PWS CQB 30 Compensator

The PWS CQB 30 caught my attention after a good amount of deliberate research to resolve the issue my Tavor 7 stock compensator gave me. When I shot fast, it felt like all my teeth were getting tapped by a small hammer simultaneously. Of course, it was only noticeable after shooting the rifle with a good deal of speed, but that is my pace. I looked all over at blast forwarding devices and was not happy with what I was seeing. They would create a fireball but divert the blast away from me. In some cases, these blast forwarding devices actually increased the recoil. Then I found the CQB 30 and was quite impressed at what I found in reviews. I had to buy it (over $100), try it, and test it. This is my short-term review.

NOTABLE FEATURES

​Blast Forwarding- The primary feature of the CQB Compensator is that it sends the muzzle blast forward of the shooter. The idea, hinted by the name, is that it will make your rifle more friendly for shooting in close quarters from interior buildings or just being next to a set of hard structures. Having a bare compensator on also makes you an enemy of your neighbors at the range. Not a good thing to leave an impression of being an asshole.

​Muzzle Flash Reduction- The second function of the CQB muzzle device is to reduce flash a bit. When you direct the blast in any specific direction, especially forward, the result is typically a very big fireball. This particular device was supposedly designed to answer that issue in their own way by having a sort of flash reducing component on the front end to help cool the gases faster and lessen the chances of ignition.

​Recoil Reduction- The last feature of this device is its ability to reduce recoil. It slightly tames recoil and muzzle rise, but not as well as a devoted muzzle brake. Some other blast forwarding devices can actually increase recoil somewhat, but I think the recoil control answer lies on the inside of this device.

​Two-Piece Design- One of the smallest things to consider is the fact that this device comes apart in two pieces for ease of cleaning. Yes, the interior can and is recommended to be cleaned in order to maximize all the capabilities listed above.

INSTALLATION

​Installation is a relative breeze since the device comes with a crush washer and easy instructions. There is also a video on YouTube about how to install this device. In short, this device has no need for timing, so all that is needed is to get the device hand tight, and then do about a half-rotation using a strap wrench. You may find yourself wanting to turn it a little more if you feel that it would help it stay on long term. Personally, I used CLP to clean and dry both the barrel threads and the compensator threads before installation just to lower the risk of binding. CLP generally leaves a little bit of a film that should keep the threads somewhat lubricated if and when I decide to remove the device.

HOW IT SEEMS TO WORK

​This device has a stellar design that does a lot of good with the muzzle gas in a small package. Some may see this device as a behemoth, but with everything that it is accomplishing, it is a pretty good size. This design mitigates not only recoil, but also lateral blast and muzzle flash by controlling the flow of gas on its way out. The idea is to not only gradually give the gas air and keep it moving in a way that will help cool it, but also control flow by dwelling the excess gas in between the two pieces of the device. It isn’t perfect, but it does a lot of good with only 3 ½ square inches…. That’s what she said.

​​The inside of the CQB 30 tells me a lot about HOW this device works. The muzzle offset of about 1/8 inch and 16 dead-end channels help delay the gas flow, lowering the muzzle flash. The 5 large channels in the forward removeable piece seem to be designed to utilize the high velocity gasses that couldn't get out of the muzzle initially to act as a muzzle brake.

 Once the 5 forward channels are impacted, the 11 smaller channels to the rear seem to be designed as a buffer to slow the flow of the excess gas as it tries to find its way out of the device. ​

The hole in the front of the device is slightly tapered in order to gradually offer more air as the gas leaves the device. There are 5 robust prongs at the front of the device that have cooling fins directed to the inside, where the remaining hot gas will be the most concentrated and prone to ignition. The prongs also have a rotation angle that allows the gases to follow the same rotational flow that it had as it was leaving the barrel, further discouraging possible ignition.

SHOOTING IMPRESSIONS

​Shooting the PWS CQB 30 was nothing short of satisfying. The blast is indeed diverted forward of the shooter, which is the primary function of the device and why I bought it. Second, it does pretty good at lowering muzzle flash considering that other blast forwarding devices seem to make a big fireball. Third, the recoil impulse on the rifle does not feel much different than when I had the stock compensator on, which is a good thing. I will note that during a low light test, I saw my red dot dip down first before going up from recoil/muzzle rise. This isn’t something I have actually felt, and it could very well be some weird phenomenon occurring with my Vortex UH-1, but it is just something to note. Overall, this device has made shooting the Tavor 7 just as easy and fun as shooting my AUG.

CLEANING

​Given that the inside of this device is easy to get to, it would seem logical to see this muzzle device as an essential point for cleaning. The channels that help dwell the gas flow need to be cleaned and douched out as good as possible. It would be a good idea to coat the inside of the device with a nice thick CLP like SLIP2000 EWL30 that works very well at staying put and preventing ridiculous build up, even under pressure. I would even recommend something like Ballistol for cleaning and buildup prevention.

FINAL THOUGHTS

​For $110 you could do a whole lot worse, I promise. If you have a bullpup or a short-barreled gun that you want to tame, this device is the best choice since it helps mitigate most of the issues that you will encounter. It has a little bit of weight to it at almost half a pound, but it is well worth it. I would actually say that it balances out my Tavor 7 pretty well. I have never been a big advocate for compensators, pistol red dots, trigger mods, etc. However, this CQB compensator is needed to control the Tavor 7 and get it where it should be in performance.