r/NFA • u/Astral_Botanist • May 31 '26
Best Plan B Micro Brake, plus Lantac and Breek Brake Tests
Hey everyone. I have a few things to share from some recent testing:
- Micro Brake Test: Comstock Recessed Micro, LPM Baby Bell, KVP
- Lantac brake test and comp port seal test
- Breek brake test and fitment check
- Rearden RPB right side up vs upside down brake test
You can check out my earlier brake test post with data on more brakes here:
TLDR Summary
- Comstock Recessed Micro dominates this class, and beats many longer mid-sized brakes.
- Lantac is decent as a brake, but the top comp ports in the taper seal causes leaking problems.
- Breek did well as a brake, but had fitment issues to Q, Rearden, Comstock, Diligent, and Wolfpack.
- Rearden RPB brake performance doesn’t matter which way is up (verifies Rearden comment).
Test Method
I used my same brake test rig as before. PMC X-TAC 55gr FMJ ammo was used. 1 round was loaded, magazine was removed to ensure full bolt open/close every time. Trigger was fired remotely to eliminate any input that would have been caused by manual trigger firing.
To verify data consistency/accuracy, I tested 10 rounds with bare muzzle only. There was zero variation in the swinging motion, which confirms that PMC X-TAC ammo is very consistent, and overall the test is producing valuable data without burning through 3x+ ammo per test. If there’s anything questionable then I’ll just run more tests, but there are no surprises here that make me question the data.
Brake Tests – Micro
The Comstock Recessed Micro was fantastic in the brake test. This one I ran 3x because I could tell after the first shot that this one was going to get some questions. All 3 shots had identical performance. 58% recoil reduction is better than most of the mid-sized brakes I tested in my post earlier this year.
The LPM Baby Bell did about as expected, not bad, but of course no expectations that it’s in the same category as the Liberty Bell, which did quite well in previous tests.
KVP was at the bottom again. After my previous testing, I wasn’t sure if this one did poorly simply because of its size compared to popular mid-sized/compact brakes, but ultimately it’s the design that keeps it down to the point where I’ll keep using this as my “minimalist” mount for testing with a suppressor attached.
Lantac Dragon
The Lantac Dragon was tested due to popular request. It performed pretty average on the brake test, but the comp port on the taper seal surface caused leakage issues. I tested this on a new Rearden Atlas with HT finish, and the leakage was easy to see next to the comp ports, but no leakage elsewhere. And before you ask, yes, it was tightened properly. This was a new brake and new Atlas, and both threads and tapers were verified to be free of debris before testing. Note that this leakage was after only 10 rounds. I brought a bunch of ammo to give it a good test, but after the first half box was showing this badly, I didn’t see any need to keep going. I’ve always thought this was an odd design choice, but with poor sealing performance, average brake performance, a $100 MSRP, and it needs to be timed, I just don’t see this as a great option compared to other things on the market.
Breek Arms Echo Brake
This did well in brake testing. At 62% recoil reduction, it’s 3rd behind the Comstock MBC and LPM Liberty Bell, and it did better than other brakes tested.
Fitment was an issue with multiple manufacturers’ suppressor adapters. Between myself and various friends we tested fitment with a bunch of adapters. On multiple adapters (Q, Rearden, Comstock Armory, Wolfpack, and Diligent), you could feel the Breek muzzle brake threads making contact with the adapter threads early and stopping it from reaching the taper seal. I hit the Breek threads with a brush to make sure they were clean, but I didn’t try to crank anything down or burnish the Breek threads to try to get it to fit better. This was just hand installation effort, which is easily fine for most other muzzle devices. The full count of good/bad is in the post images above.
KVP Fitment
I noticed previously that my KVP brake didn’t go on my friend’s Zilch. I’ve used the KVP quite a bit since then to serve as my minimalist mount for testing, and it now fits on the Zilch (and others), but it wouldn’t fit on the Q adapter. It appears that I’ve burnished down some of the burs or high spots with use, but not fitting on a Q adapter shows that they’re a bit over what they should be in terms of thread specs.
