I want to get a carbine and had decided on the Bushmaster M4 type carbine with the Mini Y comp. Several people I have talked to have said that model is way too loud though. My question is, is it really THAT loud considering I always use hearing protection anyway? Should I consider another model?

I think the reference is really to being very loud for bystanders, not the shooter. Frankly, I wouldn't worry about it. It's still far less than, say, a 7mm Rem Mag or .300 Win Mag, and they still allow those on public ranges.

I had one.  The thing was very loud.  Have Kurt's Kustom Firearms put one of his brakes on there, you won't be sorry.  


P.S.  If you ever have to use the rifle in a self defense situation the mini-Y will burst your eardrums.

I guess it does come down to personal preference.  Some people say it isn't that bad, but I beg to difer.  My friend bought a Bushy M4 with freakin mini-Y, and it was brutal, especially for the shooter.

He wanted to be able to hunt coyotes with it, but it was impossible, really, to fire the thing without hearing protection, felt like your ears were bleeding!  My plain end 16" Bushy carbine, is tame without hearing protection in the woods.  Also, that mini-y throws one hell of a blast back in your face.

But, that mini-y is one heck of a compensator, I do give it credit for that.  It comes down to what you want the rifle for.  If you want it to serve as a possible home defense or hunting rifle, stay away from that mini-Y.  If it will be a range queen, that mini-y will serve you well.  The .223 doesn't have that much recoil anyway, but the mini-y does break that down to almost non-existent.

My buddy just got his upper back from KKF.  He had him take that Godforsaken mini-y off and put on one of his A3 Fake Flash Suppresors.  I gotta tell you, that thing is sweet.  Looks great (looks like the A2 flash hider), and is about the same loudness as my plain end 16".

I have a MINI Y on my BM and it was very LOUD!!!  

However, I said "WAS". Do a search through these forums about taming the Mini Y. I did it to mine and was amazed at the difference. Bacicaly all you do is ream out the comp with a 5/16 drill bit, it apparently relieves the back pressure enough to remove the sonic blast. Does not affect the muzzle compensation.

Yeah it is loud, but that really  does not bother me.

However, if you are shooting w/a buddy and he is next to you, LOOK out.  The way the "break" is designed, ALL, and I mean ALL of the "air blast" that comes out of the comp, will hit you like a ton of bricks.  

I was next to and slightly behind my buddy as he fired, and it almost blew off my hat.  

I'll tell yah, if you don't wear eye protection what this configuration  you are asking for eye damage.  

But all in all, I do like the gun.

I got 1 from somebody here recently. I put it on a 7.5" to try as a flash enhancer. It has a pretty good bump when fired. I put it on a 14" M-16 saturday, did not say anything, fired the first burst, and heard a "WHOAA" in the background. They said it hit hard. I wonder about boring the "fencing" off the 4 ports and making the holes open to 90 degree to blow blast straight out to side, like the old Clark breaks around 90-91. Did seem to work good with auto fire.

Thanks for all the good info. Does anyone know how much it costs and how long it takes if I send the upper to KKF for the fake flash suppressor?

My FAVORITE rifle is a Bushy post-ban M-4. Like others have said, it is LOUD ! !   But . .the Mini-Y Comp is one of the best brakes on the market.  However, could never shoot more than one round without hearing protection.  Just to LOUD ! !   Even tried to "open up" the brake, but still too loud.  Removed the Y-Comp and installed a A3 (long size) Fake Brake from Kurt's and it is a dream  ! !  MUCH less noise, and looks cool.  Several positive comments from fellow shooters at the steel plate shoots.  I was able to remove old brake and install the new one in approx 20 minutes.  Liked it so much installed a Fake Brake on my 16 inch carbine too  ! !

Are bushmaster barrels threaded under the mini-Y?

BeeBee2,
What does it take to install the fake brake? The barrel is not threaded, is it?

An ugly woman is still ugly, even if you have a 12 pack under your belt. Even with hearing protection it sucks.  Get a plain barrel before you suffer with the mini-y comp.

I also own a bushmaster M4 clone and the rifle is louder than any other ar-15 I own. But the breaks also helps to make the rifle very accurate when shooting, especially when shooting follow up shots. I bought the rifle knowing that the brake was going to make it louder than normal, but I prefer a more accurate rifle than a quieter rifle. If you're ever in a situation where you are defending yourself with that rifle, I'm sure you're not going to care if the rifle is loud when shot.

The mini y comp is nothing compared to the old 3 slot armalite brake. That damn thing will knock the hat off the guy shooting nect you.

