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Posted: 5/26/2009 8:41:04 PM EDT
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I'm considering putting a FSC556 on my middy. I know it will be louder than my Vortex (or any flash hider), but how bad is it? Have any among you who had bought one of these regretted the decision to go with a FSC556 due to the loudness factor?
Ed |
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It's a Flash suppressing compensator made by PWS. I have one pinned on my 14.5 and Its not that bad. With a normal set of earplugs in, there isn't really a noticeable difference to me. However, I have heard that it seems louder to people standing beside the shooter than to shooter himself, and I had people at the range commenting on how it was louder than other ar's.
ETA: I don't regret using one, mostly because it is, Imo the best thing in a state that does not allow true flash suppressors. I think it's a good compromise, as it does reduce felt recoil and also reduces a significant amount of flash. |
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I've shot several hundred rounds using this hider/comp.
It's freaking loud. And no, you don't notice it while you're shooting it. However, stand next to your buddy shooting it and not only will you notice the difference but the comp makes the gas blowback pretty unpleasant. I removed a Vortex for it. You will immediately notice less muzzle rise and faster follow up shots. Who cares about the people next to you when you are having the fun 
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| I use one, and from the shooting position it's really not that much louder. However if your standing on the side it is a bit louder. I don't shoot with people 5 feet next to my muzzle either so it's not an issue at all for me. Standing that close with even an A2 will still be painfully loud anyways. |
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I have used my ar in 4 configurations
1-standard a2 2-bare 3-miculek 4-fsc556 i think the loudest to the shooter was the miculek then the fsc then a2 and finaly bare. So its louder then the a2 but not as bat as some comps out there. Oh and the fsc556 is what is on all of my ar's now. 
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have one, it was nice until I was getting strange looks at the range. You don't notice the sound if you're directly behind it, but anywhere else it has quite a bark relative to the standard FH. Compared to other comps it is indeed quieter, but YMMV. I'm getting it swapped out for a phantom 5C1 as the gases directed towards the rear got annoying for me.
Guns are loud, but it pays to be discreet sometimes. |
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I got soured on compensators when I used one on my SKS. I shot it 3 times without hearing protection.....Christ I was stupid back then. And that was one of my more boneheaded maneuvers. I couldn't hear right for like a week after that.
After that, I decided that recoil wasn't so bad after all 
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I have one on my 16" middy and it is pretty comparable to my 10.5" upper with a regular bi-lock flash hider for noise (while standing next to the shooter). Concussion doesn't seem as bad as the 10.5"er.
I don't notice it much while shooting it and it does tame the gun quite a bit. Plus, I can always make it quieter if I want 
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Quoted:
I've shot several hundred rounds using this hider/comp. It's freaking loud. And no, you don't notice it while you're shooting it. However, stand next to your buddy shooting it and not only will you notice the difference but the comp makes the gas blowback pretty unpleasant. I removed a Vortex for it. You will immediately notice less muzzle rise and faster follow up shots. Who cares about the people next to you when you are having the fun listen to this guy |
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I've shot several hundred rounds using this hider/comp. It's freaking loud. And no, you don't notice it while you're shooting it. However, stand next to your buddy shooting it and not only will you notice the difference but the comp makes the gas blowback pretty unpleasant. I removed a Vortex for it. You will immediately notice less muzzle rise and faster follow up shots. Who cares about the people next to you when you are having the fun listen to this guy +1 The people next to me at the range don't really like it too much. I don't notice the volume increase while I'm shooting it vs a standard flash hider. If it's what you're looking for (a flash supressing comp), it's the best choice. |
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I've shot several hundred rounds using this hider/comp. It's freaking loud. And no, you don't notice it while you're shooting it. However, stand next to your buddy shooting it and not only will you notice the difference but the comp makes the gas blowback pretty unpleasant. I removed a Vortex for it. You will immediately notice less muzzle rise and faster follow up shots. Who cares about the people next to you when you are having the fun listen to this guy listen to these guys here's a thread I started a while back. brake thread |
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The FSC556 doesn't offer much as either a compensator or a flash suppressor. It looks really cool, but in practice is not particularly effective at either job. There are far better compensators and far better flash suppressors.
