Accuracy: best with or without flash suppressor?

[RBruce]

I have a AR-15 Armalite upper on a Rock River lower (1-9 twist). It has a flash suppressor/muzzle brake with three diagonal slots on each side. Would it be more accurate without the FS/MB? If not, would a different FS/MB tend to improve accuracy? --TIA

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[jmoore]

How well does it shoot now w/ match ammo that it favors?

Generally, any sort of muzzle device won't help accuracy (except possibly by improving harmonics), but it may not hurt much either. If it's a pre-2004 device it may be more trouble than it's worth to remove. It also depends on your intended usage. First try a variety of ammo or loads before doing anything else.

If it meets your needs, don't worry about it. If you want to play benchrest, or if it's just for bragging rights, then, well, prepare to spend money.

[RBruce]

I really don't care if it has a MB/FS or not. The one on the rifle as slots on each side that direct the blast on either side. A fellow shooter noted the air compression each time I fired. I've been on the receiving end of a shooter using a HP rifle with a MB. The blast is uncomfortable. It's probably less with the 5.56 though. I believe the barrel is threaded. I have a USGI flash suppressor which I could install. It's the early open sided type, and probably wouldn't direct the blast to either side. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[jmoore]

If it unthreads, try it! Try it all three ways in one trip to the range. Just leave the threads unprotected whilst trying sans muzzle device- you can make a simple protector later. You may notice a favorite, but then again, it may take more than one experiment- different ammo, etc.

[RBruce]

With all of the match shooters out there, I'm surprised that there isn't some expert opinion on this. My shooting buddy has a match Rock River that came with no FS/MB. The barrel is not threaded on the RR. Here are some photos of my FS/MB.

[jmoore]

It's just that every rifle is a little different. It also depends on what group sizes you expect out of your rifle. In actual fact, brake/flashfider concentricity to the bore has more to do w/ accuracy effects than the exact type of device used.

[RBruce]

That makes sense. Thank you

[Bill Hollinger]

This was done from a bench at 100 yards. Rifle is an Olympic Arms S.U.M. AR15 with a standard A2 flash hider.

[JBS]

We discovered after the AWB just how accurate a plain muzzle AR can be with a 11 degree crown. All of my competition ARs have plain muzzles with 11 degree crowns. I visited with a AMU shooter once about their setup as they must use “looks like” issued with a FH. He told me they go through the box and fined ones that are machined square and that after a boat load of experimenting over the years the FH is installed hand tight only for best accuracy, USMC guys said the same. You may notice after a stage the AMU/USMC guys will reach up and check the FH to make sure it is still hand tight. This is for issue type FH ( flash suppressors ) only. I have tried several muzzle devices and never found one that would shoot as well as an empty muzzle on my AR rifles.

[jmoore]

True enough, but the loss is often tolerable, depending on the intended use. Often it's VERY small degradation. 3-gun competitors generally use brakes as well as many varmint shooters, both of whom need an accurate rifle to do the job well at longer distances. For pure benchrest, it's generally best to do w/o a muzzle device, and the highpower gang run flashiders or nothing. It just depends on what you're doing w/ your "hammer".