Compensators

C

Caboclo

New member
Do compensators really work? The concept sounds great, but we all know that great ideas don't always work according to plan. Has anyone done any tests with otherwise identical guns and measured the difference?
 
All I can answer for here is on AKs. I wouldn't shoot one without a compensator. The recoil reduction and management they provide makes for much quicker target acquisition. Short answer; yes they work. Check Youtube, there are tons of videos about compensators.
 
A good compensator with the right load works very well. With the right combo the gun almost is neutral when fired. They do not work well on larger calibers. With a 38Super, 9x21, 356TSW, etc they work very well if powders are used that require larger volume. Go to a plate match and watch the shooters using them. You'll never see anyone who is competitive not using them.
 
Oh yes, they work very well if you put enough pressure through them. Way back in the 80s and 90s I shot and RO'd a lot of IPSC matches and all the hot guys were running .38 SUPERS with comps and loads that were way above any manual. These guns would simply push straight back into your hand with almost no muzzle lift. The bad thing was the blast that came off of these guns was unbelievably nasty. Standing behind a shooter with one required plugs and muffs and it would still ring your ears. The pressure wave rattled your ribs. Shooting one was even more exciting. Oh yeah those comps work really well under the right conditions. I'll stick with my old school low pressure .45 ACP thanks.
 
Drail states some truths in his post. They can be very noisy and the shock wave can be severe to nearby shooters or spectators. I was at a shoot near New York City one time and shooting under a new covered firing line. I was shooting steel plates under timed fire. After about six or seven shots with my 356TSW the sound insulation above me started to come down by the armful! I remember some of it landing on my gun and on my arm. I shook it off and kept shooting. Everyone around me was laughing their a*** off. My team did win the match though. If you want to shoot plates or IPIC you're going to have to use a comp to win.
 
Compensators on pistols generally don't reduce recoil or muzzle flip.

On the other hand, muzzle brakes do.

A "compensator" is usually a series of vent ports in the top of the barrel, near the muzzle, to direct propellant gases upward in attempt to create a retro-jet effect that pushes the muzzle downward.

A "muzzle brake" has a flat surface forward of the muzzle that, after the bullet passes through, propellant gases impinge upon to "pull" the pistol forward. Muzzle brakes are easily recognized by large open vent ports on the muzzle side of the flat surface.

Cheers!
 
A muzzle brake generally is used on large caliber weapons (Barrett .50 BMG rifle) to pull the muzzle forward to negate some of the recoil by venting the gases reaward to counteract recoil.. A compensator on a pistol with an expansion chamber is used to push down on the muzzle by venting the gases upwards. Same principle, different directions of venting. The cheap barrel bushing comps for 1911s that you see at the gun shows do not have an expansion chamber and do nothing to deflect the expanding gases. I can assure you that a well designed comp on a high pressure .38 super handgun will indeed reduce muzzle climb to almost nothing. What you described above as a "compensator" is just a vented barrel and you're correct about their limited effectiveness. Maybe you are just referring to a "compensator" as a muzzle brake because in your part of the country that's what folks call them. I was taught different terminology.
 
Last edited:
If the intended purpose of the firearm is self-defense, then a compensator becomes a dangerous liability. If you fire a compensated pistol at night, the muzzle flash is directed up between you and the intended target. If you're forced to fire from a position other than full presentation, you risk setting your pajamas on fire.

If it's just for fun and/or competition, then compensators are ok.

DOL
 
Look at the M16A2 "flash suppressor." The Army calls it a "compensator" because there is no bottom flash "port" on what is nothing more than a standard M16A1 flash suppressor.

You may be right, the differences in terminology, compensator v. muzzle brake, could be just a regional thing. I've always regarded a compensator as mere vent ports and a muzzle brake as having a chamber with a flat surface feature for gases to impinge upon. The gases can vent upward or sideward after striking the flat feature.

According to competition shooter J. Michael Plaxco ("Shooting from Within" p. 151):
As the gasses exit through the port, this "jet propulsion" causes very little additional effectiveness in reducing muzzle rise.
Click to expand...

BTW, Plaxco uses the term "compensator" to describe what I regard as a "muzzle brake." Oh well...

Cheers!
 
I have a compensator on my Colt Mark IV and have had since the early 90s. As the gun is in .45 ACP, my practice loads aren't much different than the gun in stock configuration. The weight of the comp is pretty much what you feel in difference. My "major" load, though, was a different story. Far hotter loads is where the comp shines, even in the low pressure .45 ACP.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top