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Hey all,

 

This will be my review of the Apple Airsoft SureFire MB556K Muzzle Brake. I bought this brake a couple of weeks ago at Shooter Gear for HKD 98. Other Apple Airsoft muzzle devices were around the same price from what I remember, with the longer muzzle devices being over HKD 100 and if I remember correctly shorter and less complex ones were between HKD 90 and HKD 98. I believe the Apple Airsoft stuff is made in China though there's no confirmation yet. However, given that the only shops that I found selling them are EBAirsoft and Shooter Gear, both of which sell mainly ACM stuff I think it's safe to say that Apple Airsoft is from China.

 

I got this brake for my WE SCAR because I wanted something that an compliment the long barrel of the gun, and given that the real muzzle brake deflects a significant amount of gases sideways I always had the idea that the MB556K suits longer weapons better than shorter, SBR-like weapons.

 

Anyway, onto the review. The packaging (which I've thrown away), from what I remember is similar to most of the Building Fire and Element stuff that I've owned. It came in a clear plastic sleeve with a cardboard (Apple Airsoft logo on it) and staples sealing it shut. The MB556K came with barrel shims, for which I have misplaced, sorry!

 

Given that there's nothing much to say about the MB556K other than how it functions in real steel (see here) I'll go straight to the pictures:

 

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From the pictures the Apple Airsoft replica is very well made. In fact, I'm not sure whether it's cast or not. From the nice, crisp lines on the brake I would say that it's actually CNC'd and probably cut from a lathe.

 

The replica is made of steel too!

 

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It's got quite a bit of heft to it, so other than marring the finish I would say I can drop this brake at waist height to concrete ground without any damage at all. The SureFire logo was sharpied out when I got it due to trademark issues, but the sharpie rubbed off easily as the packing had a sheen of oil in it; possibly to keep the brake from rusting if it's steel, I'm not too sure. Anyway from the pic below you can see that the trades are sharp and nicely done:

 

20120626_162910.jpg

 

 

The threading is -14mm and is threaded correctly. I initially had some reservations with the brake when I bought it because I've got a feeling it's made in China, and given no reviews (that I know of) online for the Apple Airsoft stuff I'm a bit weary of whether the threading would be done well as it's essential to get it threaded to the barrel.

 

The side vent holes on the brake are opened, so it's not an imitation or a half-assed job:

 

20120626_162902.jpg

 

One problem with this brake is the vent holes on the side (see below) that had a bit of metal left over from the drilling of the holes. It's VERY obvious when you first take a look through the brake as you can see the metal bits poking into the barrel area of the brake. I fixed it before I took a picture, sorry about that. But the way I fixed it was to shove a wooden chopstick into it and poked the metal bits out; it was easily done too. I've written about it before, too (see here).

 

 

Currently there are three manufacturers that I know of that make this brake; DYTAC (in both CCW and CW from my quick Google search), Crusader (which makes Avalon / VFC quality aftermarket accessories) and Apple Airsoft (which also makes other types of brakes and muzzle devices). The Crusader one is noted by Noveske (see here) to be off spec as well (apparently it's almost 1 cm longer than the RS) even though from my window shopping look at the Crusader replica it's very well made too. For the Apple Airsoft one, it's at almost the correct length of 2.49" (assuming SureFire's measurements are from the very ends of the brake), or approximately 64mm long, so its specs are much better compared to the more expensive and premium replica that Crusader makes.

 

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So, in conclusion, was this worth the price? Yes it was, definitely; if you're looking for a popular brake that has a distinguished look which is not (from what I can tell) popular on airsoft guns yet. I haven't seen the DYTAC myself but I know the Crusader one (along with their BattleComp v1.0) are sold for HKD 181 at WGC (remember the Crusader's MB556K is off spec as well), so for the price I paid and the quality I got (with the minor annoyance of the metal that wasn't cleared from the drilling of the brake) the Apple Airsoft replica of the MB556K is definitely worth it's price.

 

And here's the obligatory gun porn! :D

 

20120627_131230.jpg

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Looks OK, the finishing is not up to par with the Crusader version that came with my BCM4. But still, being a diehard airsoft realist, I can't legitimize putting a massive steel muzzle brake that doesn't yield a practical benefit.

 

And that's why Noveske has mine now haha

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I'm going to be a bit critical and say the finish doesnt look so good (scratched and I see a small dent). Also, I believe it is casted and then finished with some lathe/cnc work. I have an ACM Surefire FH556 which looks similar in quality. The only thing I noticed is that you could not put an extended inner barrel through it. Is this also the case for the MBK556?

