Noveske KX3 - Is it harming my AR?

[Glen Valour]

Noveske KX3 - Is it harming my AR (LMT 2000 10.5") ?

I've been reading other posts and the opinion that the KX3 is very hard on Sigs and that it is a "band-aid" solution to bigger problems on the AR has come up.

My 10.5" cycles properly without the KX3 (it's had c.800 through in each configuration) but I was led to believe that the KX3 would be an "insurance policy" of sorts and would have an added benefit of venting the gases/blast forward (team mate friendly = me, as my 11 yr old has decided that it's "his").

So is the KX3 damaging my AR and I should remove it or is it operating as its designed to and has no effect on the AR?

 

[yaya]

The krink hate is a little over done but if your AR functions fine without it, you're probably better off removing it.

If you had a 16" that was simply cut down to 10.5" and that's all you had done, or were running a pistol length gas system you could probably justify it. My 10.3" only has 200 rnds of 62gr .223 WWB on it, which is not the most ballistically impressive round out there, but it has still functioned perfectly. As such I've no plans to add a KX3. It was built at the factory to be a shorty though, as I assume your LMT was too.

Personally I don't give a crap about the people next to me. The louder the better....hmmm...Miculek brake on the 10.3"...

 

[greentips]

I don't have any Noveske KX3 or KFH - because it makes no sense to me to attach a bob of 7.4oz to the end of the barrel....and what does it do for me? Not much.

I took a quick look of the picture at Noveske website. The current KX3 appears to be an inverted cone in a cyclinder - In essence, it is just a cone flash suppressor, like those in WW2, with a cover to make it aesthetically "sound suppressor lookingish". The cone extends and the flats out to the edge. The real Krink is an expansion chamber and then followed by a cone. I search for the reference to "increasing back pressure", apparently, Noveske does not seem to talk about that anymore. THey now only vaguely states that it is designed for shorty. That reflects the truth as the current the design does nothing to increase any pressure. Howevever, the cone does make the loss of gas velocity happen in a progressive basis, theoretically, it works like a ventilation exhaust diffuser - which cuts down the noise and blast theoretically because the kinetic energy of the gas is converted to low velocity/high volumetric flow instead no velocity/sound/blast/heat of that a bare muzzle. THe large diameter of the KX3 makes that transfer less abrupt So yes, it should reduce the muzzle blast. However, practically, if the idea is to take blast farther away from the shooter - it makes more sense just to add another 2 inch of barrels instead of attaching a big box to the end of the barrel.


In conclusion, IMHO, the current KX3 does not do much in terms of "increase back pressure" or "making the shorties more reliable. It is just an old flash suppressor and a muzzle blast moderator with a nice sleeve. On the other hand, the old KFH seems to be a bit different-so the design might have changed.

 

[raks]

In essence, it is just a cone flash suppressor, like those in WW2, with a cover to make it aesthetically "sound suppressor lookingish". The cone extends and the flats out to the edge. The real Krink is an expansion chamber and then followed by a cone.

The cone in the KX3 doesn't extend all the way to the barrel, creating an expansion chamber within the cylinder. My 11.5 was reliable before adding the KX3 and that hasn't changed with it on. I like the reduction in blast, I find it a lot easier on my ears - but like greentips says an extra 2-4" of barrel will achieve almost the same effect. I'm not concerned about it 'damaging' my rifle, YMMV.

 

[9mm-Suppository]

yea for range use it seemed to make shooting much more light and quiet but for practicality it just feels a bit too clunky (and heavy) for a battle rifle.

 

[greentips]

The cone in the KX3 doesn't extend all the way to the barrel, creating an expansion chamber within the cylinder. My 11.5 was reliable before adding the KX3 and that hasn't changed with it on. I like the reduction in blast, I find it a lot easier on my ears - but like greentips says an extra 2-4" of barrel will achieve almost the same effect. I'm not concerned about it 'damaging' my rifle, YMMV.

The real krink provides a longer pressurization curve becasue the chamber slows down the gas velocity by increaseing the volume. At the end of the chamber, the restriction in nozzle forces the expanded gas to come out at higher velocity to maintain the volumetric flow, ignoring the loss of fiction. Because the expansion chamber is larger in diameter and gas travels at lower velocity to maintain the same volumetric flow, the time of pressurizatoin is longer than the same length of barrel with a much smaller diameter.

THe KX3 starts losing pressure at the vertex of the cone becasue the end opening to the ambient is the same diameter as the cone itself. The Krink, theoretically, will remain pressurized until it clears the entire expansion chamber and reaches the cone shaped flash suppressor part.

That's why the KX3 is just an oversized and overly heavy cone shaped flashhider that does nothing to the pressure really.However, it does moderate the transition of gas flow between the ambient and muzzle.