CZ/VZ 858/58 Special Forces Brake System

SFBS Review Part II

Tonight I was able to get out and do some shooting.

First up both muzzle devices worked very well. However both amplified the sound pretty significantly, at least to my ear, I would NOT want to shoot the rifle with either brake without earpro.

Weather was very cloudy, overcast and rainy. The weather conditions had an unexpected result on my findings.

Stock barrel no surprise, muzzle jump and climb and just a puff of muzzle blast in all directions.

The Czech Large Brake did an excellent job with muzzle blast pattern and muzzle climb, however with tonight's weather I found the blast was unpleasant at times due to the blast being directed almost straight up which due to weather conditions at times resulted in a cloud right in my line of sight. Firearm control was greatly improved however and later in the evening as the conditions changed I no longer noticed the gases being directed straight up and causing any vision issues.

The Special Forces Brake System was very interesting to use. The two part system was tested first just as the flash hider then as the full system. There is a noticeable difference depending on how you index the internal flash hider, there are three positions that Corwin mentioned that help align with the rifling, one was really bad, gave a odd recoil feel, the other two positions I couldn't really tell much difference between. Once the full system was installed the fun began. The muzzle blast and recoil were very much minimized, and the way the gases were directed did not cause any issues with vision or any form of distraction. The brake mad double and triple taps and mag dumps ( boo 5 round mag limit ) noticeably more controllable than no brake and slightly more controllable than the CLMB.

Ironically of the two brakes tested this is the only one I actually noticed any fiery muzzle blast from. My camera died before dark and the rain set in so I didn't get to do any after dark shooting. Since I wasn't able to shoot at dusk/dark I will hold my opinions on the flash reduction until I can get out shooting again. The small amount of flash I did notice off the SFBS was much small than no hider/brake, it is VERY likely that the CLMB was also throwing some fireballs I just didn't see them at the right time. I will get a low light or dark review done in the coming weeks.

I did a LOT of shooting tonight, 300 rounds or so, and after trying both brakes I can safely say that for me the SFBS is the way to go. The biggest selling point for me is how it directs the gases, it isn't that is it tons better as a brake but the ways it is better are what appeals to me.

CLMB
Pros:
Price
Availability
Simplicity

Cons:
Gas directions
Noise

SFBS
Pros:
Can tune to get best performance
Direction of gases
It looks COOL! :)
Less noisy

Cons:
Higher price
Potentially limited availability

This is really a subjective test/review, by that I mean I am relying fully on my senses to pass judgement, that is important to note because variables outside of the muzzle devices could be swaying my views. However I can say that there is a HUGE improvement over no muzzle device, and I feel the SFBS does have more to offer than the CLMB.

This video is just one edited version of tonight shooting that is also being submitted to a Zahal contest but I feel it is also relevant here.



I have a few more videos to edit and then I will post them as well. Sadly my camera died just when things were getting good. More videos to come.

I am working on a shooting rest that will remove the human variables and with give a more "scientific" result. I hope to have that all ready in the next few weeks.

Keep an eye out here for part III of the SFBS review.
 
Great job!
Thanks for the review. I'm looking forward to part III.

I've been running without a muzzle brake because of the increased noise.
You've convinced me to try the SFBS.
 
Great job!
Thanks for the review. I'm looking forward to part III.

I've been running without a muzzle brake because of the increased noise.
You've convinced me to try the SFBS.

Thanks for the kind words.

The sound is different for sure. Louder yes. Increased control is worth it though to me.

I'm thinking about changing to electronic earpro then sound is less of an issue at least to me.
 
Good review and video. In your third string with the SFBS it almost appears as the brake was over compensating and pushing the muzzle down...did you find this the case ?

Also, could you expand on this part ?

..... There is a noticeable difference depending on how you index the internal flash hider, there are three positions that Corwin mentioned that help align with the rifling, one was really bad, gave a odd recoil feel, the other two positions I couldn't really tell much difference between. ....


I was, and still am, somewhat skeptical of the effect the rifling would have on the escaping gases. That being said, I haven't shot mine yet so can't say for sure, but if you found a noticeable difference then I will compare your results to mine.

Thanks.
 
nice vid , personally i dont have a muzzle break i only put the phoenix flash hider on it for the look and it work really nice if you shoot it in the darkness no flash
 
Good review and video. In your third string with the SFBS it almost appears as the brake was over compensating and pushing the muzzle down...did you find this the case ?

Also, could you expand on this part ?




I was, and still am, somewhat skeptical of the effect the rifling would have on the escaping gases. That being said, I haven't shot mine yet so can't say for sure, but if you found a noticeable difference then I will compare your results to mine.

Thanks.

I was skeptical as well but the indexing does feel like it matters.

Not sure how to describe it. But the three likely locations all make the recoil feel different. I'm just not sure which one behaves best yet.

The system feels more controllable than the CLMB but its really subjective. Tests with the rifle in a rest will be more telling I suspect.
 
Right on, now it's just like the CZ's that all the "special forces" are using? :D

Not sure about that. ;)

The rail, red dot, and brake all make the VZ58 handle more like I want it to.

Don't care to make a "Special Forces" gun just want to make MY gun operate the best it can for me.

I'm not really a purist. Nothing remains stock or as originally designed with me. lol
 
Finally put my video together. Not much I can add to G.Mitchell's review above (I did a quick review of each in the video comments section), other than I did not find any difference when indexing the inner part of the 2 pc system...might be just me though ?
I have yet to test for accuracy changes with all these devices, maybe in a future vid...

 
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Finally put my video together. Not much I can add to G.Mitchell's review above (I did a quick review of each in the video comments section), other than I did not find any difference when indexing the inner part of the 2 pc system...might be just me though ?
I have yet to test for accuracy changes with all these devices, maybe in a future vid...


Thank you for adding that video. Great job capturing the gasses being vented.

What were your impressions?

Favorite of the 4 brakes tested?

Thanks for adding to this, I'd like to hear more on what you took away from your time using these brakes.
 
Last week I put another 150 rounds through my VZ58, 100 or so with the SFBS and 50 or so with the CLMB.

I tried a different index point with the SFBS and got a more neutral recoil pulse instead of the slight push down/twist pulse seen in the video I did.

I am very pleased with the brake system.

I am curious to see how it holds up over time, not material issues or failures but rust from corrosive ammo.

I always clean my guns thoroughly, the SFBS requires a little extra care when cleaning, there are lots of holes and threads to keep clean. I use a water and Ballistol mix and so far that's been enough to keep both brakes rust free.

I will update this thread from time to time with more info.

There will be another video online in the next few weeks once I've finished my rifle rest rig.

Thank you to all that have responded and have expressed interest.
 
As of right now, my preferred brake in the "short" model. IMO...it simply looks better on the non-restricted length barrel.
As far as performance, it really comes down to between the large brake I have and the SFBS. Both performed exceptionally well at controlling recoil and muzzle rise.

You are right on about the cleaning. I found some build up, especially on the inner piece that required a bit of scrubbing to remove.
Diligent cleaning is in order here if using surplus (corrosive) ammo.
 
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