I am wanting to change out my bird cage with a compensator. I understand that is topic can lead to many a debate and discussion.
I can search all day long, in which I have, but I would rather get current up to date info. I have googled for the best compensator but all the threads lead into debates and no real given information.
Instead, I would rather give you what I want to achieve and see what the most practical choice is for my specific application. I would like to see no debates but different experience with you more advanced shooters.
Goal: Weapon control. I know a compensator will not make a significant difference but to me, every little bit counts. Muzzle flash isnt a huge deal, but I do not want a “flame thrower”.
I have looked at the BC2.0 and have heard mixed things about it. I was informed the Surefire FH556 is a good one along with the Black Rain Ordnance. I don’t know many other brands on the market.
You say you have searched, but have you done it on this site? There are so many threads with valuable information about comps I couldn’t possibly count them. You claim to have found only debate threads with no good information, which leads me to deduce that you have not searched here. Use the orange search button at the top of each page.
The word “Practical” and Comps/MB’s don’t go together. There is nothing practical about them and from my POV, they are less than ideal.
With that out of the way, here are the reasons why you would run a Comp:
Competition shooting (and are very close to the finishing in the top 10 at every competition you compete in).
You are a female shooter and lack the strength to control a .223.
Run a suppressor (and want to protect the first baffle).
From reading your “needs” I do not see any of the above 3 listed so I am not sure why you think you need one. My follow up question is, are you going to use this gun in a defensive roll? Ever fired a comp inside a building? How bout at night? The words deaf and blind come to mind.
Now for the recommendation. The only comp I would use at this time is the BCM (followed up by the BC). Reason? They are the least annoying off all the comps, do a moderate job of killing flash and do not have that super annoying concussion feeling.
Clearly define your needs (not wants) and make sure to examine the negatives that come with your choices.
1st… there should be a decent amount of threads on comps that you will just have to sort through to get good information.
2nd, the SF FH556 is a flash hider. The MB556 is the brake. I personally think SF is the best option unless money makes no difference to you and you want to go with the KAC TT. The muzzle blast on the SF is pretty bad but you are not going to get an effective brake / comp that doesn’t have this issue. The KAC will “flash” on you sometimes and it is pretty significant but that is not every shot. I prefer flash hiders so i have limited exposure to breaks and comps but if I had to make an ordered list of my preferences this is it:
KAC TT
KAC MAMS
SureFire
AAC Breakout
PWS
BattleComp
Figure out if you want a comp or a brake… comps help with muzzle flip while brakes help with felt recoil. All of this has been discussed before so you should be able to get an idea of what would be best by reading through a few threads. Also, you might want to think about if you are planning to run a suppressor and who’s suppressor you would be using because if you are, you might want to go with a brake that mounts that particular brand.
The reason there’s so much debate about brakes & compensators is because everyone has a different opinion as to which one is best, or even if one should be used. You’re just going to have to turn your BS filter up high, sort through all the rhetoric, pick one and take a chance on it being The One. If you’re looking for a cut & dried answer, mine above is as good as any
The Battle Comp and Bravo comp have worked very well for me. Muzzle climb is virtually non existent and they both doing a good job with muzzle flash. The Z comp was pretty effective as well. One thing I noticed is that different ammo and loadings will also affect their performance as well.
Agree with IG. Have a Battlecomp and BCM comp. Without getting too technical both work extremely well. The BCM is 2/3 the price of the BC if that plays into your decision making.
I have a few Battlecomps in a parts bin. They have all been on carbines, for having the “least” concussion they still had too much.
I have found the Yankee Hill machine 5C1 phantom to be the best. Much like the A2 but a little longer to cut down on flash more. I couldn’t be happier, my shooting buddies are happier to not have to stand next to my battle comps too.
The phantom it technically a comp too. It does not work nearly as well as the battlecomp to control muzzle rise, but its better at everything else.
Agreed. I have BCs on all my ARs except one, a 6920 with the phantom 5C2. I’ve found it is the most effective flash hider & compensator, for the least amount of coin. The concussion is on par with the A2, barely noticeable.
I’m running a BC 2.0 on my 16" rifle and a BCM Mod 0 on my 10.3" SBR. Both comps do a good job at taming muzzle rise and lessening the already small amount of recoil produced by a 5.56 AR.
During some completely non-scientific testing with both comps on my SBR, I did find that the BCM tends to do a better job at taming muzzle flash out of my 10.3" DD barrel. The BattleComp did seem to do a slightly better job of controlling muzzle rise over the BCM, but not by much. I honestly couldn’t tell a difference when I came to sound/concussion between the two. Discernibly ‘louder’ than an A2, but nothing like some of the gamer comps out there.
I would recommend both, giving the edge to the BCM purely for the price point.
The most I would be willing to spend is around 175ish. And all of these are under my max limit. I guess it all boils down to, which one I feel has the best and consistent reviews and ratings.
Look at the Griffin Armament Flash Comp over the standard M4SDII. I have a Flash Comp along with a BC 2.0 and the BCM comp and I feel that it is the best overall. Concussion is between the BC and BCM, muzzle control is better than both, flash is better than the BC and on par with the BCM, and cost is roughly $85. It is also compatible with GA’s excellent suppressors.
I have had excellent results with the KAC Triple Tap ranging from uppers with a 10.3" barrel up to an 18" barrel.
The downside to the TTT is that on 10.3" barrels with M193, the fireball is stupid. However, that’s the only ammunition that did that to me. MK262, various 223 loadings, 5.56 BH 50 Gr., all excellent results with minimal flash and low concussion. Straight back push with little to no “crack” in the sound. Extremely smooth function with an A5 RE.
I’ve ran a Battle Comp and I did not like the downward push nor did I like the deafening sound it had. For whatever reason the crack off that thing hurt. The concussion was a little worse with the BC compared to the TTT. Flash mitigation was a bit better than the TTT with M193 but performed the same with all other listed loads.
Currently I’m looking at the KAC MAMS and the Griffin comps. So I do not have any experience with those, currently.
I’ve been running the BC 1.0 and the BCM MOD 0 side by side for a while now. I run the BCM MD on a 16 inch DD V1 with the stock buffer system and the BC on a BCM 16 inch middy with a Vltor system running a A5H2 buffer. So far they are very close in rise and concussion, although I have to admit I am partial to the BCM MOD 0. Even though the BCM build has the A5 system I feel as though my follow up shots are bouncing back on target quicker with the DD than the AR with the BC. I am sure other factors are influencing this (round count being one) I have maybe 5000 through the DD and only 2000 through the BCM. I really do not think that you could go wrong with either of them but I really would give the BCM a strong look. I have not shot the griffin but I have heard good things about it also.
Sooner or later I will switch up the MD’s to really drawl a conclusion to which I prefer, but as I said they are both GTG.