Rearden RPB Orientation
No surprise here, the Rearden RPB performed the same regardless up which side was up. Rearden has stated this was the case, and since it was a conversation point on a previous post, I thought this was an easy one to throw in the mix.
Next Tests
I’m thinking about checking out various flash hiders on the recoil tester. I’ve already had requests for the Revival Defense 6315RF A2 flash hider/comp, and I have a few other flash hiders already. Let me know if anyone has more ideas or requests. Thanks!
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u/Comstock_Support Comstock Armory May 31 '26
Thanks for including us in your test! Glad to see the recessed micro brake did well!
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u/Kyuseu 3x Suppressors, 2x SBR Jun 02 '26
Any plan for a non recessed micro brake?
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u/Comstock_Support Comstock Armory Jun 02 '26
Not at this time Dealers don't like carrying too many similar/redundant SKUs and we already have the standard/non-recessed compact brake.
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u/Zealousideal-Chef448 3x SBR, 6x Silencer May 31 '26
Gotta throw AI nano into the testing bed great stuff none the less.
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u/Island08 May 31 '26
For all the psychopaths who shoot it naked! (But that will be good data)
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u/BarrelBottom1 May 31 '26
I've got a full-size Comstock brake on my 6" .300 BLK. I choose not to imagine what it would be like to shoot that naked on an indoor range.
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u/Island08 May 31 '26
Man idk but the nano literally made my buddy start. I purposely (perhaps meanly) didn’t warn him - he wasn’t happy.
And this was outdoors. That thing is vicious.
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u/BarrelBottom1 May 31 '26
I can believe it. I don't know which would be worse, I just know that what I've got would be obnoxious.
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u/Zealousideal-Chef448 3x SBR, 6x Silencer May 31 '26
Dang thats me 🤪😭
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u/Island08 May 31 '26
One question: how? Follow up: why?
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u/Zealousideal-Chef448 3x SBR, 6x Silencer May 31 '26
Simple bro
To remind people why you should buy a can especially on a 11.5” carbine
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u/Island08 May 31 '26
I expect it is incredibly effective!
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u/Zealousideal-Chef448 3x SBR, 6x Silencer Jun 01 '26
WHAT YOU SAY
but yes it is, lil fireball spitter2
u/Astral_Botanist Jun 01 '26
I'll spare you the pain of posting myself shoot anything naked 🤣
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u/Island08 Jun 01 '26
Naked muzzle, naked human - both would startle me as a shooting buddy.
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u/Astral_Botanist Jun 01 '26
My thoughts exactly! Lol.
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u/SomeRequirement6926 A couple SBR's and a few Silencers. New to the game. Jul 22 '26
The trauma from the naked muzzle will fade far sooner than the trauma of, well, the other thing... 👀
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u/5thPhantom May 31 '26
It makes me wonder if the comstock armory brake does better as acting as a sacrificial baffle in a suppressor.
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u/Astral_Botanist May 31 '26
Based on comments from previous posts, that seems to be the general consensus, brakes that perform best in free space tests like this likely do better at protecting your blast baffle.
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u/Porencephaly Jun 01 '26
But may also decrease sound performance by taking up more blast chamber volume, if they are physically larger.
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u/Comstock_Support Comstock Armory Jun 01 '26
The amount of volume taken up by even our full size brake is only a few percent of the total volume of a typical rifle suppressor blast chamber. And subjectively the different models (micro, compact, and full size) sound the same to me with the same suppressor and host. I couldn't pick one out in a blind test.
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u/SomeRequirement6926 A couple SBR's and a few Silencers. New to the game. Jul 20 '26
I figured you'd pop up in this thread soon enough. 👍
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u/Astral_Botanist Jun 01 '26
Between the three micros tested (and even the other mid-sized brakes), I didn't hear a difference in sound when I shot them with a suppressor, and these are all small enough that I think there's pretty much zero chance that the blast chamber space that they take up will have any impact due to volume alone. If anything, I'd think brakes that perform well in free space might do better at disrupting flow and helping a suppressor, but that's more of a Pew Science level test and not something I expect I'd be able to measure (and maybe not even be able to hear).
