Do You Know the Difference Between a Flash Hider, a Compensator and a Muzzle Brake?

I hear the terminology for different muzzle devices misused and mangled frequently. As in…a lot. And it’s not just newbies who are guilty of mis-identifying these things. Plenty of “gun guys” don’t really know the difference. So to help alleviate the problem and clear up some confusion, here’s the difference between the most commonly used … Read more

A Beginner’s Guide to Muzzle Brakes

A question I am often asked is if a person should get a muzzle brake for their rifle. There is some ground to cover in answering that question, so let’s start with some definitions. The Different Muzzle Devices In today’s shooting world there are many guns that come with threaded muzzles that can accept a … Read more

Gear Spotlight: Ultradyne’s APOLLO MAX Muzzle Brake

Ultradyne USA, the guys who made what are possibly the best iron sights on the market, also build what are arguably the best muzzle devices. The combination makes sense, as it allows them to play to their strengths by selling compensator-sight combos. The APOLLO MAX Muzzle Brake (below) is notable: After rigorously testing the brake with a load cell … Read more

AR-15 Flash Hiding Test #2

FHT2_AAC-Brakeout

As a follow-up to the AR-15 Flash Hider Shootout, test #2 here adds a variety of new flash hiders to the mix and also includes a lot of combination devices and even some straight-up brakes and comps. So, yes, for the pedants out there this is a “flash hiding” test, not a “flash hider” test. We received a lot of comments from people more curious about how the all-around muzzle devices and brakes fare than how the dedicated FHs do, so there’s a good mix of contenders here. Once again, not only did we capture photographs of each device in action, but with the use of a trick light meter we were able to record actual brightness measurements and scored some real, objective data . . .

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