Hey guys, just picked a new to me noveske 10.5 upper, and this is my first real venture into guns shorter than 11.5. I’m planning on using a vltor a5, green spring, standard a5 buffer to start with, m16 profile BCG. Its going to be shot unsuppressed, not planning on putting a can on it. Couple of main questions.
Best flash hider for the short guns? Trying to avoid fireballs and it will be shot under NVG’s.
Is the vltor a5 standard buffer going to be g2g for this? I’ll be shooting unspressed with quality full power 5.56 ammo, no steel case or cheap 223.
TIA
Edit : this rifle will not be a range toy, it will be an HD pistol as well as a vehicle gun so reliability is utmost concern
I think pew science did a FH comparison a while ago that was pretty thorough. If you’re not worried about a can, the A2 will probably be hard to beat.
I haven’t seen much on Noveske’s 10.5 gas ports. Kind of hard to say about buffers and all that without knowing that detail. Even my conservatively gassed 10.5s are running A5H2s or 3s with .223. But I ditched green springs so that changes it slightly. I’d start with the A5H2 and then go from there but wouldn’t be shocked if the H3 or H4 consistently locks back on empty with actual 5.56.
Any particular reason you ditched the green spring? I know they’re not the best in maritime environments from a corrosion perspective. But was there a reliability concern?
Vltor A5 will be great. I’d stick with a the USGI spring.
Flash reduction will be somewhat ammo specific. The blackout or vortex flash hiders are probably your best bet, but with really flashy ammo, you’ll fight it no matter which FH you get.
I have a 10.5 ARP w/0.070 port, Vltor A5 with Springco green, and LAW folder. Running IMI X193 unsuppressed it fails to pick up a round sometimes. Suppressed it hasn’t malfunctioned, nice & smooth & minimal gas in the face. Since I pretty much always shoot it suppressed & at the range, I’m ok with the current set up.
That has been my experience with all my 11.5 and 10.3 barrel ARs. But honestly when running NV, if you aren’t running suppressed you are going to get flash.
The B.E. Meyers fh is the best one I’ve seen but I don’t think they make them anymore. Smith Vortex also seems well regarded. Prong style flash hiders seem to work better than birdcage style hiders, in general.
The JP equivalent of the 249F, per JP CS is the JPFH-556L. Interesting it has 3 prongs instead of the 4 on the BE Meyers. I’ve never tested them and generally use either the JP or the A2. The JP and BE Meyers are both fairly long, so if length matters to you get the A2. Heck you can even get fancy A2’s if you really want to spend money.
Also consider the White Sound Defense Fossa. It provides some muzzle rise compensation, yet its flash reduction is extremely close to other prong devices. The difference is unnoticeable. You need measuring devices to tell the difference. (Disclosure: I once got a prototype mount from them for free. I passed it on to a member here after test fitting and measuring for WSD. I don’t work for them, have never been paid by them, and that is the only non-consumer interaction that I have had.)
I almost always agree that an A2 is a great option because it is fairly effective, cheap, and only 1 3/4” long. However, if you need maximum flash suppression, especially on a 10.3” gun, a prong type is what you need. Most are 2.25” or longer, and some are long enough at around 3” to to get you the same overall length as a 11.5” with A2. So, there is a significant tradeoff.
I originally had the A2 on the 10.5” upper but replaced it with the SiCo ASR Flash Hider for use with the Omega 300. Both seemed good for flash reduction but he 3-prong was noticeably better.
There was an extensive FH test done on another website (I forgot which one, it’s been a while) and the BE Meyers was way out front on flash suppression. It was almost uncanny how well it worked.
