As someone who generally is disinterested in the newest and coolest tacticool whatsa-whosits, I have to admit to you that I was surprised to pick up anything with the intention of improving my AR15 or making my shooting experience more enjoyable with one. The item in question today is the Ultadyne Apollo Max .223/5.56 Muzzle Brake. If you have not heard of Ultradyne, they are an American company with American made products in the form of firearm accessories such as sights, muzzle devices, and combinations of the two. With today’s subject being the Apollo Max Muzzle Brake, I should mention what makes it unique…it reduces recoil far better than other muzzle brakes I have been around and that can benefit the user in multiple ways. Let us dive right into a review on the Ultradyne Apollo Max .223/5.56 Muzzle Brake!

SPECIFICATIONS: Ultradyne Apollo Max .223/5.56

Ultradyne has a large lineup of sights and muzzle devices to suit a shooter’s needs and comfort levels. Among them is the Apollo Max Muzzle Brake which is engineered to greatly reduce recoil and divert gasses away from the shooter, making the whole experience a more positive one and arguably effective one. The Apollo Max itself has a line up of several caliber options such as .223/5.56, .264/6.5, and .308/7.62. Each muzzle brake can work with a vast array of cartridges and that is demonstrated in the first bullet point in the specifications below:

• CALIBER -Rated for the standard cartridges in the following calibers: 223 Rem, 5.56 x 45 NATO, 224 Valkyrie, 224 Weatherby Mag, 22-250 Rem, 222 Rem Mag, 222 Rem, 22 Nosler, 220 Swift, 22 PPC, 22 BR, 22 Hornet, 204 Ruger, 218 Bee
• MINIMUM BARREL LENGTH   16″
• BARREL THREAD  1/2-28 UNEF-2B
• BARREL THREAD LENGTH MINIMUM    .600″
• MATERIAL – 416 Stainless Steel
• FINISH – Salt Bath Nitride Finish
• MOUNTING Shrouded Timing Nut
• WEIGHT – Brake Only 124 grams / 4.4 ounces, Total 147 grams / 5.2 ounces
• LENGTH – 75mm / 2.94 inches
• OVERALL DIAMETER – 24.8 mm / 0.975 inches
• WRENCH FLATS -13/16 inch
• MSRP – $119

The Ultradyne Apollo Max .223/5/56 Muzzle Brake comes packaged in a plastic box that uniquely and smartly locks open or closed should you ever tote it around vigorously. It comes encased in plastic netting with a small manual/instruction guide with the typical caution and disclaimer blurbs which do in fact include necessary information. The small handy guide also includes details on things such as their C4 Sight System instructions (installation and zeroing), compensator/Dynamount instructions, and pictures of featured products with their parts and details labeled should you wonder what they are for.

The instructions are concise and clear. Otherwise included are the aforementioned Apollo Max Muzzle Brake, collar for the threaded end of the brake, and the shrouded timing nut. If you ever end up with Ultradyne’s C4 Dynamount sight system you will notice the rear of the muzzle brake has timing holes and the sight has a respective timing pin to correctly align with the holes, a welcomed insurance that your sight and brake are leveled correctly with your firearm! The installation guide in the video below:

Pros and Cons: Ultradyne Apollo Max .223/5.56 Muzzle Brake

As I mentioned earlier I bought this product for my personal AR15 and I have owned it and gotten to know it for at least a year now. With that said, I have come to know the pros and cons of it in and out. I bought it with two things in mind: general curiosity and a friend of mine was new to firearms and recoil-sensitive but still wanted to experience shooting an AR15 and my kindhearted idea was to give them the most pleasant and positive experience possible.

Pros-

• Simple to install
• Drastically reduces recoil to almost none at all
• Gas is diverted away from the shooter
• No major change (for me personally) in POA/POI
• The shooter is able to remain aiming and see the impact
• Extremely reliable and durable device

Cons-

• Gasses diverted everywhere but at the shooter (if at a range, the person next to you will hate you)
• The concussion is very noticeable and fairly uncomfortable if you are not used to it
• Install and removal are not very quick or easy without the aid of a gun vise or an extra set of hands

I think the Ultradyne Apollo Max Muzzle Brake is a fantastic feat of innovation and engineering. It is simple and complex at the same time and I find that extremely fascinating. Below is a quote straight from Ultradyne themselves and following that is a video detailing their engineering of this muzzle device.

APOLLO MAX sets the standard for performance by providing breakthrough recoil reduction and unparalleled muzzle compensation for those who refuse to settle for second best. Utilizing advanced imaging and precision instrumentation, Ultradyne engineers have created an ultra-high performance, competition level compensator. Gases are strategically diverted away from the shooter and out of the shooters line of sight. Experience smooth, on-target recoil compensation in a competition-legal package.  A timing nut is included for easy installation.

Range Time: Ultradyne Apollo Max .223/5.56 Muzzle Brake

Whenever I shoot my AR15, I always have this brake on because for me, it genuinely improves my experience and helps point out my own flaws in my marksmanship. The extreme lack of recoil helps me watch my point of impact and also limits my fatigue in shooting even though .223/5.56 have little recoil compared to other larger calibers. The only thing I would ever complain about is the amount of concussion that is felt but I do not complain because it means the brake is doing its job perfectly.

Final Thoughts: Ultradyne Apollo Max .223/5.56 Muzzle Brake

This muzzle brake is great at its job and some may argue it is too good at it in that it produces side effects such as the added amount of concussion. The installation is simple, the product works as advertised, and it is durable and well made. Reliable, American made, and an excellent demonstration in engineering. I really enjoy this muzzle device and would recommend it to someone who enjoys shooting, competes in competitions, or has difficulty in receiving recoil whether it be from lack of experience or health-related issues. For the price, I believe the product you receive is well worth it.

In closing, I want to say thank you to Ultradyne for making good quality products.  Also, we would like to know what all of you guys and gals think? Is a muzzle brake that dissipates felt recoil something you would be interested in? Do you think the Apollo Max is a good option to polish up some marksmanship skills? Is a recoil-reducing muzzle device worth the cost? Let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.

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