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Looks OK, the finishing is not up to par with the Crusader version that came with my BCM4. But still, being a diehard airsoft realist, I can't legitimize putting a massive steel muzzle brake that doesn't yield a practical benefit.

 

And that's why Noveske has mine now haha

 

True, it's not something top notch but hey, for the price that I got it for and considering the dimensions seem to be pretty much in spec with the RS one, I'd say the AA MB556K seems to be a good buy. Now, I think it would be better to compare this with the DYTAC version. I haven't seen the DYTAC version myself so I can't comment on it.

 

I'm going to be a bit critical and say the finish doesnt look so good (scratched and I see a small dent). Also, I believe it is casted and then finished with some lathe/cnc work. I have an ACM Surefire FH556 which looks similar in quality. The only thing I noticed is that you could not put an extended inner barrel through it. Is this also the case for the MBK556?

 

Ah the scratch is probably due to me accidentally banging it against a corner of the locker where I stored the gun. The marks on top of the brake is not exactly bear (EDIT: "bare"...hurrdurr...) metal as if the finishing wore off; it's because the lighting of the room that I was in that made the 'scratched' parts seem shiny. You're also comparing it with the Crusader version right? I assume you guys don't have the DYTAC XD

 

As for the dent on the side of the brake (I think you're talking about the one that's on the 2nd, outer 'brake'?) it's something that I did to it I believe. If you didn't tell me about it I wouldn't have noticed it, so I should redact from my review about dropping the brake on concrete and the surface should only be marred. The finishing on the brake isn't anything special either, it doesn't seem to be paint but it's not durable (considering there's a dent already). But given the dent is on a sharp corner of the brake and I suppose the steel used isn't anything high grade it was bound to happen.

 

But echoing what I wrote above to IBMedic, I'd still go for the AA rather than the Crusader as it's more on-spec than the Crusader one which you mentioned was obviously off spec by about 1cm. Plus I only paid ~HKD 100 for it... :P

 

As for the inner barrel, I'll check tomorrow. The SCAR outer barrel length should allow me to fit I think a ~500mm length barrel and the one I have is only 450mm (I believe...it's an RATECH 6.01mm one), so since the inner doesn't even go up to the threads of the outer barrel itself, I wouldn't know at first glance whether an inner can be threaded through.

 

I'm interested to see if there's anyone with the DYTAC version that can chime in :P

Edited by intinerious
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DYTAC manages to make *suitcase* that's out of spec, low quality, AND overpriced all at the same time. I literally have nothing nice to say about that brand, it's worse than cancer, it's worse than femnazis, it's even worse than metrosexuals...

 

LOL, I can echo the same sentiments :P I had the ATACS set (crane stock, QD TD vert grip and pistol grip) along with the T1 Micro with the co-witness AD mount :P

 

The ATACS set was complete *suitcase*. Doesn't come with a motor base for the grip, no screws, the QD vert grip's lever was so ###### that when it was locked down I can pull it halfway out of the locked position, and the stock doesn't even lock into ANY buffer tube..I had to switch the pin from a CA and some other ACM stock's locking nut to get that *suitcase* to work. Ended up not using it anyway, worst purchase ever :P

 

The T1 faired better, the mount was okay, but the springs that give the lock the tension AWAYS falls out. The T1 is some generic ACM stuff that's worst than actual no brand ACM stuff if I remember correctly. Someone managed to push in the front lens so it was tilted and basically the thing screwed up. It's still at my friend's lol when he said he'll take a look at it.

 

But I have slightly more faith in the muzzle brakes and other stuff....it's not like they can mess up much other than the threading, which is the most important issue. DYTAC have the L119A1 type flash hider that surefire makes as well...I'm interested in that one since it looks so sexy :D

 

I have noticed that a brand called Angel Custom also makes these same brakes. Does anyone know how they compare? Is it simply a rebrand of the Dytac, Crusader, Apple, or ACM brakes? Here's a link to the Angel Custom MB556K on Evike: http://www.evike.com/product_info.php?cPath=25_87&products_id=38285

 

As IBMedic said, it's aluminium so it's probably not a rebrand of any of the brands you wrote above. Note that the bad thing is that it doesn't have any trades, but the good thing is the little grub screw that allows you to lock it down on the barrel to the correct position rather than using shims. I locked mine down with an o-ring for tension.

Edited by intinerious
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  • 2 weeks later...

The MB556K that is on Evike is the PDI version. They just rebrand it on their website.

 

I wish they would make in CW and CCW. I need a CW version..

 

Oh right, thanks for the info :D

 

I think DYTAC makes a CW version.

