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Compensators for Concealed Carry: Are They Worth It?

Talyn

SAINT
Founding Member

More pistols leave the factory with a compensator or threaded barrels for comps, but do they make a difference in recoil reduction for carry guns?


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More pistols leave the factory with a compensator or threaded barrels for comps, but do they make a difference in recoil reduction for carry guns?


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While they may or may not help, I believe in a self defense situation with the adrenaline pumping, most are not going to even notice.
 
I have tested a lot of comps, from 130pf competition loads to 9mm major pf loads and factory carry ammo.
Low pf ammo and carry ammo just do not create enough gas for comps to be efficient. At best, they MIGHT slightly make a difference. It will be hard to see the difference.
Major power factor ammo, with the right powder, does make enough gas to make a comp efficient and the gains are easily seen. A properly selected comp will reduce recoil and muzzle rise to the point that you'll be able to run a lighter recoil spring than a standard load.
 
I have tested a lot of comps, from 130pf competition loads to 9mm major pf loads and factory carry ammo.
Low pf ammo and carry ammo just do not create enough gas for comps to be efficient. At best, they MIGHT slightly make a difference. It will be hard to see the difference.
Major power factor ammo, with the right powder, does make enough gas to make a comp efficient and the gains are easily seen. A properly selected comp will reduce recoil and muzzle rise to the point that you'll be able to run a lighter recoil spring than a standard load.
Some comps need a recoil spring change for low power loads to cycle. In this case it's the opposite. I have some over pressure loads for a 357sig that cycled the slide in a manner would get you scared to shoot without a comp/brake. 1st shot with the comp and it cycled fine and ejected the brass fairly close to me. Removed the comp and I thought the slide was going to derail when ejecting. Very smooth shooting with the comp for a high pressure and very fast round.
 
We in California would love to find out. Compensators are No Bueno, even for LEOs
 
I'll be the unpopular one here, i don't like compensators on any small arms gun. not needed IMO. they may be ok for range guns but any gun that needs to be fired quickly and without hearing protection i don't want.

I hunted with a couple AR's that came with one and you had to wear ear plugs in the tree stand to shoot the dern thing. i ended up taking them off and putting a regular flash hider on. I have a couple handguns that came with one but they will only be range toys where i wear ear protection anyway.

But they look cool why they are popular, or least i think that's why. lol and i will admit they do look good but i don't want one on a gun i will need to shoot without hearing protection. i can't imagine firing one off in a house.
 
Are they needed on a carry gun? No.

Do they definitely have a noticeable effect? Yes. I used to doubt this until I started using them. It's undeniable to me now.

But the question is, are the gains worth adding additional length/weight to a carry gun? I don't really think so. Training for proper grip, counter-pressure and recoil control are far more important.

But - as we see more integrated compensators on guns coming to market, the question above of whether they are worth the additional length/weight as an add-on feature becomes moot - you aren't adding any additional length or weight in these cases. I have yet to spend much time with these smaller platform pistols with integrated comps, but from multiple credible sources, it seems like they do still have a beneficial effect, without much of a downside. Which makes sense, from a physics standpoint.
 
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I shoot USPSA as well in CO, LO & Open.

in most of it he used a frame mounted comp and said that it was overpowered by high gas loads. The gas is what makes a comp work. One that is overpowered by factory ammo is a joke. It is for esthetic effect only. If he is a master class shooter, he knows better and should be ashamed of the s*** show.
 
I shoot USPSA as well in CO, LO & Open.

in most of it he used a frame mounted comp and said that it was overpowered by high gas loads. The gas is what makes a comp work. One that is overpowered by factory ammo is a joke. It is for esthetic effect only. If he is a master class shooter, he knows better and should be ashamed of the s*** show.

First, did you actually watch the entire video? Out of the 4 pistols he was using for testing, only one had a frame-mounted comp on it. Saying that "in most of it he used a frame mounted comp" is completely false.

Second, the pistol that he said he thought was "overwhelmed" by the Win 115gr and the 95gr "wildcat" hand load was not the frame-mounted option at all. It was on the shorter-barreled (3.75") Shadow Systems CR920P. And he elaborates that this isn't simply because of factory ammo (the 95gr load isn't actually "factory" at all), but that because of the shorter barrel, a fair bit of the powder is still burning when it hits the comp, and is not converted to gas yet. And what he actually said was, "both of those loads overwhelmed the little compensator, in terms of getting the most out of it." Your simplification of what he said is not accurate.

He also states at 11:04 that the AXG Legion combined with the 95gr load felt like the comp was "overwhelmed." Again - that is not a "standard load" but a very high pressure handload combined with a 3.1" barrel. So - that's two different guns with sub-4" barrels that didn't perform as well with higher pressure loads, which was not an issue with the other pistols that had longer barrels, and esp. in the case of the Staccato. He explains that it wasn't actually because of "gas" at all, but because less of the powder has yet converted to gas in the shorter barrels. That seems like useful info to share, dontcha think?

As for the overall results of his testing - he's literally showing the measured angle of climb with each load and each pistol, with consistent methodology. I don't know how those observable effects are debatable, unless you want to debate geometry.

And I think we all know that it is gas that makes a comp work. There is not a single thing stated in that vid that suggests otherwise.
 
First, did you actually watch the entire video? Out of the 4 pistols he was using for testing, only one had a frame-mounted comp on it. Saying that "in most of it he used a frame mounted comp" is completely false.

Second, the pistol that he said he thought was "overwhelmed" by the Win 115gr and the 95gr "wildcat" hand load was not the frame-mounted option at all. It was on the shorter-barreled (3.75") Shadow Systems CR920P. And he elaborates that this isn't simply because of factory ammo (the 95gr load isn't actually "factory" at all), but that because of the shorter barrel, a fair bit of the powder is still burning when it hits the comp, and is not converted to gas yet. And what he actually said was, "both of those loads overwhelmed the little compensator, in terms of getting the most out of it." Your simplification of what he said is not accurate.

He also states at 11:04 that the AXG Legion combined with the 95gr load felt like the comp was "overwhelmed." Again - that is not a "standard load" but a very high pressure handload combined with a 3.1" barrel. So - that's two different guns with sub-4" barrels that didn't perform as well with higher pressure loads, which was not an issue with the other pistols that had longer barrels, and esp. in the case of the Staccato. He explains that it wasn't actually because of "gas" at all, but because less of the powder has yet converted to gas in the shorter barrels. That seems like useful info to share, dontcha think?

As for the overall results of his testing - he's literally showing the measured angle of climb with each load and each pistol, with consistent methodology. I don't know how those observable effects are debatable, unless you want to debate geometry.

And I think we all know that it is gas that makes a comp work. There is not a single thing stated in that vid that suggests otherwise.

Lol, thanks for proving everything I said.
 
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