You want to place the muzzle fire right where the hole of the barrel is. Get some reference pictures. As always, reference is key! A Google search should provide you with plenty of reference photos.
As you may have noticed, the perspective of the muzzle fire is off in Figure 3. The footage of our actor is a quarter-angle view. Our muzzle flash is a side view. Sometimes, depending on the muzzle flash footage, we can turn the muzzle-fire layer into a 3D layer and rotate it along the Y-axis in order to match the perspective. This will not always look correct, so it's best to start off with a muzzle flash shot in the same perspective as the shot of your actor. If, however, a side view is all you have, here is a solution.
Click on the 3D box for the Muzzle Flash layer in the timeline to convert it into a 3D layer (see Figure 4).
As you see in Figure 5, a rotation along the Y-axis (the green arrow) and a rotation along the Z-axis (the blue arrow) have put the footage into an acceptable alignment. Remember, this is going to be only one frame long, so if it feels right, no one will notice.
Realign the barrel and the muzzle flash by changing the position of the muzzle fire (see Figure 6).
Figure 3 (click to enlarge)
Figure 4 (click to enlarge)
Figure 5 (click to enlarge)
Figure 6 (click to enla…
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