As has been stated, it is the load type, not the caliber. I shoot a lot at night and test a lot of loads. Every caliber has good and bad loads for each barrel length. I usually test out of short barrels, because I usually carry a short barreled defensive gun, and many powders will flash a lot out of the short barrel (because not all the powder has burned in the barrel). Muzzle flash is very important to me.
Sorry to those that disagree, but I live out in the desert, and I shoot a lot at night. Coming from someone with a LOT of experience shooting at night, I can tell you that the muzzle flash out of a gun WILL blind you instantly. Your entire vision will turn bright green and you will get no signature except in your most peripheral vision. Completely blind wherever you look. Muzzle flash IS a big concern if you care to be able to see after your first shot. I have been blinded so badly by muzzle flash out of a pistol that I could not even stumble around or see my hand right in front of my face, I was completely BLIND for over a minute, which is not something I want to be in a life or death situation. This is often the exception and not the rule though, because very few loads put out this kind of flash, but the loads that do are often not the ones you suspect. Some very soft shooting loads, in standard calibers, can put out horrendous flash (if a slow powder was used by the factory, for example). You MUST test your own carry ammo.
Regarding compensators, I must admit that I have never shot one in the dark. But, keep in mind that just because you don't see the flame coming out in low light does not mean it is not there. Many loads have I shot in low light thinking that the flash was not that bad, and when I shot it in real darkness, the flames were enormous. As I said, I have not shot a comp'd pistol in the dark, but I would have to see it myself before I believed that there was no flash over the sights (depending on the ammo selection of course!).
It is all about the powder and the load for each barrel length. Test your carry ammo out of your gun in the dark if you care about muzzle flash, because there is no formula to know which will flash and which won't. In other words, "+P" ammo will NOT always flash more and standard ammo will not always flash less, etc. Each and every load and each and every brand and each and every lot can be different. I have tested many many factory loads in the dark and found that you just never know which will flash and which won't, because you don't know the speed of the powder, or if the company uses flash suppressants etc. You have to test your carry ammo from your gun.
For instance, some people say that the .357 Sig has a huge flash. Not in my tests, using Speer Gold Dots. Same with .45. Some loads flash a LOT, and some not at all and there is no rhyme or reason when you are dealing with factory ammo.
Muzzle flash to me is so important that I put it only after reliability in my ammo selection. As someone that shoots a lot at night, I know what muzzle flash can do to my vision and I don't want to be completely blinded from my first shot.
[This message has been edited by Red Bull (edited October 24, 2000).]
