I posted earlier about the removal of the factory muzzle break on a Colt civilian M4. I removed it today, and it takes longer to explain than it does to accomplish. Just drive out two roll pins with a 3/32" straight pin punch. Use a tapered starter punch if they're tight. With pins removed slide break off ! That's it. No press fit, no welding, soldering, threading - nothing. You will be left with a .700" dia. barrel for 1" to a step-up of .740" dia.(except for M203 groove) that continues to front sight. It's even finished under the break to standard barrel specs. All that you will have as witness marks are two shallow groves at twelve and six o'clock where the roll pins were. Measured from the bolt face to muzzle (standard HBAR crown) the barrel measures sixteen and one half inches in length. So if you have one of these and want to get rid of that bulbous contraption on the end of the barrel and stay legal - go for it!

Good work!  

Great post! This helps alot. I love my rifle, but cannot stand the brake, and neither can my pals at the range!

Now, are there any really nice replacements out there that would fit right on?

Thanks again for the post.

I emailed EGW about their brake. They say they have a post ban one, I wonder if it would fit with the same roll-pin dimples.

Michiguns/ Ned Christiansen said if I sent him my comp from the gun he could make one of his fit the same, but they're similar in style to what's on there, so I can't decide.

As you well know, the Colt M4 brake looks like the ones used for three-gun competition, and it does it's job. I have two objections to it. For one, it's ugly (the three gun guys don't care), and two, it creates a strong pressure wave to each side, so all of the other guys on the firing line are annoyed.

So, what I'd like to do is get a legal brake that resembles the A2 flashider for esthetics, and have the ability to knock the pins out for shooting at the club range (load development).

I saw a photo of the EGW, and it looks like something that I could live with, but I wonder if they would install it the way I want. Do you have a phone # for them?

Boing, please continue to post your progress on this. I am very interested in a different brake as well, but do not want to do anything permanent to my barrel.

The post ban EGW is still threaded. The difference is the mod so that it's not a Grenade Launcher.

I will probably get that one. They thread the barrel and put the comp on, then blind pin it and weld over the pin, so the threads are inaccessible, but still exist.

You could email them to ask if they'd make a slip on/ crosspin model, they are actually SCARY fast with email responses :)