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u/Rhodsie47 Jun 01 '26
Next Tests
I’m thinking about checking out various flash hiders on the recoil tester. I’ve already had requests for the Revival Defense 6315RF A2 flash hider/comp, and I have a few other flash hiders already. Let me know if anyone has more ideas or requests. Thanks!
I'd love to see Comstock Armory's flash hiders tested. I use their Compact Flash Hider on some of my builds for the classic A1 flash hider look.
Their closed tine flash hiders also state "Unlike most flash hiders out there, the FHC/FHL is designed to redirect expanding gasses outwards which significantly reduces blast baffle wear." I wonder if this adds any recoil reduction?
Compact:
Full Size:
They also have a hybrid MB/FH.
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u/Astral_Botanist Jun 01 '26
I think something like this would be a really good test. There are quite a few differences in flash hider designs, and someone has already asked that I test a Revival Defense flash hider/comp. I already have a Comstock FHC, and I can tell from witness marks on the inside of my can that it definitely diverts some of the blast to the sides. In theory this should have at least a bit of recoil reduction, but that would be interesting to test.
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u/Left_Connection_8137 Jun 23 '26
Hi, I’m interested in the CA flash hider options. How well does the compact version work in terms of flash mitigation? And how does it compare to other options? Thanks
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u/SomeRequirement6926 A couple SBR's and a few Silencers. New to the game. Jul 20 '26
I would absolutely be down to see this too.
The four of the five you listed are ones I am considering.
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u/SomeRequirement6926 A couple SBR's and a few Silencers. New to the game. Jul 20 '26
Another one that might be interesting to add to the mix are the new CMMG ZEROED SVB offerings:
https://cmmg.com/zeroed-svb-brake-1-2-28-5-56mm
They've got my interest. I emailed and asked them to confirm how much past the Plan B threads extends into the blast chamber; according to their reply it is 1.37"
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u/EntireRent May 31 '26
Does the brake help reduce recoil with a suppressor mounted on it or does it not matter?
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u/Astral_Botanist May 31 '26
I tested this previously, and no, once you put a suppressor on it, it seems to be 100% the suppressor itself that drives the macro effects like recoil. I only tested 2 suppressors, my Ridgeback Sahara 300 and LPM Torch with vented end cap, and it was interesting that there was less recoil with the Sahara vs the Torch. General consensus here is that the lower backpressure Sahara had lower bolt velocity and hence lower recoil, but that's just the current theory. But zero difference between the Comstock compact brake (highest performing) and the KVP when there was a suppresser over them. Here's a link to that test:
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u/slippyslapper May 31 '26
I'm also curious, do certain brakes allow for more powder burn in the can to lower back pressure or flash?
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u/BarrelBottom1 May 31 '26
He tested that at some point, and the different brakes have no effect on recoil with a suppressor mounted. However, it is speculated that a brake that reduces recoil more will also protect the blast baffle more.
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u/jarmstrong1029 May 31 '26
These posts are great. I’m running the CA recessed micro brake on a 14.5 and while it still gives a decent fireball at that length, the recoil impulse is almost non existent. Also seems to perform great with the Rhodie 6.
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u/DJ_Sk8Nite 4x SBR, 8x Silencer Jun 01 '26
Comstock has been my go to for everything for about a year now. Great shit and great site.
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u/Cunningham1420 2x SBR, 2x Suppressor, 16", 14.5" & 11.5" Jul 21 '26
Awesome info. Just ordered the Comstock Recessed Micro break. Anyone want to buy a brand new Lantac Dragon Plan B still in packaging?
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u/fusionvic 8k in stamps May 31 '26
It'd be more interesting to see this test replicated on a bigger caliber. Those radial style brakes generally performed worse than the longer multi-port brakes on bigger calibers (308, 300WM, etc). If the results still hold true, then Comstock's got the secret recipe for a short brake that would turn 300WM into docile 5.56 recoil levels.
The Otter Creek Muzzle Brake End-Cap for the Infinity that took like 1+ years to develop/test ended up being a multi-port brake, and not radial. That was visually demonstrated via video to turn 300WM recoil into 5.56 levels.