You might want to try the PRI/MSTN Quiet Comp Brakes. Not only do they do a great job of taming recoil and muzzle whip, but drastically reduced the amount of muzzle blast as compared to other brakes. The considerate shooter does take into account the effect that his weapon has on other shooters along the firing line. Quite frankly, some EBR shooters aren't doing anyone any favors by blasting away and pissing off the Fudds or less experienced/seasoned shooters. No one likes hot brass in their face or down their shirt and no one likes double-taps from a rifle that sounds like a .50 BMG on the next lane. It's no wonder that so many ranges are restricting magazine capacities and forcing a time length on the number of rounds an EBR shooter can cap off during a minute. Bottom line: it's not all about us. If it were me, I'd get the PRI/MSTN and blast away without pissing off everyone on the entire range. |
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Let me add a little info to clarify purpose –– this is going on my SHTF rifle. My primary concern is achieving optimal performance and reliability. A comp/flash hider won't affect reliability at all, so I'm looking for the optimal device for my zombie killing needs. A comp would allow me quicker and more accurate follow ups, but the flash makes me stand out and easier to locate for someone shooting back. The "noise" factor I'm concerned about is how it might affect my teammates in the field of battle. Is it bad enough to be concerned about? I'm not looking to intentionally piss anyone off at the range, but frankly, that's the least of my worries.
Ed |
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If you're going to practice regularly with your rifle (and you should, if this is your SHTF rifle), then you should be concerned with others on the firing line.
You'll never face hordes of zombies, but you could find yourself in a survival situation without the ability to hear very well, or at all. Your teammates will also be thrilled to have you along since, not only will you be deaf, you've contributed to their deafness as well. Go with the Vortex. You can train to overcome muzzle whip, you can't train to hide muzzle flash –– especially at night –– you need mechanical intervention for that. |
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Quoted:
If you're going to practice regularly with your rifle (and you should, if this is your SHTF rifle), then you should be concerned with others on the firing line. You'll never face hordes of zombies, but you could find yourself in a survival situation without the ability to hear very well, or at all. Your teammates will also be thrilled to have you along since, not only will you be deaf, you've contributed to their deafness as well. Go with the Vortex. You can train to overcome muzzle whip, you can't train to hide muzzle flash –– especially at night –– you need mechanical intervention for that. The premise that ANYONE is going to change the mind of a FUDD as they are called is useless. I've been shooting for over 40 years.I've never changed the mind of anyone who says ( why do you need one of those) . I pay my range dues just like the guy sitting next to me shooting his 22-250/ 220 swift that is just as loud as my AR with a comp on it. I shoot in matches with one of my AR's. And you do need a comp if you want to be competative in matches. Am I not suppose to practice ? Of course you dont want to go out of your way to be an ass, but I have every right to shoot with my competition gun right along side the fudd with his30-06. Maybe I'm getting old and crotchety, but I'm just tired of this keep everyone happy crap. It doesnt work. |
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I have a 556 on a 16" midlength and it is loud (without hearing protection). I took a shot at a coyote that i flushed up this past weekend and my ears rang for a good 30 minutes.
with hearing protection (muffs for me, surefire plugs for some of the folks I was shooting with) it did not seem that bad... |
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You can train to overcome muzzle whip, you can't train to hide muzzle flash –– especially at night –– you need mechanical intervention for that. Yep. you can train to compensate the Muzzle rise... but even with that tamed... a compensator is the difference between a 0.5 second split at 25m and a .25 second split... Loud is loud, regardless of what brake is on it... you'll have a hard time telling the difference in direct loudness––-there is a concussion difference, but the loudness is indistinguishably different for all practical purposes. Regardless, the only true advantage of using a FH (not SHTF, yet gentlemen) is if you are a night-varmenter trying to preserve your NV––- which the FSC does damn well...sure it's not a 'true' FH, but it tames the flash enough to keep it out of the optic field. |
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Quoted:
I have a 556 on a 16" midlength and it is loud (without hearing protection). I took a shot at a coyote that i flushed up this past weekend and my ears rang for a good 30 minutes. with hearing protection (muffs for me, surefire plugs for some of the folks I was shooting with) it did not seem that bad... So the FSC556 is "loud" without hearing protection and "did not seem that bad" with hearing protection?  Amazing.
