Flash Suppressor important on .308 16"?

[Canter5503]

Hi fellas,

Was wondering if you could help me out here. Got my tax refund back and am deciding how to spend the money. I have a post-ban 16" .308 DSA Tactical Carbine SA-58. I use this rifle as a general purpose deal - Home defense (with low penetration .308 TAP ammo), camp carbine, ranch carbine, earthquake/riot/natural disaster/OMGWTF SHTF carbine, target practice carbine. So yeah, it fills a lot of roles.

Soooo, now the Assault weapons ban is not longer around, and I'm thinking of swapping out barrels in my FAL to be able to use a FLASH SUPPRESSOR . I want to get one before the Democrats take over and draft a new wonderbill . This will set me back a good $495 (the suppressor, not the wonderbill). Yes, a lot of money, however the other option would be to sell my rifle and buy another SA58 (which will set me back a similar amount, but would require me to go through the process of selling my rifle), or buy a completely new SA58 (which would set me back a far greater amount). They cannot cut threads into the existing barrel, because the flutes get in the way...or something to that effect.

So the bottom line - For those of you with 16" .308's, or who have shot one, DO YOU THINK A FLASH SUPPRESSOR IS WORTH IT in case I need to shoot this thing at night without blinding myself? Granted, most of the time my night vision would already be destroyed because I'll have identified the perp via my weapon light, but I keep thinking of the rare chance where I'm actually using my rifle without the light (e.g. survival, riot, returning fire from concealment after having identified perp). The downsides are that I lose some accuracy and muzzle velocity because of the shortened barrel needed for the suppressor to fit 16". I'm tending to think the brake is worth it in combat situations...but then again $500 can buy me a nice glock...or a shotgun...or....

I'm ready to plop down the cash, but I just wanted some informed feedback before I do this. I've fired pistols, 9mm submachineguns and shotguns during night fire training exercises, and have found the muzzle blast to be minimal. However, I've never fired a short barreled .308 at night, so I really don't know what to expect. Is the muzzle flash outrageous?

Sorry for the long post, as I'm sure half of you are now sound asleep.

Thanks

 

[JWarren]

Out of curiosity, why are you having to replace the barrel to put on a flash suppressor? Couldn't you simply have the existing barrel threaded?

Tomorrow, a machinist friend of mine is turning down and threading the barrel of my Saiga 308 for the installation of a flash suppressor.

But to answer your question, I prefer a flash suppressor on 16" barrels.

The downsides are that I lose some accuracy and muzzle velocity because of the shortened barrel needed for the suppressor to fit 16".

You've got me confused here. 16 inches is the MININUM length for a rifle barrel not to be considered a Class III weapon. You do not have to cut any length from the barrel. Therefore, you would have no reduction of muzzle velocity or accuracy.

John

 

[Canter5503]

Out of curiosity, why are you having to replace the barrel to put on a flash suppressor? Couldn't you simply have the existing barrel threaded?

Yeah, I first thought about doing the same thing. However, I called DSA and they said that it couldn't be turned because the barrel is fluted starting just a half an inch from the muzzle end and wouldn't allow for it. Also, even if you were somehow able to get enough thread within that half an inch to install a flash suppressor, it would extend the overall length of the barrel to 18-19 inches. Not a huge deal, but not optimal if I use the weapon in a CQB situation - those corners are tight enough with a 16" barrel as it is.

 

[Canter5503]

You've got me confused here. 16 inches is the MININUM length for a rifle barrel not to be considered a Class III weapon. You do not have to cut any length from the barrel. Therefore, you would have no reduction of muzzle velocity or accuracy.

I was referring to the fact that the flash suppressor would take up a couple of inches out of the 16 inch barrel (i.e. a 14" threaded barrel that allows you to screw on a 3" flash suppressor for a total length of 16", with an inch of overlap from the threads of both the suppressor and barrel). In those couple of inches, there is no velocity gain, so the effective barrel length would really only be 13-14"...reducing velocity. I've also heard that flash suppressors can reduce accuracy due to the gases being channeled in different directions, although I've never confirmed this for myself.

 

[Canter5503]

You've got me confused here. 16 inches is the MININUM length for a rifle barrel not to be considered a Class III weapon. You do not have to cut any length from the barrel. Therefore, you would have no reduction of muzzle velocity or accuracy.

John, your post got me thinking about the legalities of selling a 14" barrel that allows a flash suppressor to be added to make a total of 16". I talked to DSA and they basically said that they only sell 16.25" barrels that you add the suppressor to, for a total of about 18". Apparently, the only way to legally attach a suppressor to a 14" barrel is to solder it on for a total length of 16" (14" barrel+2" suppressor). I didn't know this! So yes, you're right. There would be no muzzle velocity loss, because essentially I would only be able to put a suppressor on a 16.25" barrel...thus making the overall length 18". :banghead:

 

[1911JMB]

I like my FAL without the supressor. Even firing it at night the flash isn't too bad. I'd rather invest that amount of money on a folding 6 position stock.

 

[Canter5503]

I like my FAL without the supressor. Even firing it at night the flash isn't too bad. I'd rather invest that amount of money on a folding 6 position stock.

1911, is your FAL the 16" version? Many thanks,

Canter

 

[1911JMB]

Sure is Canter.

 

[Ian]

FYI, if the barrel without any muzzle devices is less than 16", the muzzle devices must be permanently attached, not just threaded on.