Compensators - What exactly and why?

[DoItRight]

I have seen a number of pistols with compensators installed. I get the general idea that they reduce muzzle flip but why would someone who is not a competitive shooter want one?

 

[Silentarmy]

Depending

on Caliber the Compensator will reduce muzzle flip and felt recoil while the tradeoff is increased Noise! Mostly for increased accuracy. Who doesn't like to hit what they are aiming at And enjoy the absence of wrist battering recoil?

 

[Bill DeShivs]

A compensator has nothing to do with inherent accuracy.
People like them because they have seen them in the movies, and they make the gun look "bad," as do the ambidextrous safeties, swoopy beavertail grip safeties, front slide serrations, extended mag. bumper, etc., ad nauseum.
Once these neophytes mature in their tastes (if they stay interested) they will learn to appreciate a fine gun without all this stuff.

 

[Alleykat]

I'm certainly not a neophyte, and I really do enjoy shooting my compensated pistols. All my shooting, up to this point in my long life, has been for fun. Real compensators don't just reduce "felt" recoil, they reduce "actual" recoil, and they seriously mitigate muzzle flip, like your h.s. physics teacher might have taught you.

I acquired compensated barrels long ago, and can't remember ever having seen a compensated pistol in a movie. Even if I had seen a compensated pistol in a movie, that would have had no bearing on my decision to shoot compensated.

Since I shoot with double ear-protection, the increased noise isn't a factor with me. I carry a non-comp'd pistol for s.d.

Nice post, Bill. Blather, but a nice post, nevertheless!

 

[Epyon]

Alleykat...

Have you seen The Punisher? The one with Tom Jane and John Travolta? Punisher uses twin 1911s with compensators. I don't care what anyone says that was one well made movie, no CG effects or anything at all. (Yes including the final scene, those were all actual explosives.)


Epyon

 

[omegapd]

I've got a Glock 21C on the way. I realize that this is considered closer to a ported barrel than a comped one, but I'm curious if there's any noticeable velocity loss through these types of guns. Any Help?

EW

 

[Hoss Fly]

I hace on on my 45, i'm not smart enough to tell you how or even if it works but i like it

 

[Te Anau]

The factory standard compensator on my Hi-Point is the first thing people notice when I shoot it.It looks cool especially when a round exits the barrel.

 

[What Just Happened?]

By having vents on the top of the extended barrel section (the compensator), it allows some of the gases that were produced by the ignition of the gunpowder to escape out those ports and thus create an amount of thrust in the upward direction which would cause a reaction that would push down on the tip of the barrel. From there you have to do a free body diagram and see that the resulting gas vented through the ports reduces the amount of muzzle flip that you would experience. The only problem with such a setup is that you have extended the barrel which theoretically increases the amount of friction loss that the bullet experiences going down the barrel and you might have introduced some uneven pressure behind the bullet since the gas will vent out unevenly. Since the bullet is traveling over the speed of sound, these effect are most likely negligible to the beneficial effects that the reduced muzzle flip creates.

You can see the effects of porting more pronounced in the world of paintball where the projectiles travel at 300 fps rather than the +1000fps you typically see in handguns.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, I'm a mechanical engineer.