Picked up a Bushmaster Carbine today! Fun, fun! It's got a really funky ported barrel that I haven't seen before though. What exactly is goin on there? It was 400 bucks... not bad, eh?
To me it looks like a super-duper wave-harmonic counter-balancer :^) If it isn't, I too would be curious to find out!
I just went to their site and yep, you're right...... now what does it accomplish? Is it just a little recoil reduction?
Supposed to do just that. It will also spray hot gas into your shooting partner's face if you aren't careful, and it will also flip some noise back at you. I think that one is screwed on, you may be able to take it off and assess the recoil reduction for yourself; decide whether to keep it or replace it with a flash suppressor instead.
Who did you rob? I don't know that I have ever seen a deal that good, except for the time that Mags got that AR upper at a garage sale for nearly nothing. I have the same compensator on a Bushmaster, but I haven't shot it yet so I cannot say if there are any "ill effects" from it.
Assessing the recoil of a .223? I'll remember to do that right after I determine which style body-armour to wear to a pillow fight.
That IS funny. I'll see if the compensator helps me keep on target any better under rapid fire. It does jump around a bit ya know
Range Report Range Report: 2 AR-15's 1) Bushmaster A2 Carbine with "mini Y" compensator (pictured above) 2) DPMS Panther A2 w/ 20" bbl and no compensator or flash supressor of any kind Ammo - Couple hundred rounds of Remington UMC and Wolf brand. Both 55 grain full metal jacket. Accuracy - No surprise here, the longer barrel of the dmps wins. Of course my testing was very UN-scientific, but it did seem to shoot slightly tighter shot groupings. Muzzle Jump - Edge goes to the Bushmaster even with a shorter barrel. The compensator noticeably helps keep down muzzle jump and keep you on target for follow up shots. It stays on target better than the 20" with no compensator, and from my very recent memory of a day at the range with a Colt AR15 carbine, it helps quite noticeably. Reliability for both rifles was 100% with both brands of ammo. I've put a couple thousand rounds through the dpms and am very, very pleased with it. Final Words about the compensator: As Seacowboys pointed out, recoil isn't a factor with an AR as most know, but by limiting muzzle jump on the short barrel, you're really able to stay on target and unleash a deadly hail of rapid fire follow ups. If I were on the move and engaging multiple targets at 100 yards or so, the short barrel with the compensator is the way to go. I was able to engage a target with 3 or 4 shots, switch targets for 3 or 4 more and repeat with much more speed and accuracy than I'm used to...... It put a seriously evil grin on my face! Note... Without ear protection, you will be deaf after such an excercise! the compensator does throw back a noticeable amount of sound your direction, and while I was firing it "from the hip", I was getting nailed right in the face with the gasses. A very distracting "puff, puff".
So, I assume that you did the "Zombie shoot"? I also have the same DPMS 20 inch, and the exact same Bushy, plus a couple of other AR's. Glad to hear you liked the Bushy so well, I have yet to shoot mine.
Sounds like you did well. I have a Bushy Carbine with the Izzy tip and it is 1" at 100yds. Is that a A2 or A3 top on it? Does it have the shell deflector bump? [Newer models] Sightron has a nice electronic red dot for the top of it. With the right comp on one, it will be fine out to 300 yds. The DPMS bolts tend to wear faster than the Bushy's. Show us some range reports.
Shell deflector yes, A2 or A3..... I don't know what an A3 top is. It's a non-removable carry handle if that's what you mean. When I was in service, I still carried the A1
That is an A1 Upper, The A2 has the windage adjustable rear sight. I hate that break, and my AR is a bitch to shoot with because of it. Hell the AMD-65 has the same issue, loud as hell. Nice price on the rifle. Hell there are guys out there hard up enough for thrills that they are collecting "retro" AR's. Colt's #00004 AR in on GunBroker right now for over $100K, LOL.
I took mine to the range this week, while the gun was very accurate (inch+ groups at 50 yds. with iron sights...doubt I could do better without optics on any rifle) and I liked it, the muzzle blast coming back at the shooter made you feel very uncomfortable. It felt like a concussion wave that hits you. I will be replacing that break right away.