Tomorrow I’m joining a local group buy on the Surefire 556K suppressor and am unsure which adapter would be best.
I’d like to have the decreased recoil of the brake, but also don’t care for the trade off of increased lateral muzzle blast/sound.
Also, is there a change in the suppressor performance if the brake or flash hider is used? In other words, is the suppressor as effective in decreasing muzzle report with the brake as it is with the flash hider?
Thanks in advance.
I have the break and love it. the sideways blast isnt a problem from behind the gun. i dont think the concussion is all that bad though. some people say this break is really loud and obnaxious and concussive but, even standing next to it its nothing i can ignore, especially with ear plugs on.
i dont think weather you use the break or flash hider matters, though, with the suppressor attached. sound suppression should be the same weather a break is used or the flash hider. i only have the break, however, i dont actually own a surfire suppressor… yet. I dont really see how the muzzle device would matter when its got a suppressor over it though.
honestly, i would go with the break as, if used during the day, it provides great recoil reduction, and at night you can throw the suppressor on.
The brake offers reduced perceived recoil at the cost of muzzle blast.
The laws of physics work both in the shooter’s favor and detriment. The shot’s hot gases serve to reduce perceived recoil to the rear as they work against the brake baffles. The cost is the diverted blast and new sound wave patterns are equivalent to the rifle going off perpendicular to the bore line (instead of the sonic wave propagating forward and away the blast waves propagate directly to the sides).
Brakes may help the shooter see round impact and reduce forming a flinch but good hearing protection will be a must.
I stood next to a shooter on the firing line this past weekend who was using that break on a mid length Sabre and while it was noticably louder than a gun without one I found the guy shooting a M1 Garand on the other side of me much more distracting.
ill second this. i’ve found that a .308 or other similar large caliber is far more annoying than this break. when i was at the range recently the guys next to me were shooting a lee enfield and mosin nagant and i found the blast to be MUCH worse from those two, especially the mosin, then from my rifle. that mosin nagant is like a bomb going off.
You can’t go wrong with either the Surefire 556k muzzle brake or flash hider. Just depends on what gun you are putting them on and what is important to you.
I like the performance of the 556k muzzle brake. It performs well and louder and only slightly obnoxious (as compared to other designs that I’ve used).
I’ve never done any low light testing with the 556k flash hider so I can’t give any info as to how it performs as a flash hider.
Both are long in overall length.
For SBR’s I prefer the flash hider because a SBR is already a little on the loud and obnoxious side.
For 14.5" or 16" guns I prefer the muzzle brake.
I have heard from what I consider a reliable source that the muzzle brake was less abusive on the can than the flash hider, but the person didn’t go into the how’s and why’s.
Some pics:
11.5" Short Barreled Rifle w/ 556k flash hider:
14.5" M4 w/ 556k flash hider:
14.5" Noveske N4 barrel with LaRue 11.0 rail w/ 556k muzzle brake:
16" Noveske N4 RECCE with LaRue 13.2 w/ 556k muzzle brake
LaRue 12" Stealth w/ Surefire 556k flash hider and Surefire 556k suppressor
Factory complete Noveske N4 14.5" Carbine. Started off looing like this (Pat’s May 2008 class) (newest pic posted above):
LaRue Stealth 12" posted above without the suppressor:
16" Noveske N4 posted above:
11.5" SBR without the suppressor:
S/F,
Jeff
jeff, is it possible that the baffles on the muzzle break act as sort of sacrificial baffles for the can, thus making it easier on the first baffles/blast chamber of the suppressor?
Thanks, Jeff. As always you’re a treasure trove of info.
I decided to get one of each since I kept waffling between the two.
Ordered them and a 556K in FDE today. Now the loooooong wait begins. Hopefully I’ll catch a break and have it before next March!
i use the MB556k on my bolt gun, and the flash hiders on everything else. EXCEPT, i have a dedicated can upper a 10.5", it will only be fired with the can and i used the MB556K because i agree that the MB556k acts as the first baffle and hopefully the erosion will happen on it and not my blast baffle.
There is a new adapter from surefire that looks like the B.E. Meyers flash hider i saw from MSTN. I am waiting on Grant to get them, his M4 member discount makes a huger difference when you buy about 9 mounts like i did.
the new surefire adapter is the SF556-215