Flash hider
The flash suppressor or glow damper is a component at the muzzle of guns and other firearms that the muzzle flash deflects laterally from the weft direction and less glare so the shooter. In contrast to a muzzle brake , a flash hider does not reduce the recoil of the weapon and, in contrast to the compensator, does not reduce the throwing up or sideways movement of the weapon, but makes it more difficult to locate the shooter visually and reduces the glare of the flash, especially at night. This enables or improves the use of night vision devices .
function
The flash hider often consists of a metal sleeve that is screwed onto the muzzle. Their inner diameter is slightly larger than the bullet caliber . This sleeve has several opening slots on the side, which allow the combustion gases of the propellant charge to escape in several directions.
Flash hoppers are often designed in such a way that they are suitable as a shooting cup for firing rifle grenades . They also make it difficult for foreign objects to get into the barrel.
Mode of action
Powder burns at very high temperatures and pressures. The gas generated in the process leaves the barrel at the muzzle as an expanding gas bubble. At this temperature the gas is incandescent and visible to humans. This gas bubble expands too quickly to mix with cool ambient air. This is where the fire damper comes in. By generating turbulence, the hot gas bubble is mixed with cool air, thereby reducing the surface of the gases and in turn reducing or even eliminating photon emission in the visible range.
literature
- Patrick Sweeney: Gunsmithing - The AR-15 , Gun Digest Books, 2010, ISBN 978-1-4402-1622-0 .
Web links
- Variants of flash suppressors at recoilweb.com
- How the fire damper and muzzle brake work in the AATS®-Shop Knowledge Base