Softening a Norc M4 - Pics of brakes used on last page

RememberTheSomme said:
Mystic, my Norc C8A1(sorry i'm canadian,jk), according to my son who's an Infantryman kicks considerbly harder than his C7(Elcan, vertical grip,sling.20inch bbl,etc) We have only fired 55 M193 ball from it and seeing you are using 62s maybe thats a factor as well. From the bench mine will group around 5/8th inch at 50 yds with Remington UMC. Never tried these at longer range. Maybe try the 55s they seem great in this rifle/twist combo. As someone else posted, i told him the same thing about the more intense muzzle blast from the shorter 14.5 barrel under an overhang roof on our range. May add to the sensation im not sure. But i know it is sharp for a small cartridge. Seems like a 35,000psi muzzle blast no volume but sharp nonetheless. To me the recoil seems mild. If yours feels like a 12ga with field loads thats a violent gas cylce for sure. Wheres yours throwing brass with factory gas porting?
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Brass was being lauched way out there. No doubt this rig was way overgassed even with reduced loads.

I disabled the gas system completely just to see what the basic recoil was and it was mild as expected. I am not too worried about the noise as I double plug but it definitely is one of the louder rigs on the line :)

The lighter bullet will do a bit to soften the rig but 7gr is not something I would worry about. Plus I enjoy the extra weight to smack bowling pins and such with

Next up will be to test various muzzle brakes I received from a Cdn vendor.

Fun, fun, fun...

Jerry
 
Got out today and am all smiles.

Chronied my load and it is over 2500fps so nothing hot here.

Recoil was mild and it functioned pretty good now that it was relubed.

Tried some new brakes and what a pleasant surprise. The first is the standard looking gill brake with upward venting. Muzzle jump was a great big zero and that dot never wavered. It truly was like shooting a loud 10/22 and I was gunning as fast as I could pull the trigger.

That is what I am talking about.....

The second was a weird looking affair that I am sure is trying to be both a brake and flash hider. Really not sure what the engineering premise is and wasn't too impressed.

As a brake it didn't keep the muzzle as flat - about 1/2 the jump vs nothing at all. There was some rearward venting and I got some powder in the face occasionally. Could feel the blast coming backwards.

No idea on flash as it was bright.

Also, not sure which side is up (will ask manf) so tried it both ways. One side was certainly better at keeping muzzle flat but neither was superb.

I have a third flash hider type which I can't test till I get some low light shooting.

Shot the rifle bare just to see what recoil and jump would be 'naked'. Recoil was mild but the jump was definitely noticeable. At 25yds, you are going to certainly bounce out of the A zone between shots....YUCK.

I will not post pics until the manf ok's it but they were well made and finished. Spun on the barrel without any fuss and were bored true.

I can provide no more details on the product except to say it is Cdn made.

My friend was with me and when I gave him a go, he just grinned and blasted away.

We did get a number of short stroking/failure to pick up a rd from the mag so I opened up the port exposure a schnick, the cases ejected another ft and it ran like a champ.

Gas port pressure can certainly be lowered too much and unreliable feeding results.

The cases are still ejecting backwards and land in a nice area about 2ft in diameter.

This rig is now ready for some speed shooting.

Gunning is going to get expensive :)

Jerry
 
Jerry

So let me get this straight, you are actually doing testing to compare various muzzle breaks quantitatively, using the same gun and ammo? Crazy.

I look forward to you posting your results, when you can. Even if you don't post the "losers" please at least post the winner. Frankly there are so many options on breaks that it is hard to navigate what is good and what is junk.

I have my eye on a recently introduced Canadian made one though....
 
The testing was definitely subjective based on muzzle jump and recoil.

The rifle kicks very little on its own now that any brake has minimal useage. The big one was stability and elimination of muzzle jump. This the gill brake did admirably.

When you can hold on a target with no bounce or movement while you pull the trigger, you got something working right.

Still waiting for feedback from the manf to get the ok to release pics and details.

Jerry
 
Here are pics of the brakes I have been using. All are offered by Dlask Arms in Vancouver. Dr.Lector on this board can also help.

IMG_3382.jpg


This is the gill brake that has really impressed me. No muzzle jump and what little recoil is left is wiped out. Very nicely made. Bore it true.

IMG_3381.jpg


There really isn't a huge difference but the 'top' of the brake is more open. If you flip the brake, you will find way more muzzle jump.

IMG_3386.jpg


This brake I didn't like. Lots of sharp edges to catch stuff, bits of powder blown back into face, feel the concussive blast in your face. Recoil reduction would be considered med and a bit better then the YHM FH. Not recommended.

IMG_3387.jpg


Nice looking Vortex type FH. didn't shoot in the dark but it is well made and finished.

Very nice gear from DLASK ARMS...

Jerry
 
You should probably get yourself a Benny Hill Rolling Thunder to try. The best competition brake I have used.

Fairly blasty though.
 
To varying degrees, Yes. The other AR's were not mine and were shooting a range of factory and surplus ammo.

In all cases, the recoil was substantially more then what you would expect from a mid weight 223. Certainly way more then the Mini 14 shooting similar ammo.

Jerry
 
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Dlask Arms was making them. personally, I wouldn't use them. This was the worse of the 3 brakes I tested for blow back and only offered moderate recoil reduction.

Plus all those 'horns' was great for hooking up stuff and lint.

Jerry
 
Good posts Jerry, particularly your observations about the Dlask A6. There are also some other features about the A6 that you missed, it's a very well designed brake. It was also extensively tested using strict methods.
 
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Mystic Precision said:
Dlask Arms was making them. personally, I wouldn't use them. This was the worse of the 3 brakes I tested for blow back and only offered moderate recoil reduction.

Plus all those 'horns' was great for hooking up stuff and lint.

Jerry
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Have you gotten around to trying the smith brake? The M14 shooters seem to like them, but how well does the .223 version work?
 
This is a great thread - please keep us updated with your findings, and also please post your final thoughts, impressions and recommendations.

Thank you!
 
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