TFB Review: Strike Industries Oppressor Lite V2 Muzzle Blast Diverter
Strike Industries is always hard at work to provide a plethora of firearm parts and accessories, and today, we’ll be taking a look at their recent muzzle blast diverter, the Oppressor Lite V2. The Oppressor Lite V2 is designed to lock onto a number of muzzle brakes, compensators, and flash hiders via a quick attach and detach operation. Let’s dig in.
Strike Industries @ TFB:
STRIKE INDUSTRIES OPPRESSOR LITE V2 REVIEW
For anyone new to the world of firearms, this may seem like just another gimmick, until you’ve been on a firing line next to someone with a muzzle brake that’s directing a lot of concussive blasts sideways at you. Attaching a muzzle blast diverter, or using Strike Industries’ term Oppressor, directs the muzzle pressure and gases forward rather than sideways. The internal mechanism of the Oppressor Lite V2 is designed to work with muzzle devices using the SREM geometry, currently found on nine Strike Industries muzzle devices as well as the Ferfrans CQB Modular Muzzle Brake System and the Desert Tech Ratchet Compensator.
The following video shows the difference between the Strike Industries JCOMP compensator and the Strike Industries Oppressor Lite V2. The first segment shows me firing a couple shots with the bare JCOMP, in which the muzzle blast is seen acutely directed perpendicular to the barrel. Whereas the second half of the video shows the attached Oppressor directing the muzzle blast forward.
The Strike Industries Oppressor Lite V2 features a number of lightening cuts and ventilation holes. Thus, since the JCOMP is a longer compensator, you’ll want to be consistent when attaching the Oppressor to it if you want to block all of your gas venting sideways. The forward, horizontal cut of the JCOMP will line up with the forward holes of the Oppressor when attaching it one way, but will completely block the JCOMP’s forward cuts by mounting the Oppressor so that the Strike Industries triangle logo will land at the 12 o’clock position. This should be a non-issue when using the smaller single-port muzzle brakes from Strike Industries.
I was curious enough to see the difference in blast mitigation dependent on how the lightening cuts were oriented, so I created the video below to demonstrate the difference. To that end, it seems that Strike Industries created the diameter of the Oppressor Lite V2 to perfectly fit toilet paper rolls, which I’m convinced was on purpose. In my demonstration below, I also included a test without the Oppressor to see how the JCOMP vents comparatively.
The results showed a noticeable decrease in sideways blast when the Oppressor is oriented with the Strike Industries logo at the 12 o’clock position to ensure the JCOMP’s ports were completely obscured. With a portion of the JCOMP’s forward port exposed, the gases had a bit more explosive result on the cardboard tube. And lastly, the bare JCOMP without the Oppressor tore the cardboard tube to shreds.
CONSTRUCTION & FEATURES
Strike Industries states that the Oppressor Lite V2 is constructed with a hardened steel core, while the outer shell is made of aluminum. They also state that the vent holes are there to prevent the Oppressor from carbon locking to the muzzle device. Given the amount of carbon that exits the holes on each shot (as demonstrated above), Strike Industries is clearly on top of things with that development. The Oppressor Lite V2 is also half the weight of its predecessor at 5 ounces.
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS:
- Length: 2.74"
- Width: 1.56"
- Height: 1.56"
- Weight: 5.0oz
PRODUCT FEATURES:
- Redirects blast and sound from muzzle devices
- Enhanced recoil mitigation with 18 new vent holes
- Lighter weight, improvement from original oppressor
- Same diameter and SI muzzle device compatibility as original oppressor
- Updated QD mechanism, less rotations needed for faster attach/detach times
COMPATIBILITY:
- Strike muzzle devices with the SREM feature
- SI: Checkmate Comp, Cloak Flash Hider, JCOMP Gen2, King Comp, Mini King Comp, Triple Crown, Venom Flash Hider, XComp Element C, and XComp Thread Protector
- Ferfrans: CQB Modular Muzzle Brake System
- Desert Tech: Ratchet compensator, Micro Dynamic Rifle (MDR) w/ Ratchet compensator
RANGE TIME WITH THE JCOMP & OPPRESSOR LITE V2
Not long before I was offered the opportunity to review the Oppressor Lite V2, I had already purchased the Strike Industries JCOMP Gen 2 for my precision AR with the 5.56x45mm 20-inch cold hammer forged Bear Creek Arsenal Side Charge BC-15 upper receiver. I know some people may have just rolled their eyes or spit out their coffee from reading the previous sentence, however, I have been extremely happy with its accuracy. For me, the choice to use the JCOMP on this rifle was more about replacing the BCA spiral flash hider while going for affordable aesthetics and practicality, rather than taming an already low-recoiling rifle.
One of my tests for the Strike Industries JCOMP and Oppressor Lite V2 was to see if either retained the accuracy I had already observed through this barrel. I was pleased to see that the JCOMP, and the JCOMP when coupled with the Oppressor, did not have any negative effect on my groups. I’ll note that I was only using three round groups since my test supply of Palmetto State Armory’s AAC 75 grain Sabre load was very limited. In the photo below, I’ve highlighted the JCOMP only groups in green, and the groups with the Oppressor mounted are highlighted in purple.
In each test mode, I posted one tight group of exactly 1 inch at 100 yards, and one group of 1.25 and 1.5 inches. The fact I managed 1 MOA groups with and without the Oppressor Lite V2 was nice, although expected. As always, I still need to do my part behind the rifle.
I had my son shoot the rifle while I stood a few feet off, directly to the side of the Strike Industries muzzle devices in the positions described above. With no surprise, the bare JCOMP was pretty concussive. Next, we tried using the Oppressor with all of the JCOMP’s ports blocked. At that distance, the sound level didn’t change much, but the thump against my face and chest was gone.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I was pleasantly surprised by the Strike Industries Oppressor Lite V2. Having shot next to people with muzzle brakes, I recommend getting one if you shoot with friends or next to strangers at the range. Clearing out people’s sinuses with sideways muzzle blast might sour their shooting experience. At 5 ounces, it’s negligible weight on your muzzle, and small enough to carry in your range bag. I’ll definitely be keeping this Oppressor Lite V2 handy in my gear for those occasions.
I was also impressed with the Strike Industries JCOMP in 5.56 that I’ll also be grabbing one for my .308 rifle, then I can use the Oppressor on both. The JCOMP is available for $43.95 for either caliber, and the Oppressor Lite V2 is listed for $94.95. Strike Industries has tons of other parts and accessories for AR15s, AR10s, AKs and pistols, so make sure you check out StrikeIndustries.com for their whole product line.
Strike Industries Oppressor Lite V2 Muzzle Blast Diverter
What do you think about the Oppressor Lite V2? If you’ve already been using one, let us know how your experience has been and which muzzle brake or flash hider you paired it with.
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Doug has been a firearms enthusiast since age 16 after getting to shoot with a friend. Since then he's taken many others out to the range for their first time. He is a husband, father, grandfather, police officer, outdoorsman, artist and a student of history. Doug has been a TFB reader from the start and is happy to be a contributor of content. Doug can be reached at battleshipgrey61 AT gmail.com, or battleshipgrey61 on Instagram.
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