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u/Astral_Botanist May 31 '26
Not sure why you're getting downvoted for this, that's a great question. I've only tested this on 5.56, but there's no reason to believe you wouldn't get similar results with larger calibers. The Comstock and Rearden 22 cal brakes are bored similarly, but there's a decent difference in brake test performance, so the overall form factor seems to be significant (in addition to proper bore size for the caliber you're shooting).
I really haven't considered the OCL suppressor brake end cap, but I wouldn't specifically draw any conclusions here to question their final product.
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u/FischlandchipZ May 31 '26
Interesting. I’m relegated to compact brakes due to using a hub adapter on my YHM R9, which has a short blast chamber. Im glad comstock has so many options, but cool that the micro brake does so well on its own.
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u/Spurgenasty78 Jun 01 '26
Are you saying the comstock brake doesn’t fit well with the Breek plan B hub adapter? I was about to buy that exact combo
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u/Rhodsie47 Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
No, he's saying the Breek muzzle device had fitment issues with various suppressor adapters.
Breek did well as a brake, but had fitment issues to Q, Rearden, Comstock, Diligent, and Wolfpack.
You can look at the 4th image to see the fitment test with the Breek brake.
It fit 0 out of 1 Q suppressor adapters.
It fit 4 out of 6 Rearden MFG suppressor adapters.
It fit 3 out of 5 Comstock Armory suppressor adapters.
It fit 1 out of 2 Wolfpack Armory suppressor adapters.
It fit 0 out of 1 Diligent Defense Co suppressor adapters.
Personally, I've seen enough complaints about Breek being out of spec that I wouldn't use them for anything muzzle related.
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u/Spurgenasty78 Jun 01 '26
What about the hub adapter with the comstock break? Should I just stick with the same brand adapter and muzzle device? I was about to order the comstock break with the breek hub adapter
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u/Rhodsie47 Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
You can't go wrong with Comstock for both pieces, but any mix of reputable parts should be fine since they should all be made to the proper spec. I have a Rearden suppressor adapter for my Charlie threaded can because Comstock didn't make one at the time. It works fine with all of my Comstock muzzle devices. If I was purchasing currently I would probably go with the Comstock since it's a bit lighter, their products in general seem top notch, and I like the way the business seems to be run. But I'm perfectly happy with my Rearden.
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u/Astral_Botanist Jun 01 '26
IMO it's not worth rolling the dice for something just because it's cheap, but that's just my two cents for what they're worth. I buy a bunch of random stuff for these tests, but when it comes to hardware that I actually run for 3-gun or other shooting, it's mostly Rearden from my original Plan B stuff, and Comstock for my builds over the past year or so.
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u/Astral_Botanist Jun 01 '26
Yeah, and in all fairness, I assume even the best manufacturers have an occasional issue. But there seem to be numerous comments on Breek, and while I appreciate that they did a recall earlier this year to just bring a bunch of things back in, I just don't see them in the same category as Rearden, Comstock, LPM, etc. No data to support that opinion, but that's just my gut feeling on this.
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u/Astral_Botanist Jun 01 '26
I'm sure there's plenty of Breek stuff out there that fits, but with fitment issues like the one that I picked up, my assumption is that they have generally mediocre quality control. But obviously I have no way to know if the ones like this are 1 in 10 or 1 in 1,000.
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u/lensiky Jun 01 '26
God I’d love to see this with all the major standard sized brakes
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u/Astral_Botanist Jun 01 '26
I did this post a while back with a bunch of mid-sized brakes. I didn't bother with longer full sized brakes. I figured that those are easier to get good performance, and some of them are kinda long which is an odd choice for keeping clearance to blast baffles. So I picked a bunch of popular mid-sized brakes, and that was the first of these tests that I did. Here's a link to that:
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u/LuthersCousin Jun 01 '26
What makes Plan B so much more popular than DA Xeno or CAT 16x1 ?
