[HKSteve]

I assume these were sand cast, correct? The ones I see are usually nice and straight, this one looks to be warped. Although the ID appears to be straight, I'm wondering if the outer profile is twisted and warped but the machined taper is perfectly straight? I don't have a No 7 spiral taper reamer to check it but . This came off of a 1980 NM rifle with an honest 250 rounds thru it. Do you think this is aftermarket, or is it original SA piece? Is there a way to tell? Thank you in advance.

 

[hytekrednek]

need pics of the back side too, or a pic of the entire part. does it have rounded off splines, or squared off?

 

[HKSteve]

 

[hytekrednek]

it looks usgi to me. possibly the early type 1 small square base type. Cant tell for sure, would need a clear picture from the side showing the rear sight area. Some of those early flash suppressors looked a bit rougher than the later made parts, at least this is what I have seen having had 4 or 5 of the early flash suppressors. the early flash suppressors were cast I believe

 

[Phil “Murphy” McGrath]

Run a straight edge along the side, that will tell you if it’s warped or twisted.

 

[JeffG]

+1 on USGI. The older rifles sported these. They almost looked sandblasted on some rifles.

 

[HKSteve]

Thanks for the replies. Three of the five flutes are not straight, they bow outwards by about.010 or.015, but I think the taper is straight. I like original vintage stuff especially on rifles but I definitely want this one to be a shooter. It’s a bedded NM. I might replace it with a tapered muzzle brake. You mentioned the early ones were cast, aren’t they all? How do they make the later ones? Thanks again

 

[Paratrooper73]

Watch out on what FH you use or get on a rifle. About four years ago I purchased a couple FH off of GunBroker. The seller said they were GI and I had bought some items from him in the past, so I though they would be OK; (note he is still selling M14 parts on GB)? I noted there was a strange color change in one area, however when they arrives they passed the ring test so I though they were OK. About 2 1/2 years later I finally got around to finishing the build on my LRB M1A/M14 super match and I used one of those FH in the build. It worked OK for the first 50+ rounds then bang, strange noise and the round blew it in half. I don't know if they are Chinese, cheap copies or something else. I called LRB and talked to Lou and purchased one of their GI/NM flash hiders, everything good, now However watch out for the parts on the market. Caveat Emptor!

 

[hytekrednek]

I had one just like it, a reclaimed flash suppressor with a threaded on front. It was sold as NOS for top dollar to me. Nope, I was not refunded a cent. Nancy Chin, Bestparts was username on gb. Thankfully I noticed it was pieced together and did not install it or shoot with it. Ren also had one blow apart on him from the same source and reclaimed/rebuilt in the same way. There is no way that seller does not know by now that they have many reclaimed flash suppressors and they are not nos, but they are still being listed and sold to unsuspecting buyers. Be careful who you buy from, educate yourself, and BUYER BEWARE! In other words, be paranoid about the expensive usgi parts you buy and the people selling them. There are many great sellers, but there are some greedy snakes selling too.
I am glad you were not hurt. That could have been bad.

I gave the rear half of the suppressor I got to a member here for a project, so at least it wasnt a total loss/

 

[Phil “Murphy” McGrath]

That blows chunks, but the upside is you now have a cool thread adapter….

 

[Paratrooper73]

Yep thats the place same people and NO refund either!!!! It didn't damage my rifle (with a new Krieger Heavy bbl) and I was very glad.

My bad I should have know better after working for the Army for 30 years and saw a lot of GI parts?????

 

[XM25Ren]

Watch out on what FH you use or get on a rifle. About four years ago I purchased a couple FH off of GunBroker. The seller said they were GI and I had bought some items from him in the past, so I though they would be OK; (note he is still selling M14 parts on GB)? I noted there was a strange color change in one area, however when they arrives they passed the ring test so I though they were OK. About 2 1/2 years later I finally got around to finishing the build on my LRB M1A/M14 super match and I used one of those FH in the build. It worked OK for the first 50+ rounds then bang, strange noise and the round blew it in half. I don't know if they are Chinese, cheap copies or something else. I called LRB and talked to Lou and purchased one of their GI/NM flash hiders, everything good, now However watch out for the parts on the market. Caveat Emptor!

View attachment 504747 View attachment 504748 View attachment 504749

The exact same thing happened to me, same seller, same response. I no longer deal with those people, they are knowingly selling a lie. Buyer please beware.

MORE THAN A HOBBY, A PASSION!
REN

 

[HKSteve]

Thanks for this info. I agree. Although this rifle is a Pre-ban and I like the look of the hider better, I am planning on using a SA muzzle brake. Is it confirmed that a reamed SA muzzle brake on a national match or Supermatch (or any rifle for that matter) will deliver the same performance as a SA reamed flash hider? In other words, the muzzle brake doesn't hurt accuracy, correct? Thx

 

[lysander]

NOTE: The "Ring Test" doesn't tell you if its cast, it tells you if it is cracked.

I have a brand new FH from Fulton and it rings, I know that all new production is cast.