The Deflector Brake was provided by Havoc Tactical for the purpose of this review. No compensation was received, and Havoc Tactical did not view the video prior to publishing.
Hey there, Squat Squad, and welcome back to Slav Guns. Today we’re looking at a tiny, cheap accessory that fixes one of the most annoying things about shooting an AR-15 at a crowded range: brass flying into your face, your buddy’s face, and the back of the head of the guy one bench over. It’s the Deflector Brake from Havoc Tactical Solutions.
You’ve probably heard the joke. When the Americans were developing the space program, they needed a way for astronauts to write in space, so they spent millions on the zero-gravity Fisher Space Pen. The Soviets? They used a pencil. The Deflector Brake is the pencil solution to the AR-15 brass problem.
TL;DR
- What it is: a patented, self-adhesive, peel-and-stick 3D foam pad that goes on the brass deflector of your AR-15 (or any rifle with a brass deflector).
- What it does: changes the ejection angle from the typical 4 o’clock to about 2 o’clock, cushions the impact, and drops your brass in a neat little pile.
- Who it’s for: left-handed shooters, reloaders, instructors, competitors, and anyone at a crowded range.
- Life: at least 1,000 rounds per piece; mine had about 1,200 rounds on it and was still working as intended.
- Price: about 15 bucks for a pack of four when I made the video. Made in the USA.
The problem: brass everywhere
A properly gassed AR-15 throws brass at about the 4 o’clock position, slightly to the right and back. That’s a problem for everybody else on the line getting pelted. It’s even worse if you’re an instructor or teaching someone how to shoot and you’re standing right at that 4 o’clock spot.
If you’re a left-handed shooter, it’s worse still, because that brass ends up right in your face. And if you’re a reloader, every case smacking the brass deflector picks up dings and stress, mostly on the case necks.
The usual fixes and why I don’t love them
- Brass catcher: cumbersome, adds weight, and once it starts filling up it can mess with ejection and cause feeding issues.
- Over-gassing with an adjustable gas block: sure, it’ll throw brass toward 2 o’clock, but you’re inducing more wear on the gun and putting more dings and stress on your brass.
How the Deflector Brake works
I first met the company at SHOT Show 2019 and was instantly impressed with how cheap and effective this is. The foam pad sticks onto the brass deflector, changes the angle the case comes off of it, and cushions that initial impact, so the brass doesn’t get thrown as far.
On a properly gassed AR-15, that moves ejection from the annoying 4 o’clock to a nice pile at 2 o’clock. Three wins:
- Everyone at the range: nobody gets brass in the back of the head.
- Reloaders: your brass doesn’t get beat up as much by the deflector, especially at the case necks.
- Fit-and-finish people: it keeps your brass deflector clean. Some shooters like showing off battle scars. Others want to step into the boxing ring and still walk the runway afterward.
Installation
The package comes with four Deflector Brakes, four alcohol prep wipes, and a few other goodies.
- Clean any residue off the brass deflector with the alcohol wipe so the pad has a clean surface to stick to.
- Peel off the adhesive backing, line it up, and press it on for about 10 to 15 seconds.
- The company recommends letting it adhere for at least 24 hours at temperatures above 60 degrees for a good bond.
In the video it’s on a Dark Storm Industries Variant 1 “Other Firearm” in .223/5.56 (here’s the Dark Storm range day), and you’ll also see shooting footage from my Troy A4 “Other Firearm” review.
Bottom line
For about the price of a box of range ammo, the Deflector Brake solves a real problem without adding weight, without a bag hanging off your rifle, and without over-gassing your gun. Made in the United States, available in multiple patterns and colors, sold on the Deflector Brake website and Amazon. If you’re a lefty, a reloader, an instructor, or you just don’t want to be THAT guy at the range, it’s an easy buy. You can find more of the gear I use in my Amazon picks.
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Keep squatting.
How do you deal with flying brass: catcher, foam, or just let it rain? Tell me in the comments.
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