Many MP5 pistols and clones are sold with threaded barrels that can also accept 3-lug flash hiders. This is all well and good since the classic image of an MP5 is one with a flash hider tacked onto the muzzle.
But if you actually enjoy shooting your MP5 at the range and not just using it as a conversation starter, is a flash hider really the best muzzle device money can buy?
We don’t think so. Our vote goes for a muzzle brake.
Why a Flash Hider?
First things first, a flash hider is used to conceal a shooter’s position by obscuring the flash at the end of his or her muzzle upon firing.
This can be highly useful in combat situations, lifesaving, even, when keeping positions concealed is a matter of security.
In part, this is due to the fact that muzzle flashes are visible over great distances; greater, even than the report of a firearm can travel. Muzzle flashes can give away strategic positions at ranges of several miles.
But let’s just talk in pragmatic terms for a moment. What modern, domestic owner of an MP5 has a vested interest in concealing his or her location, and at extended ranges?
Are we hiding from paper targets? There’s little practical use for a flash hider outside of tactically significant engagements, but muzzle brakes, by contrast, do have practical uses.
Why a Muzzle Brake Is Potentially Better
Instead of wasting that muzzle real estate on your MP5 pistol for a flash hider, why not add a muzzle brake instead?
Not that the MP5 produces particularly heavy recoil, as a platform, or that the 9mm is a hard-kicking round. Neither of these is the case, and in fact, the roller-delayed blowback of the MP5 really is quite smooth and light-shooting.
But, all the same, a muzzle brake, which redirects gases ported at the muzzle, can substantially diminish felt recoil. In fact, in some cases, it can slash felt recoil by up to 50% without adversely affecting shot power.
This, unlike flash hiders, carries significant benefits for recreational and competitive shooters.
For one, less recoil means less fatigue at the range. Less fatigue means more enjoyment of range therapy (by the way, if you shoot a lot, another really useful accessory for an MP5 pistol that will help you get the most out of your range time is a speed loader.)
Secondly, if you engage in any sort of competition with your MP5 pistol, a muzzle brake, unlike a flash hider, will help you control the effects of muzzle jump. It will cut back on muzzle rise, which will enable you to make more accurate, rapid follow-up shots, which can help your scoring.
Regardless of whatever clone or variant of the MP5 you shoot, consider swapping out your flash hider for a muzzle brake. The flash hider might give an authentic feel to your MP5 (not to mention plenty of “cool factor”), but a muzzle brake is probably just a more practical muzzle device.