Here in NY, comps are legal and flash hiders are not. Having tried out a few different muzzle devices, I now have FSC556's on all of my barrels. I find the noise levels to minimally exceed that of a standard A2 hider and have yet to "piss off" anyone at my range. I have not tried the MSTN comps, but would be open to trying one out on a future build project. |
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If your a member of the "FH/Comp/Muzzlebrake of the month club" then ya,you need this, I believe it's April....
$85 muzzle device....I'll pass, I'd rather have the Flash hiding vs the .000000000000000025 sec split time difference... 
I'm a big boy, I can handle the muzzle rise and live with the split time... |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
If you're going to practice regularly with your rifle (and you should, if this is your SHTF rifle), then you should be concerned with others on the firing line. You'll never face hordes of zombies, but you could find yourself in a survival situation without the ability to hear very well, or at all. Your teammates will also be thrilled to have you along since, not only will you be deaf, you've contributed to their deafness as well. Go with the Vortex. You can train to overcome muzzle whip, you can't train to hide muzzle flash –– especially at night –– you need mechanical intervention for that. The premise that ANYONE is going to change the mind of a FUDD as they are called is useless. I've been shooting for over 40 years.I've never changed the mind of anyone who says ( why do you need one of those) . I pay my range dues just like the guy sitting next to me shooting his 22-250/ 220 swift that is just as loud as my AR with a comp on it. I shoot in matches with one of my AR's. And you do need a comp if you want to be competative in matches. Am I not suppose to practice ? Of course you dont want to go out of your way to be an ass, but I have every right to shoot with my competition gun right along side the fudd with his30-06. Maybe I'm getting old and crotchety, but I'm just tired of this keep everyone happy crap. It doesnt work. amen brother |
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If your a member of the "FH/Comp/Muzzlebrake of the month club" then ya,you need this, I believe it's April.... $85 muzzle device....I'll pass, I'd rather have the Flash hiding vs the .000000000000000025 sec split time difference...
I'm a big boy, I can handle the muzzle rise and live with the split time... I go to matches to win. Not come in 2nd. And the .20 sec difference accumulated ove 25-35 rounds adds up. I dont use a $90 comp, but I do use a $40 comp. All of my Ar's are not for defensive use. I actually enjoy competing against other shooters, Shooting should be fun.And while the 2 or 3 sec. difference isnt much, it is enough to make the difference. First is always better. |
| I love mine but I know about 13 other people who were in my Defensive Edge Tactical Carbine class that weren't thrilled with it. It can get a little nasty when firing from unconventional positions, Low prone under vehicle shots will spray sand all over the place but follow-up shots are quick and spot on. |
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Quoted:
If your a member of the "FH/Comp/Muzzlebrake of the month club" then ya,you need this, I believe it's April.... $85 muzzle device....I'll pass, I'd rather have the Flash hiding vs the .000000000000000025 sec split time difference...
I'm a big boy, I can handle the muzzle rise and live with the split time... Some people shoot in shooting matches, some people live in states where flash hiders are not legal, obviously you experience neither. |
| I'm curious. How loud is one of these compared to my 7mm Rem Mag, or louder yet, my .300 Win Mag at the range??? Those are pretty f'g loud. I remember one time when I went to sight in a new scope on the 7 mag and the only spot available was an end spot next to a guy shooting a single shot bolt action .22LR. He looked very serious, but my shooting had to be disruptive. He did not do much shooting after that. |
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