have 4x32 scopes, the 9mm a dot... I'm more concerned with eliminating the scope shake than reducing recoil... I occasionally have some 400m shots, and I don't think tightening a crush washer at the muzzle and possibly deforming the barrel diameter where it is the thinnest is a smart thing to do

the flash cans are home made 1"D x 1.8"L aluminum round, threaded 1/2x28, and bored with a .820 hole to make an open front "can" that projects flash and noise down range

the LeVang is commercial, and the holes at the muzzle help break up some of the shock wave, so they are less likely to  re ignite any still volatile gases and ignite them... I perceive it a tad bit quieter than the flash cans

the 9mm has a Miculek style brake 1/2x 36

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Re: What's on your muzzle?
« Reply #5 on: Today at 05:02:37 AM »

TAB

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Re: What's on your muzzle?
« Reply #5 on: November 25, 2018, 07:30:07 PM »
I have an advanced arms m4 2000  just waiting on paper work.  I have too start leaving the wallet in the truck and walk in with just enough cash too buy what I went in for
I always break all the clay pigeons,  some times its even with lead.

Big Frank

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Re: What's on your muzzle?
« Reply #6 on: November 25, 2018, 10:55:58 PM »
I wish my wallet had too much money in it.

Les, I was wondering which direction you should clock your brake. My thought was that when shooting right-handed the brake should be clocked so it's pushing more into my left (support) hand. Is that right? That's how I had mine until I put it straight up to 12:00 at some point. I put a straw from a can of cleaning duster through the bottom-most slots and it looks straight from the muzzle end. I don't see any need to get out a protractor, and just eyeballed it. I believe my other AR with an A2 birdcage on it is as close to straight up as I could get it with a peel washer. That's on the 16" barrel to keep the length down and the DTA Mil-Brake is on the 20" barrel.

Does anyone know if an A2 birdcage makes more flash than an A1? Last night I was thinking maybe there's more of a flash going toward your line of sight since there's none going down.
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

Big Frank

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Re: What's on your muzzle?
« Reply #7 on: November 25, 2018, 11:24:42 PM »
Bill's mention of muzzle blast reminded me of something. I had a 14" .223 Remington barrel on my T/C Contender and decided it was too muzzle heavy. So I sent it to Fox Ridge Outfitters, TC's Custom Shop, and had them shorten it and add a brake, bringing the total length to 12". I was at Williams Gun Sight with it years and years before they had an indoor range, and there were short plywood walls between each stall outdoors. I'm sure I must have mentioned this in the past, but when I touched off a round a woman cop dropped her revolver. She didn't see me shoot but she sure heard it. I guess she wasn't used to loud noises on a firing line. Certainly not that loud. After that I sent the barrel back to Fox Ridge Outfitters and had them shorten it to 9". That got rid of the threaded part of the barrel and is about as short as you can go with a long forend. Without measuring it I think I'm within 1/4" of having a Mannlicher-stocked pistol. ;D
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

TAB

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Re: What's on your muzzle?
« Reply #8 on: November 26, 2018, 03:27:46 AM »
I wish mine did too, it's always empty
I always break all the clay pigeons,  some times its even with lead.

les snyder

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Re: What's on your muzzle?
« Reply #9 on: November 26, 2018, 08:36:12 AM »
Jumbo... yes, at least that is my experience... the Miculek brake has 3 side ports milled vertical to the bullet travel that defines the wiper section of the comp... due to the cylindrical shape of both the comp and cutter, it makes somewhat a venturi as the outer portion is machined wider than the inner due to the radius....the rear most cut is machined deeper so it removes more of the "top" portion of the comp, producing the downward force of the gas... this is the part I reference when I clock to the right (looking down the barrel)

I've used spark plug washers to align comps if you can't find shims or peel washers... I'm not a fan of peel washers after I grabbed the muzzle and sliced the crap out of my hand with a thin section of peel washer that was exposed

 

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