My bushy is naked on the barrell and i actually prefer that. the ar recoil is so light that frankly shooting offhand is no faster with a brake than without. As for accuracy the brake actually can hurt it. If the gasses are not 100% equal it can affect the bullet. Granted a small amount but it does happen.

I have a Y-comp on my 16" Bushmaster carbine.  The Y-comp is just like the 2 port mini Y-comp, except is has 3 ports.  When I shoot practical rifle, the other competitors say its the loudest brake they have ever heard.  I wear earmuff style hearing protection and don't really notice the sound or the blast.  The brake does work well, with NO muzzle rise between shots.

Yeah, all us Mini-Y comp owners are out here staggering, around, blood streaming out our ears, and all those innocent bystanders knocked off their feet, etc. yeah it's that bad really...

I think its louder as well as it being a higher pitch.

I put a mini-Y-Comp on a preban barrel to try it out. I usually wear plugs in my ears, and muffs over that. My teeth rattled, I got a head ache, and my shooting buddies told me to take that thing off. ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL. It also changed point of impact by over a foot. Buy a preban upper and pin a Cavalry Arms Comp on.

Quoted: Yeah, all us Mini-Y comp owners are out here staggering, around, blood streaming out our ears, and all those innocent bystanders knocked off their feet, etc. yeah it's that bad really...

LOL

I have a Bushy *postban* M4 copy with the mini Y comp. It's not that bad. Took a few rounds to get used to it, but it doesn't bother me at all. And it is highly effective. As far as others complaining at the range etc.. Tell them to get better earplugs, because excessive noise is to be expected on a firing range.

At least to me, (with perfect 18yr old hearing) My fathers 22" barreled bolt action 30-06 has WAYYY more muzzle blast than my AR... That '06 rattles my teeth when sitting next to it. And there are far larger calibers than that.

It's more than likely different for everyone though, some might be more sensitive to the noise/blast etc.. than others. So that's part of it. If you want the rifle, don't let the brake stop you, try it out, put a couple hundred rounds through it, if it really bothers you, just replace it. No harm done. You never know, you just might like it.  

I could hardly speak for everyone, but I want my AR shooting experience to be as close to that of firing the real Military equivalents as possible.  If the Y-Comp causes a big departure from that experience (and I know it does) then it seems like bad news to me.  

Quoted: The mini y comp is nothing compared to the old 3 slot armalite brake. That damn thing will knock the hat off the guy shooting nect you.

Hahaha, I took a class with a guy shooting the Armalite with the brake. We were shooting next to one another at plates, First from standing then quick to prone. When going prone, either he went down a little back, or I went a little forward. One way or the other... the thing DID knock my hat off!!! Hahahaha!

We shoot tactical competitons every month. I am often keeping time. I always know right away when someone is shooting with a Y-Comp. Louder than you would expect. However, we also had a course where we had to shoot other people's rifles. When I picked up the Y-Comp installed gun, I was pretty amazed at how little recoil there was and how quickly I could make follow up shots. I was really suprised! After that experience, I have very mixed feelings about it.

Hi guys,
sorry for the delay in sending an answer -- just too busy  ! !

Yes, the post-ban Bushy barrels on the M-4's are threaded -- 1/2" X 28 thread , same as pre-ban barrels.

But . . .don't get me wrong, the Mini Y-Comp is a WONDERFUL brake ! ! !  No recoil or muzzle flip -- great for follow up shots.  Just to loud  ! !  Anyway, still use this same carbine, but with a Fake Brake from Kurt's, in the local steel plate shoots.  Can still hit, and knock over, the 30 pound plates at 100 yards with quick follow-up shots ! ! !  

Quoted: Yeah, all us Mini-Y comp owners are out here staggering, around, blood streaming out our ears, and all those innocent bystanders knocked off their feet, etc. yeah it's that bad really...

Very well put.....

Yes, way too loud but probably the best comp ever made.  No muzzle rise, almost no recoil.  Mine's at Kurt's right now being neutered.

                       

If you are planning to use your carbine or rifle for real-practical uses, you better don't even think about it. I was a fan of it until I heard AR15 with regular A2 flash suppressor. It is noisy but it is bearable to use in defense situations. Now I'm in desperate need of PRE-BAN ARs!!!

For a carbine with mini-Y comp, I'd still be reluctant to use it for defence even if I was desperate - I'd rather grab my Benelli M1 right next to that AR instead.

I'd recommend Kurts Tac Brakes, not that I have experience with them, but Kurts reputation here is really good. What I'm wondering is if his Tac Brakes are as loud as A2 flash suppressors. I still don't care for flash (actually I care... 2004 AW ban better lift!) but the noise level I can't bear anymore.