Muzzle Devices - Steel or Aluminum?

[StealthyBlagga]

I am thinking about the TACCOM ULW Brake. What's your preference... less weight or more weight at the muzzle?

Edited May 2, 2017 by StealthyBlagga

[Bob Hostetter]

less weight, we use a lot of titanium in our muzzle devices. Aluminum doesn't have a long service life around corrosive or high pressure gases.

[StealthyBlagga]

2 minutes ago, Bob Hostetter said:

less weight, we use a lot of titanium in our muzzle devices. Aluminum doesn't have a long service life around corrosive or high pressure gases.

 

Yeah, that is a concern. I am running a 16" barrel, so I am hoping the brake will hold up OK. For $50, I guess it's not a huge financial risk 

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: It will depend on your setup. I have found that a little nose heavy is a good thing on my PCC setup. The gun shoots flatter and the transitions are almost the same. I am not talking about a lot of weight but I am using a stainless steel comp and a barrel with some weight forward on it. Handguards are on the lighter side with one of them being a Taccom carbon fiber and the other is a Nordic 10/22 diameter one. Thanks, Eric

[Les Snyder]

a good friend shot the USPSA Nationals in PCC and commented a shooter on his squad shot a two port pistol style comp without much muzzle motion... I don't really notice much muzzle rise in my PCC, but more of a dot wobble...but as Bob Hostetter commented about the use of aluminum, we built a couple of aluminum comps for 38super back in the day, and they didn't last very long...I think I'd go with the heavier steel comp... I'm currently using a Miculek style comp by McDonald Precision Components (around $25) but have not put much time on it yet...regards

 

http://stores.ebay.com/northamericanuniversalproducts314

Edited May 3, 2017 by Les Snyder

[TRUBL]

17 hours ago, Bob Hostetter said:

less weight, we use a lot of titanium in our muzzle devices. Aluminum doesn't have a long service life around corrosive or high pressure gases.

Think of the 9mm as a big 22RF round. Roughly the same speed (1200fps), roughly the same burn rate and roughly the same PSI. We are not talking 223 here and there is a huge difference. 

 

Aluminum comps for 22RF has been around for years.....you need to clean them a lot (dirty, non-jacketed ammo of course), but the erosion is minimal. SO if you want to save weight, go aluminum and don't look back. If you want to spend a lot of money for zero gain, go Ti and don't look back. A small 2 ounce steel brake of course, will pretty much last forever. 

 

comparing 9mm speeds to 38 super is like apples to watermelons. Same with 9mm to 223........but 9mm at 1200fps to 22rf is a very close comparison for practicality purposes. 

Edited May 3, 2017 by TRUBL

[Kaldor]

I just use a KAK Flash Can.  10kish rounds so far, no sign of any flame cutting or corrosion.  Only issue I have is scrubbing the carbon buildup out of it from shooting 90% 147's with TG powder.

 

9mm simply doesnt have enough recoil in a PCC to justify using any type of a comp.

[Bob Hostetter]

Its not the recoil that everyone is trying to eliminate. Its the dot bounce ....

[Kaldor]

9 minutes ago, Bob Hostetter said:

Its not the recoil that everyone is trying to eliminate. Its the dot bounce ....

 

If you are using titanium, and are looking to save weight, you need to go to aluminum as its lighter.  I think most of the dot bounce is caused by the extremely heavy bolt and spring combos that are run to make the gun function correctly on AR9 platforms.  

 

Im wondering if going to a heavier buffer to offset the bolt weight would help?  My regular KAK buffer is 5.4 oz, but the extended version gets up to 8 oz.  I use a CMMG bolt, and a Wolf XP spring, but have little issues rapid firing the gun onto a 8" plate at 50'.  Rapid fire is 32 rounds in about 7ish seconds.

Ive never shot the Sig MPX, which is a true gas operated system, so I wonder how that compares?  CMMG just released a delayed blowback bolt for their 45 ACP PCC which has to be considerably lighter.  I wonder if they plan on bringing that to other calibers?

[Bob Hostetter]

The bulk of the dot bounce does come from the heavy BCG slamming back and forth which is why its so hard to get rid of.

[Kaldor]

37 minutes ago, Bob Hostetter said:

The bulk of the dot bounce does come from the heavy BCG slamming back and forth which is why its so hard to get rid of.

Which is why I suspect CMMG might be on to something with the system they devised for their 45 ACP PCC they just released.  Bolt looks to be about as light as a regular AR bolt.