Who has owned both the APA Fat and Lil Bastard and the Area 419 Sidewinder and Hellfire brakes? By all the testing that I have tried to research it seems like the APA brakes reduce recoil a little bit more. I do not care about the mounting systems between the two brands. My biggest concern is which brand has the least amount of muzzle flip/rise and the least amount of recoil. Thanks in advance.
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I have both. They seem comparable in most respects. The Hellfire was on my .308 and the LB was on my 6.5 so not apples to apples. Honestly no brake is so amazing I keep it on. I rarely use them.
Lil B gen3>Hellfire>lil B gen2 on 260/6.5x47 in my experience when it comes to recoil. Also have the APA lil Jimmy on a 308 and the recoils feels less than 6.5s with brakes but that mofo is LOUD.i think lil Jimmy has been discontinued though but fat bastard is a bigger lil Jimmy so it probably will reduce recoil the most
I've owned the fat and little bastard and the hellfire and sidewinder. The recoil feels extremely similar to me in the hellfire/ little B and the sidewinder/ fatB. I would get the fat B or sidewinder over the shorter model if your main concern is recoil and not concerned with adding 4-5" to the barrel. The only difference beyond that, that would sway me is whether you like the ability to remove it by hand or not (I personally do)
There is a very extensive test of muzzle brakes on precisionrifleblog.com, very impressed with all of the information there. With that said I purchased an APA Little B for the AI and love it.
Link to testing?
99.9% of what's out there are just personal opinions full of confirmation bias. Very little of what I have seen or read can actually be accepted as objective testing.
There are other more recent articles but I feel this one is the most informative:
precisionrifleblog.com
Muzzle Brake: Summary of Field Test Results
This post summarizes the eye-opening results for the massive muzzle brake field test I’ve worked on ...
precisionrifleblog.com 
It was at the time but even the best brake from that test has come out with a new improved version. Its just a bit dated with the brakes offered, its a good studyThere are other more recent articles but I feel this one is the most informative:
Muzzle Brake: Summary of Field Test Results
This post summarizes the eye-opening results for the massive muzzle brake field test I’ve worked on ...
There are other more recent articles but I feel this one is the most informative:
Muzzle Brake: Summary of Field Test Results
This post summarizes the eye-opening results for the massive muzzle brake field test I’ve worked on ...
That's the only one I'm aware of that can be called a test in the true sense of the word. Every other test I've seen is pretty crude (think rifle strapped to a sled, with a tape measure underneath), but even they are miles better than the (useless) opinions based on how recoil feels.
APA Gen 3 brake is the best brake I have personally used. I put one on a lightweight 300WM I just built for my son and it was fantastic at taming recoil. It was one of the hardest recoiling rifles I have ever shot and it tamed it. That being said, I used a Gen 2 LB on my 6CM build only because it came as a package deal with he Defiance action and it does a dream job as well. I would have went with the Gen 3 if I would have bought one outright though.
There is a more recent blog but I really liked the one I posted because it covered so much with graphs, comparisons, etc.
I went with the Gen 2 Little B because I didn't want to mess with tuning, screws and adjustments like on the Gen 3. This is the first precision rifle I've owned with a muzzle brake and I am very impressed with the Gen 2 Little B.
Man Rydah, I love that fluted barrel!
There was a discussion a while back about a Gen 3 “Fat Bastard”... I’m waiting for production to utilize on my 308 20” AI... now shooting suppressed, I’m looking for assistance to see my impacts.... for my use vertical stabilization is valued over recoil reduction.
Sold my Hellfire and run the gen 1-2 and 3 APA . And MPA brake more ports better recoil reduction. As for the gen 3 I've seen little difference removing all or no screws .
Look at the cadex muzzle break
Considering the APA Fat B and Area 419 Hellfire, any more input on these?
I switched from an APA Gen2 LB to a Hellfire and could tell a difference in tracking on target, especially on barricades - the Hellfire was noticeably flatter and stayed on target better. Recoil reduction was comparable, no difference I could notice.
I recently switched to the 419 Maverick, and a Sidewinder for when I can't run the Maverick. The Maverick is giving up nothing to the Sidewinder on recoil reduction and tracking (on an 18# 308), but has no noticeable blast or concussion, even in the short 'match' setup.
I'm already planning to buy a second Maverick.
I recently switched to the 419 Maverick, and a Sidewinder for when I can't run the Maverick. The Maverick is giving up nothing to the Sidewinder on recoil reduction and tracking (on an 18# 308), but has no noticeable blast or concussion, even in the short 'match' setup.
I'm already planning to buy a second Maverick.
I have used a area 419 sidewinder a apa fat barstard and a t3 terminator side by side on the same rifle. I rate them in that order and could easily tell the diffarence between each. I haven't use a gen 3 little barstard tho
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