How do the AK brakes compare to the standard bird-cage flash hiders?  Any advantage or disadvantage to the AK brake?  

the AK74 break on a semi is really useless...in auto it's very effective in keeping the rifle on target....I fired a 74 clone semi with and without the muzzle break, and there isn't a difference.

same deal with the AKM break, effective for auto firing.

putting any of those breaks on a AR, is in my opinion not going to do any better then a AR without one, or with just a FH.

the 74 break is loud, very loud.

respectfully, i beg to differ... maybe its not as [i]useful[/i], but I wounln't say [i]useless[/i]



but also in rapid semi-auto fire, or quick follow up shots....(also what about bump-fire? not that [i]I[/i] can do it tho)



i've fired a 16" bare-muzzle AR of my friend, then I fired my 14.5" AK-braked AR, and I noticed considerably more muzzle rise on the 16" bare-muzzle.  (now of course its just 223 recoil/muzzle rise, so its not horrible by any means..  and I've heard that with practice you can learn to make quick follow-up shots..  but the difference [i]is[/i] noticable, in my experince at least)

yes the AK brake is very loud tho..  

the main ? is; do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages???


now, that said, if you give me the choice of a brake or a fh, then the brake is gone out the window in a heartbeat.[:D]
(besides the AK brake isn't exactly a looker)[%|]





but thats just me

Most people that do not participate in competitive shooting events would certainly agree with you, but the fact is, you would still be wrong.  If you shoot CQB/Tactical/3-Gun matches, you will notice that most if not all of the high level competitors employ some type of muzzle brake.  Competitve shooting is all about speed, and any recoil/muzzle rise slows you down.

I used the AK brake when BM first started putting them on their rifles.  I took a lot of ribbing back then, but the MB helped me win quite a few matches.  I since started using the Mini-Y comp on my tactical rifle as have most of the top competitors in my area.  IMHO, the BM Mini-Y comp is the most effective brake currently available.