There is a current trend of using compensators on carry pistols. The “Roland Special” uses a comp, as do various “Mini Roland Specials.” Manufacturers are also continuing the trend by porting their pistols, such as Performance Center options from S&W. Compensators and porting (collectively referred to here as “compensators” or “comps”) use some of the energy from the each shot fired to help steady the muzzle, with the goal of reducing shot-to-shot times. Plus compensators look cool. However, compensators have downsides. They reportedly increase the noise from the pistol, burn the shooter when shot from retention, blind the shooter with unburnt powder and debris, and blind the shooter with a muzzle end fireball.
When searching on pistol compensators, we have found the following claims on the Internet:
I don’t personally like the idea of porting. If your going to use it in a defensive situation you’re likely to blow your ear drums out and blind yourself if shooting at night.
https://www.glocktalk.com/threads/glock-20-sf-need-6-inch-ported-barrel-suggestions.1747606/
If you’re not being bothered at all by flash in a low-light situation then you’re very likely blinking inadvertantly when you fire. It’s a common–in this case, I suppose you could even say beneficial–reaction.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/intelligent-debate-request-compensated-vs-non-compensated-pistols-for-defense.169186/
You can likely find dozens of similar comments.
I want to be clear that we are not advocating for or against compensators , porting, or other modifications. Pistol modifications are a personal choice, where the operator weighs the costs and benefits of each modification. Compensators are hotly debated, and we can see both sides. We are also not arguing with individuals on their personal experiences; there are a myriad of factors that go into each event (pistol, barrel length, ammunition used, ammunition variance, position of port/comp, shooter physiology, shooter technique, etc). The reported downside we are focusing on here is the claim that compensators will blind the operator with increased muzzle flash directed up and into the shooter’s line of sight.
The Theory
The theory is that when the operator is shooting at night, when his or her eyes are already adjusted to the dark, draws the pistol, fires. The muzzle blast from the compensator or ports is directed upward and the bright flash then overloads the eyes; the operator is blinded. This is very similar to the concept that an operator will blind himself / herself at night when using a bright (>1000 lumen) light, so we understand the concept.
When in the dark, the pupils dilate, allowing more light in. This part happens rather quickly — in seconds. In addition, the chemistry of the eye changes in the course of about 30 minutes, making the eye more sensitive to light. It’s God’s way of helping us see in the dark. For more information, see Wikipedia. The problem is when something super bright shines into the eye at this point, the eye quickly reacts, and some of that dark adaptation is lost. If there isn’t enough ambient light, the eye has lost sufficient adaptation and is now unable to see.
For example, there is a sound late at night while you are sleeping. You get up, and investigate. It’s completely dark. You then find yourself in a self defense situation and you identify your target and fire. The muzzle flash in your field of view is so bright that your night vision is lost and you’re now unable to see.
Practical Issues
Our scenario has a few practical issues.
The first issue is whether the target is properly identified. If you shoot in self defense, then you are required (legally and morally) to identify your target before shooting. Does your pistol have a weaponlight? Is there ambient lighting sufficient to identify your target and determine threat level? If so, then your eyes are already be adapting back to the light, and muzzle flash may not be an issue.
The second issue is self defense ammunition. Modern self defense ammunition is often made with powders that reduce muzzle flash. This is part of the additional cost that goes into these more expensive rounds. Training ammunition, especially the super cheap stuff, will have more muzzle flash. This high flash ammo makes for exciting videos on YouTube, but it is less representative of what happens using a defensive pistol with defensive ammunition.
The Test
We decided to head to the dark range and test out whether the compensator on our pistols caused us to be temporarily blinded, and we took a camera along.
Our test environment was one pistol operator and one cameraman. The range was kept mostly dark, but did have one ambient light to ensure the target was identified, and allowed the camera to get view of a backlit subject. We were in the range for about 30 minutes before shooting, so our eyes adapted to the lower level of ambient lighting.
