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Posted: 2/3/2015 4:06:57 PM EDT
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Hey all, was wondering if any of you might know the answer to this. Anyone know how hot muzzle devices get, specifically a brake/comp? I have a PWS fsc 556 to give an idea of what type of device I'm talking about. I'm thinking of having a machinist try to machine me a shroud for it, similar to the ferfrans type of system to mitigate side blast a little bit, and I need to know what kind of temps I can expect to get an idea for what steel to specify. Thanks in advance, and if it works and makes a real world difference I'll post a blueprint and specs on here once I beta test it.
Paul |
| Your machinist should be using at minimum, 416 SS. Best stuff to use would be Inconel or Titanium, but not cheap versions. Your talking 900-1200 degrees depending on caliber, load, and how fast you are shooting. I would machine one out of Inconel 751 or 792 due to their high melt points and the fact that they are made to handle high heat--Think airplane turbine blades. Either way, it will not be a cheap item- custom made part made of special high heat material=$$$$$ |
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Your material selection will all depend on the use case you're building this thing for and the particulars of your design.
Are you going to be running full auto Beta-C mag dumps with a 7" pistol barrel through this thing? Or are you thinking of a more "general purpose" use on a SBR? (semi-auto, an occasional mag dump or two, and a 11"-12"ish barrel?) I'll go ahead and say that Inconel is unnecessary. I don't know what the PWS comp is made of, but the majority of the top end muzzle brakes these days seem to be made of 17-4PH stainless steel. (I'll assume the PWS is made of 17-4 for now). The brake itself will be bearing the brunt of the muzzle blast and will be exposed to the majority of the wear that this thing sees. The shield will see less muzzle blast exposure, and at a lower temperature/pressure than the brake. It can be made of a comparatively less resilient material and still match the life of the muzzle brake. If you make your shield of 17-4PH (assuming a reasonable design), I'd imagine that you'd burn out the blast baffle on the FSC556 before the shield failed. Of course, ymmv. I'd suggest looking at silencer construction and materials and keeping that in mind when you design this. The Ops Inc silencers are made of 304 stainless steel if I remember right and are rated for full auto. I don't know how short a barrel they will still warranty the things to, but they make a model intended for 11.5" SBR's. I don't know that they've published the firing schedule they test them to, but they seem to be doing alright with 304 ss. |
| While 17-4 and 304 are used to make gun parts, and I agree that they can handle the temps, most of the mfgs use them for outer sleeves, not baffles as much. The more expensive one are made of Ti and Inconel. How long do you want it to last? I personally would spend the $$$ to make one that will take 10x the abuse and come out shining. JMPO. |
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That's exactly it, the part we're talking about is essentially the outer tube of a suppressor (but short and open on the front).
I could be mistaken, but I don't believe that any manufacturer makes a suppressor with an Inconel tube. Baffles are often Inconel, but that's more analogous to the PWS FSC556 brake he's making this shield for. Ops is boasting that they have serviceable cans with over 90k rounds through them (304 stainless). I really don't think the cost of Inconel would be justified on this, but if it's worth it to you, then go for it. I don't believe that you're going to see a difference between Inconel and 17-4 in use until you're hitting firing schedules that'll destroy the brake itself. I think that you'd need to really abuse this to see a difference between 17-4 and 304. Personally, I'd pick 17-4 and put the saved money into getting it nitrided or something like that. |
| I definitely don't want to go with inconel. Some research into places that sell it puts it at $60 AN INCH. No way. 17-4, however, is very reasonable. I'm not at all a hardcore, high speed low drag type. I just would rather have a way to not be so obnoxious, unless I want to be. Thanks for the input everybody, this has been very helpful. |
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