 

And a quick search shows that it's true :P

 

http://www.wgcshop.com/wgc2008/main/product_detail1.php?search_From=searchItem&item=DY-ACC-FH06ABK&search=special&rs=dytac&catid=&cat=

 

Unless you're talking about PDI of course :D

Edited by intinerious
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I have the Apple Airsoft one as well and it's extremely close to the RS counterpart except that they forgot to put the grooves at the top.

 

MB556K_large.jpg

 

They must have a little QC issues though as my brake doesn't have the excess metal left over and also the finish looks a little better.

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Oh right, thanks for the info :D

 

I think DYTAC makes a CW version.

 

And a quick search shows that it's true :P

 

http://www.wgcshop.com/wgc2008/main/product_detail1.php?search_From=searchItem&item=DY-ACC-FH06ABK&search=special&rs=dytac&catid=&cat=

 

Unless you're talking about PDI of course :D

 

Yeah I am aware of the Dytac version but they are just out of stock everywhere

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I have the Apple Airsoft one as well and it's extremely close to the RS counterpart except that they forgot to put the grooves at the top.

 

They must have a little QC issues though as my brake doesn't have the excess metal left over and also the finish looks a little better.

 

Oh, I didn't noticed the locking grooves were missing on the AA ones! :P Thanks for letting me know :)

 

Yours doesn't have the excess metal? Hm, where'd you get yours? Last time I went to Shooter Gear (a week ago) the brake was sold out. It may be a different batch so the QC's different :P

 

Yeah I am aware of the Dytac version but they are just out of stock everywhere

 

Ah didn't know its OOS everywhere :P Guess you'd have to wait XD

 

Actually does anyone know whether the Madbull SF suppressors can lock into the muzzle brake? I'm fancying the SF Mini 5 but if I remember correctly the long, flash-hider type that DYTAC makes doesn't work. I have no idea how the SF suppressor locks into the flash-hider or brake either, other than the little groove at the front of the flash-hider/brake that I think allows the suppressor to be aligned correctly. If it's not a lot of work required I want to get the Mini 5, throw the crappy flash-hider that comes with it, grab the DYTAC FS556 flash-hider in CW and use it on my G&P AEG :D

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  • 4 weeks later...

Actually does anyone know whether the Madbull SF suppressors can lock into the muzzle brake? I'm fancying the SF Mini 5 but if I remember correctly the long, flash-hider type that DYTAC makes doesn't work. I have no idea how the SF suppressor locks into the flash-hider or brake either, other than the little groove at the front of the flash-hider/brake that I think allows the suppressor to be aligned correctly. If it's not a lot of work required I want to get the Mini 5, throw the crappy flash-hider that comes with it, grab the DYTAC FS556 flash-hider in CW and use it on my G&P AEG :D

 

I'll let you know in a week or two when it arrives.

Edited by akiraspeedstar
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  • 2 weeks later...

Alright so my Suppressor finally came in, unless your willing to shave down the entire circumference where the Surefire TradeMark is, then it won't fit into the suppressor. Also you'd have to grind in 4 intentions for the ball bearings to lock into. If you were to attempt to modify the suppressor, you'd inhibit it's ability to lock to the muzzle brake. Also, you have to grind the grove on the bottom a little wider for the suppressor piece to even insert.

 

So, unless you're willing to make your muzzle brake some what ugly and damaged looking, you can't put a surefire suppressor on it, well the airsoft ones anyways.

Edited by akiraspeedstar
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  • 3 months later...

Nope sorry. Shooter doesn't seem to stock them since I got mine ages ago. However, IBMedic told me he got a new version of the brake at Hero Arms (they still have a website IIRC but it's way out of date) and rather than cast like my old brake above, they mill the newer ones. So my review only applies to the old batch it seems. Personally I haven't seen the new brake that AA make.

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It seems Shooter don't know anything about the new milled version. Could you link me to the Hero Arms website as I assume heroarms.com is the manufacturer?

 

They don't have a website for their store. heroarms.com is the manufacturer, you're correct. Hell, I don't think hero arms make anything any more. Their website seems defunct and the local store only uses the Hero Arms name on their storefront, they don't sell anything that's manufactured by Hero Arms, so even if you can find a contact on that website I don't think it'll do you any good.

 

Regardless just ask Shooter again to restock it? If AA did change their production to CNC milled brakes rather than cast like mine, I doubt they'll continue with the cast ones anyway so any new stock should be the milled one.

 

I'd help you out a bit more but I'm cramming for exams at the moment, sorry dude :(

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Ah, I see. Well I have asked shooter to look into the new milled one. I mentioned they have them at Hero Arms. Maybe they'll get some stock. It seems odd it's only at a small shop.

 

Thanks for the offer. I might might take you up on it when you're a little less busy and I can't source one anywhere else.

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