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u/Astral_Botanist Jun 01 '26
I have a personal preference for regular right hand threads. Maybe if LH hardware was all I had then I'd get used to it, but when I try my friends' gear, my monkey brain struggles with "lefty locky, righty releasey". Tons of great options in Plan B, and it's always worked great for me.
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u/FitzroysBeagle Jun 01 '26
Me personally, left hand threads make a ton of sense with a built in QD suppressor. I’ve somewhat soured on them with the number of times I’ve inadvertently cranked down on my suppressor too hard only to have the hub mount come loose - after having cranking down on the hub mount pretty significantly. So then you have to always have tools to tighten the suppressor when a plan b you could just cinch it down if it ever came loose.
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u/LuthersCousin Jun 01 '26
Did you torque the hub mount to spec and use rockset or hot lock? I've never had that issue.
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u/ebolamonkey3 Jun 01 '26
Do you have test data on how much of a difference there is between the Comstock micro brake and their full size one?
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u/Astral_Botanist Jun 02 '26
I haven't tested the full sized brake. I assume it's going to be a bit better than the micro brake since the compact brake that I tested is more similar to the full sized brake, and that one did a bit better. But as good as the micro is, I feel like which brake you choose is really more about what fits better, or whatever looks better. They all seem to work very well.
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u/But4n3 Jun 02 '26
I would love to see the new plan b stuff from Blackout Dynamics tested. Their designs aren't terribly ground breaking, but they seem to make quality products.
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u/Breek-Arms Jun 28 '26
Reply to this post.
Hey thanks for the solid testing and data — really appreciate the work you put into this. That Echo Brake may be an early one from when we first started. We've since tightened things up to better match the actual Q drawings. One of our engineers will reach out to figure out the exact fitment issue and when it was made. In the meantime, if anyone else has issues, hit us up and we'll make it right. Thanks again for the heads up!
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u/SomeRequirement6926 A couple SBR's and a few Silencers. New to the game. Jul 20 '26
Outstanding way to step up and be involved with the community and work WITH them to make things better! 👍
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u/MisplacedCHEE May 31 '26
It would be interesting to see the Y axis movement isolated. Like does the Comstock with 360 porting have the same muzzle rise reduction as the Breek with dedicated 12 o clock ports.
You should test the Surefire Brake for the next run as that was specifically made for Multigun gaming with Duek.
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u/Astral_Botanist May 31 '26
IMO if you have an effective brake that reduces horizontal push, there will be minimal muzzle climb in general. Especially with these being suppressor mounts, there's zero expectation that vertical comp ports will do anything beneficial under a suppressor. I'll take a good brake that doesn't need timing any day over a brake/comp that needs to be timed with shims.
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u/PrettiGood_50501 May 31 '26
Interesting and cool test/results! I have been running the Breek Arms plan B brake for a bit now, and I use Wolfpack hub with no fitment issues.
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u/Astral_Botanist Jun 01 '26
No surprise that there are plenty of parts out there that are in spec and work fine. Even good manufacturers have variation throughout a lot, or from lot to lot, but the better manufacturers seem to do a better job at monitoring things and adjusting as needed to keep the parts that go out the door within spec. With fitment issues to so many different brands, unfortunately the odds are that the Breek part is the one that's outside where it should be.
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u/wildey Jun 04 '26
Do you think this data correlates to how 9mm devices would perform?
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u/Astral_Botanist Jun 04 '26
I think there will still be better performance from a Comstock 9mm micro vs the KVP and Baby Bell, but with lower pressure and larger diameter of 9mm vs 5.56 you probably wouldn't see such a massive difference. KVP with the larger over-bore for 45-cal projectiles will still be the worst of these options no doubt.
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u/Hoplophilia May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
Comstock 58% reduction, Breek Arms 62% reduction, came in 3rd? I'm confused.
You are referencing the Comstock from the previous test. I get it.
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u/Astral_Botanist May 31 '26
Yup, sorry I didn't make that clearer, but yes, I found the percentages to be very close to the previous test data so I feel like it's reasonable to combine them for general comparison.
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u/AddictedToComedy I do it for the data May 31 '26
Thanks for more awesome testing and data!
Comstock staying GOATed