Wilson is probably the best made, but none of the type is very effective because they are bored through to clear the barrel, not just the bullet. But they do add to the recoiling mass.

 

I’ve got one of those bushing compensators. Looks cool, and adds a tiny bit of weight out front (if you get steel) but makes no appreciable difference in recoil.

I got it for the looks and aesthetic, not the compensation, so it works for me. Just know, if you’re primarily looking for recoil mitigation, a thread on comp is a better bet.

 

To have any value, the hole must be in the actual barrel, not the slide or bushing attached to the slide. Otherwise, they just look cool. The real ones are not cheap because you are buying a barrel too.

That said, if buying for looks there are a 100 of them on ebay, just buy the coolest one that fits your fancy.

FWIW

 

Thanks to all for the replies and great insight. Very much appreciated and helpful. If only for "looks", I'd be OK with that especially if it puts a little more "heft" up front without affecting functionality.

Since I also have fitted Jarvis threaded barrels for both of these 1911's, do the threaded compensators have the ability to be "indexed" on the barrel and are they in keeping with the overall form & shape of the front of the slide? THX

Quick pic of the pair w/ standard barrels:

 

Yea, the threaded compensators will come with shims so the comp can be timed. Not particularly difficult to do, just trial and error taking the comp off and adding more, or taking away shims. From a looks perspective, it would also matter now much the barrel sticks out before the threads start.

 

Any recommended mfg's, be it barrel bushing ("Punisher" style) or threaded comp (muzzle break style)? Previous use and experiences with a particular brand welcomed. THX

 

I don't know if they still sell them, but I've had a Wilson LE-K Accucomp on a pistol back when I was shooting IPSC, and I put a Heinie comped barrel on a 10mm, both were threaded muzzle-brake type comps, and I was happy with how they worked. I've also used a Centaur Systems compensator on a gun, later on, which worked well, too, but it used a threaded bull barrel setup, and I thought it was the better setup in .45.
I honestly don't know if any of those are still being made, it's doubtful, but maybe someone has a used one that would work. My Wilson was used when I bought it, and it was good enough for me, at that time.

 

Sarco has their fairly cheap barrel/comp combo. It is mounted to the barrel so it actually pushes the barrel downward to reduce muzzle flip. I am told the reduce muzzle flip by 30% according to a UTube measurement but I have never personally tried one. I do not see any value to one for me on a 45 but on a 10 or 400 Corbon they may be worth the money. I have 3 crumbled bones in my wrist so they might be worth it on the heavy kickers. The Sarco products are actually pretty good. I have bought frames and other parts from them for 1911 builds.

Clark sells them fitted to your gun

And Midway has them with some pretty decent reviews as to claims of reduced recoil and muzzle flip.

FYI.

 

For a 10mm, it MIGHT be effective, (although a bull barrel with a threaded comp would be better than one that acts as a bushing.)
For a .45, the round just isn't a high-pressure round, and I doubt enough gas would be passing through the comp to actually make a difference.

 

It makes a difference, I was able to get to 5th in "C" class back in the day, at the '89 USPSA Nationals, and I don't think I could have done that without the compensated pistol. I ran my ammo pretty hot, though, maybe that made the comp work better. Doesn't matter now, it was a long time ago.

 

I went with a set of Punisher and Predator comps from Valkyrie Dynamics. Excellent fit and function right out of the package for my 10mm 1911's (SIG TACOPS, D.Wesson Specialist, and Kimber Rapide). A bit louder and bright at the muzzle but definitely lesser muzzle rise on each shot. I'm well pleased and impressed:

 

 

It's been my experience and my opinion that off the shelf compensators (brakes) will most likely fail miserably in reducing recoil as the 45ACP in a low pressure round to begin with. They may reduce muzzle rise only because of the added weight at the end of the barrel if they are made of steel. They are nice to look at and all that, but for the most part they will not be a miracle cure for what you desire out of your 1911 for performance. Do whatever makes you happy and keep shooting...

 

Which Valkyrie comp did you put on your Rapides? The Predator or the Punisher? Thx!

 

In 45 ACP-thx

 

I tried both Punishers and Predators on them and some of my other 1911's, but the .45ACP is just basically for "show" as the round doesn't put out enough oomph to make a difference. If you're dead set on .45ACP with a comp, save the coin for ammo...

 

Ok thx so much for the guideance- really appreciate it!

 

Yeah, you have to reload to make the larger ones work.

You add more powder to get more fuel to thrust through the brake. But then you get into overpressure issues. So then you switch to slower burning powder. The bullets gone and pressure drops before all the powder burns.

It's a delicate balence. Get it wrong, and it doesn't work, get it really wrong and you lose a finger.

 

I've given the comps for my .45's away as I run them all exclusively w/ threaded barrels and cans. I stick w/ regular 230gr stuff unless I shoot .45Super in my Mark23 (still w/ a can). Maybe one day, I'll grow up and start reloading on my own and save some $$$. (LOL)

 

Comps - even real ones, don't work on .45ACP because it's a low pressure cartridge, generally loaded with small charges of fast burning powder. Bushing comps are all about looking cool and adding additional mass to the reciprocating components which lowers reciprocating mass velocity, but their mass is added to the slide and does nothing to delay slide-barrel unlocking.
A good way to know if something claimed to be a compensator works is to mount it to a .460 Rowland and pull the trigger a few times. A REAL comp with other appropriate modifications, will effectively delay slide unlocking by pushing forward on the internal baffles sized close to bullet diameter. To be truly effective, larger powder charges of slower burning powders are needed. This extends the pressure curve forward, creating higher comp pressure. Ports direct pressure up and out, which diverts energy from the expanding gas stream, thus lowering the energy transmitted into the slide-barrel mass before it even starts to move.
Because the slide and barrel are locked together, initially, bullet friction pushes the barrel forward, and the slide must remain with it. As the bullet leaves the muzzle and enters the brake, expanding gas slams into the brake baffles, holding the slide-barrel forward, longer. Once the bullet is gone, the barrel-slide now have force exerted in only one direction and so move backward, the barrel drops and the slide continues back alone. A 1911 in .460 Rowland, with a proper, barrel-mounted brake, and loads properly tailored to the break, will deliver felt recoil little more than a 230 grain ball round, due to the brake effect.
A heavy recoil spring does virtually nothing to retard slide opening, but acts to decelerate the slide upon opening, and pushes the slide forward after ejection - assuming all that goes to plan. Super heavy spring rates are the result of a lack of understanding of what keeps a locked breech pistol locked, and lack of any better way to retard slide energy. With a properly sized muzzle brake, one doesn't need a 24 pound spring over the 15-16 pound stock spring, but it's there to prevent the slide impacting the frame. A better approach on a 1911 is a flat-bottom slide stop that moves the force point on the hammer closer to the rotation axis, and a two-stage reaction spring of about 20 pounds, doubling during the last 3rd of compression.
When you mount a "fake brake" on a .460 Rowland, there is little compensatory effect due to the large internal diameter of the brake, and most have no hint of baffles, while some have a hint of baffles, which are worthless. The only value of a bushing brake on a 1911 is the tiny amount of weight added to the slide, but it does nothing whatsoever (a tiny bit) to delay slide unlocking.
Also, brakes work better with light bullets because they produce less breach thrust. A .460 Rowland 185 grain at 1,600fps feels little different than a .45 "hardball" from an unbraked 1911, where as a 260gr. @ 1,200fps has more noticable "kick" to the palm of the hand.

 

Since this thread is over 1 year old since the last post, closed.