A few months ago, I put a Rainier Arms XTC on a medium contoured 16-inch barrel and was very pleased with the results. For the longest time, I thought that the decreased recoil and minimal muzzle rise, when compared to the standard A2, was mostly due to the 7 ounces of extra barrel weight. How very wrong I was.
Rainier Arms XTC on a Ballistic Advantage Barrel
It was only after Rainier Arms sent me their RMC, or Rainier Mini Compensator, that I began to see the error of my assumptions. The RMC shares many of the same features as the XTC. Both have the large side ports, reminiscent of the AK-47 muzzle brake and are sold at a very price (under $60). Where they differ is that the RMC gets rid of the four flash-hiding prongs. To be honest, I never found these prongs particularly useful. Sure, they eliminated some flash, but a great amount came out the side ports – an inevitable consequence of such a design.
So being a fans of shorter, lighter rifles and carbines, I was delighted to put the RMC on my Spike’s Tactical 5.45 upper. Three rounds into firing, I was impressed. All of the controllablity of my heavier-barreled upper was back in force. I could once again get three rapid, aimed shots into the target at 25 yards in under a second.
Almost all muzzle brakes are longer than a standard A2 flash hider. The RMC, however, is not. Its short length belies its effectiveness. The openings of the port to either side allow most of the expanding gasses to travel at a right angle away from the weapon, while the small holes in the top of the RMC counteract muzzle rise. Most right-handed shooters experience muzzle rise to the right, and the RMC takes this into account with an extra small port drilled into the top of the brake.
The main drawbacks of muzzle brakes are increased noise and increased muzzle flash – in comparison to a standard A2 flash hider. While the concussion from the RMC is greater than standard, it is less than other designs, such as YHM’s new Annihilator.
The muzzle flash is visible, even in twilight. So yes, I would almost certainly never use either the XTC or the RMC in an extended nighttime firefight. That said, I haven’t been in too many nocturnal running gun battles lately, so that concern is honestly near the bottom of my list.
I don’t mean to demean flash hiders. If I lived in a state which allowed hog hunting after dusk, for example, a flash hider would be a great asset to me, and the RMC could prove a liability, especially if used in conjunction with night vision. However, if you are like me and expend the vast majority of your rounds at paper, this is definitely a product you should look into.
By Allen Cosby
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I’ve read a few of your reviews and enjoyed them very much. They’re easy to read and are just the right length to provide important information without boring the reader lol. Since you’ve tested most of the muzzle brakes I’m interested in, after reading this I wanted to ask you how the RMC compares to the Griffin M4SD II in terms of muzzle rise. You wrote a little bit about how the latter actually exhibits less flash due to its increased length, but I was curious as to how it matched up to the RMC in the realm of muzzle control. Does it suffer at all for not having the RMC’s/Surefire’s top ports? Or is it barely noticeable?
JT,
Thanks for the comment. In terms of muzzle rise, the two are pretty close. I wasn’t able to tell much of a difference, to be honest. Though the Griffin has less flash, I’ve gone back to the RMC for my training upper. I really like the compactness of the RMC. It’s a full 3/4 of an inch shorter than the Griffin, which is nice when trying to keep overall length to a minimum.
That said, I’ve just received a Griffin Armament M4SDII Tactical Compensator and will be doing a write-up soon. And it’s only a bit over a quarter inch longer than the RMC.
I appreciate the response. I had to ask because I have an RMC on my 16″ carbine but I’m considering having it cut to 14.5″ once I get a new free float handguard. That in mind, I was looking at longer muzzle devices that would enable a 16″ OAL. I like the open chamber designs, because you can clean the gunk off/out of them easier and they are sometimes lighter. I happen to like the look of the M4SDII as well. It seems as though I wouldn’t be giving up much going with that vs the RMC I have now.
Having fired the RMC at an indoor range a couple of times now, it’s very intense. Definitely not intended for indoor use lol. It reduces recoil very well of course, but firing it must be akin to a howitzer going off in a basement. Lots of flash certainly, almost to the point of being distracting/headache-inducing. I like to say its almost comfortable for the shooter and no one else. Every time it is fired, everyone else at the range basically stops what they’re doing to figure out what just happened. It’s kind of hilarious. Totally scared away some new shooters with the thing.
I met Allen at the “rossville” range,….and me as a Rookie….Promptly tapped into his obvious vast deposit of knowledge. Thanks Allen for all the techno tidbits and specific product suggestions to help me more adequately equip my fairly stock MP15. I believe that I will try the FULL LIST of suggestions. Perhaps next time we meet you will be able to see your input first hand…..Thanks Dave.
You’re quite welcome for the tidbits, Dave. I hope you enjoy the Rainier Arms RMC as much as I continue to.
Now if only you can convince my wife that I have a “vast deposit of knowledge”….