Currently building my first AR - pretty simple, mid length M4 style with OD Green MOE grip / stock / guards with a pop-up sight.  I don't mind the stock flash hider (muzzle brake? not sure the difference between the two ... could someone help explain?), but I'm curious what good ones are out there.

Feel free to post pictures :)

Hoyle

Honestly, If you don't really know the difference between flash hinders, brakes, and comps, then I would just stay with a basic A2 birdcage flash hider and shoot the crap out of the gun until you learn more about muzzle devices and how they may affect you. At this point, you will see little (jf any) benefit to the other options on the market.

Good thing the Internet is such a great resource - now I'm an expert! Haha just kidding.  But I would still appreciate some suggestions of what you guys like and use.  I would probably go with a flash hider after doing some reading.

I am far from an expert. But I have a A2 and it works great. I am probably going to switch to a Vortex for this rifle. Jerry Miculek makes a really good brake. Lantac, PWS, AAC, etc. There are a lot. If you dont know, go with what looks best to you or what fits your rifle. Then test and test, change and so on....

What's more important to you: flash suppression, recoil reduction or muzzle rise reduction?
Tomac

Flash suppression

Lots of good choices for a pure flash hider, cheap A2 is actually pretty good w/o going to great expense. What's your budget?
Tomac

H:  For 5.56 barrels, I like the original GI 3-prong job.  Cheap, effective, lightweight plus they look good. - CW

http://mapartsinc.com/shop/details.asp?id=415

$50-ish

Compromise? I have one of these and I really like it. My ears don't get blown out at the indoor range and the flash isn't over the top. Under $30 and it doesn't look ridiculous like most of the muzzle devices coming out these days.

Here's the basics - the A2 has been around for a looong time, because it works well at flash suppression. And it can be had for under $10, that's what a government contract gets you as a taxpayer.

Next up are brakes -which push a lot of the blast sideways and attempt to reduce recoil. They are much louder and are not used by any military units  as the teammate standing next to you gets it in the face - and the recoil reduction isn't really all that. Ok for an incremental increase in second shot accuracy in competition, about zilch in combat. $50-80.

Linear compensators throw all the blast and noise forward, they don't reduce flash as much. But we are talking ball powder from milspec ammo, which isn't all that modern. In the MK262 stuff, they use flash suppressants because they are more often used in CQB with other teammates close and they don't need night vision messed up. Commercial hunting ammo doesn't have a lot of flash either, to keep customers happy and thinking their guns are shooting efficiently. The reality is that most of the flash comes from superheated gases coming in contact with free oxygen as they are ejected from the muzzle - they reignite, which causes the flash.

It''s NOT about unburnt powder.

You pick what you want - for most of what a shooter does, with the low order recoil of 5.56, a brake isn't needed until you are a top ten percent competitive shooter who can take advantage of the few split seconds quicker return of the sights on the target. And that is if you haven't fully exploited low mass low recoil bolts to get to it already. Beyond that, they just make more noise which attracts the kid in us because we like to impress others.

A2 is good, a linear if you are hunting or using a short barrel Beyond that, shoot  10,000 rounds and get good enough to use a brake, at which point you already will know what you want. Be sure of one thing, tho, they make these things to sell because they can - at 50X the price of an A2 it's a good market. But they do not make you a better shooter - you already have to be to use it

Not what the hive likes to hear, but there are a lot of agendas out there and selling you a membership in their club  using your money is what they do.