Here's what bothers me about muzzle flashes. In daylight or just fairly well lot areas, they hardly show up in real life. If someone's trying to make something realistic, then they should try to make something realistic, right?
well that's not the point here
when was the last time you seen anyone criticize a movie for having unrealistic gunfights? the reason they're done like that is because its showy and interesting to watch, and that most people don't realize that in real combat muzzle flashes are intentionally kept down to avoid giving yourself away.