Our test pistols were all 9mm, and we paired the pistols up to show similar overall pistol lengths:
- G34 length pistols:
- Glock G19x with a PMM barrel and compensator, Trijicon RMR
- Glock G34 MOS, Trijicon SRO
- G48x length pistols:
- Glock G43x MOS with a True barrel and a Suarez street comp, Holosun optic
- Glock G48x MOS
Our hypothesis is that the muzzle flash would range from “large” to “barely noticeable.” We ranked our prediction from brightest to least bright:
- Glock G43x MOS with Suarez Comp
- Glock G19x with PMM Comp
- Glock G48 MOS
- Glock G34
This is important: all pistols were shooting the exact same round, Federal Premium HST 124gr hollow point.
Camera was set to same exposure for each shot, and camera was set to record high speed. We utilized 3 camera angles. Each camera angle was a different setup and required it’s own shot from the pistol. This means that all 3 angles are not of the same shot, and thus the muzzle flash could be different in each angle. This could be due to differences in the rounds, ability of the camera to capture the flash, environmental conditions, or other factors not accounted for.
I also noted what I saw. Did any particular muzzle flash cause the me to shy away, experience visual impairment, or have some other negative effect?
The Results
From my perspective, none of the muzzle flashes here caused an issue. Each flash was so brief and so unremarkable that they had no effect, if they were visible at all.
From this point, that is where the high speed camera footage comes into play. When reviewing the footage, we would have only one frame where the flash was visible. We captured these images here. First are our close-up shots.
I can make a few observations from these 4 photos. The G19x with the PMM comp provides significant blast upward and forward. The G34 has the least blast. When shooting, I did see the brief flash of red from the G19x, and I can confirm I saw nothing from the G34. The flash from the G19x was extremely brief and did not affect my vision. For the smaller pistols, the G43x MOS does show some directed blast to the sides and upward. The real surprise is the G48 MOS. It has significant blast forward in a cone. Again, neither of these affected my vision, but I did find it surprising that the G48 MOS had such a large fireball.
We also shot video over the my shoulder:
The over-the-shoulder images confirm our earlier observations. The G19x has blast upward. The G34 has little perceptible flash. The G43x MOS with the Suarez comp has flash. The camera caught significant blast coming from the G48 MOS. This series of 4 shots was captured at a different time than the previous series, meaning that the bright flash from the G48 was repeated. This is a confirmation of the large blast from the G48 MOS — larger than even the G43x MOS with the Suarez comp.
Finally, we captured these shots from downrange:
These pictures also confirm the upward blast of the G19x with the PMM comp, as well as the low flash from the G34. The G43x MOS with the Suarez comp also appears to have slightly visible (perhaps more dispersed?) flash than the G48 MOS. The G48 MOS flash does not appear to be as bright here as in the previous pictures.
Conclusions
From my personal experience shooting these in the dark, plus the pictures, I’m coming away with a few conclusions.
- Even the brightest fireballs in these shots do not affect my night vision. I was not affected from any of these flashes caught on camera. They were so brief and were so “tame” in their light output that I could still see a dimly lit target quite clearly. This may have been partially due to my use of quality defensive ammunition; it is reported that such ammunition typically uses a low-flash propellant.
- The flash from a pistol without a compensator or porting may exceed the flash from a similarly sized pistol with a compensator. We saw this in the comparison between the G43x MOS with the Suarez comp and the G48 MOS. Both pistols are similar length, but the G48 MOS had significantly more muzzle flash. I can only speculate on the reasons. But what I find most interesting is that this runs opposite to the typical logic — here running a comp reduces the flash versus the unmodified pistol.
- My final conclusion is that I’m not going to be influenced on a decision to run a compensator or ported pistol based upon muzzle flash.
What You Should Do
Regardless of the findings above, you should consider testing your carry configuration, and your ammunition at a range in the dark. Every configuration will be different, and each person will have varying sensitivity to light. And as we’ve seen in these tests, it’s possible that a comp may have less muzzle flash than a similar length pistol without a comp. Only you can know if you’ll be blinded.
