I’ve always been one to believe that a compensator for ordinary pistols was somewhat pointless since there’s not much recoil from the rounds, to begin with. I’ve been using my P320 X-Five for about two years without any complaints. Things were great until I saw a used P320 compact for sale at $300. Like an addict looking for a score, I had to jump on the deal and was now the proud owner of yet another P320. Unlike my other P320’s, I was looking for a host gun to take the slide and fire control unit out to build something a little more special.  With all the hype about next generation pistol brakes, I decided to build a SIG P320 Compensated range gun. 

Parker Mountain Machine’s Single and Dual Port Compensators

The main issue with pistol compensators is the fact they hang off the end looking out of place and usually do a sub-par job at mitigating muzzle rise. The JTTC system from Parker Mountain Machine fixes both of these issues. PMM has taken the P320 modularity and used it to benefit the shooter without adding weight or length to the overall pistol. Confused about how it works? Trust me, so was I when I first found out about it. 

Essentially what PMM has done is developed a compensator for the P320 system that can use a Compact slide with a full-size frame to incorporate a compensator without adding length to the overall full-size profile. PMM says the single-chamber brake they have developed reduces felt recoil by 35% where the dual-chamber brake will reduce recoil by 50-55% with 115gr 9mm ammo.  American Eagle 115 gr is recommended by PMM but the important part is to get ammo loaded up hot enough to activate the compensator. Pricing is typically $355 on PMM’s website for the single or dual-chamber compensators. 

Range Time 

I wasn’t quite sold on the system fully until I decided to take it to the range and put it through its paces. I started out shooting my trusty X-Five to get a baseline recoil pattern. I switched over to the single-chamber brake and was honestly blown away by the recoil impulse of the compensated pistol. Typically, I don’t think it’s worth it to throw a comp onto something like a full-size 9mm pistol, but this was something else. As soon as I finished my first magazine out of the compensated P320, I was completely sold on the system. When I shot the PMM JTTC compensator the gun was considerably quicker to get back on target and recoil was almost nonexistent.  

The PMM comp has a large open brake at the top of the comp which allows a fair amount of gas to escape causing the gun to shoot flatter. Aesthetically the gun looks complete without having a huge mass hanging off the end which I really love. I can still holster the gun into a full size P320 holster and nothing changes about it. So that means if you already have a full-size P320 it’s really easy to switch over and still be able to use the same holsters. 

Overall Thoughts

The time I had with the PMM JTTC compensator has been impacting and memorable, to say the least. This compensator looks like it’s a part of the gun and offers exceptional recoil mitigation while keeping the muzzle flat. If I had one complaint about the brake, it was how much of a flash was visible in low light conditions. This isn’t so much an issue with the PMM compensator but the function of compensators in general. Occasionally at night time, you will get a decent amount of muzzle flash. This is true with the Smith & Wesson M&P Performance model and Weapon Armament Research M&P Afterburner compensator. During the day, the PMM isn’t distracting at all and runs extremely flat.

Let me know what you guys think of compensators on guns or if they are beneficial for shooting. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Stay tuned for a 3-month review on the brake in the coming months. I also plan on purchasing the dual-chamber compensator as well to compare them. If you have any questions feel free to contact me on my Instagram page @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there!