Pro's out there:
I've got a Model 60-15 -- J-Frame---3"inch barrel....Is it worth having the weapon four ported ??? I have no idea if this will help the lighter J-Frame with hot loads(+p's and 357 magnum) or not ??..I'd like to have you professionals pass your opinions ??? Thanks in advance !

Just one man's opinion here, but I personally don't care for magnaporting on any gun, be it rifle, handgun, big, small, long, short. I believe that the fairly minor reduction in recoil or muzzle-flip is more than offset by the increased blast.

FROG** share a pic of the 60-15
Gotta Love those J Frames..
Gary/Hk

Porting isn't cool if you're shooting lead bullets. That's been my experience. Lead and powder residue spew upward from port and cover your front sight, turning it to a light gray color.

Depends on how much you intend on shooting your 60? Spending the extra $ is like customizing a car... gotta look harder to find someone that wants your modifications should you decide to sell - and you will take a $ hit. Have had a few mag-na-port guns and in really only makes a difference on my Freedom Arms 454. Also worth mentioning it gets the front sight dirty pretty quick.

I don't want gasses or other ejecta coming out of my firearms in any more places than the muzzle or barrel/cylinder gap. I've fired others' ported rifles and handguns over the years and am of the opinion that the reduction is primarily imaginary. This even includes really heavy rifles like the .378 Weatherby Magnum, fired both with and without ports.

I have a 60-9 that I asked the same question of S&W Gunsmithing. They will do it through Magna if you like. My 60 was back for some fluff and buff, anyway he said he wouldn't recommend it and had some good reasons, which I don't recall completely right now. Anyway I decided against it.

My thoughts exactly. I did some experiments on a barrel milling in additional ports and never saw any significant effect on a 9mm Beretta. I have a number of ported barrels and none of them do much IMHO.

You can pretty much take the amount you spend on the porting and DEDUCT that from the value of your gun too. Mag-Na-Porting does nothing to reduce recoil, little to reduce muzzle flip, and lots to increase blast. Personally, I consider it vandalism.

I have used it in the past on big bores and little bores and have found it does reduce muzzle flip. The gun kicks more straight back than up.

Little bore with:


Little bore without:


Both are Mag-na-Port built guns.

I had a model 28 with a 4" Mag-Na-Ported barrel (I bought the gun used) and it did nothing to control recoil or flip. As mentioned before it did dirty up my sights and when shooting lead bullets I often got a face full of little bits of powder residue and tiny lead fragments (or so they felt). I couldn't wait to get rid of that barrel and soon found out a friend had an old 3 1/2" barrel off a model 27 whose finish closely matched the model 28. The barrel swap was simple (everything lined up perfectly) and I gave the ported barrel away. I wouldn't consider it for any of my guns and feel that it subtracts from a gun's value.

When shooting the heavy hitters (like my TC Contender with an SSK Custom barrel for the .375 JDJ) the muzzle brake is the difference between getting the most out of the gun and just flat PAIN.

My buddy picked the Magna Port style of recoil reduction. His pistol reduced the muzzle flip some, and the muzzle rise some.

Mine SSK Arrestor almost entirely eliminated muzzle rise (you won't believe shooting it off the bench) but did virtually NOTHING regarding straight back recoil. In my opinion, I picked a good method. My buddy is happy with his but they do react quite differently.

On the other hand, you probably couldn't measure the difference in a .38 Special or a .45 ACP. Muzzle brakes work on gas velocity. So, it takes a good bit of "power" to allow them to work.

In general, I don't care for muzzle brakes of any stripe. However, there is NO denying that in the "Big Boomers" they work.

Dale53

I've had several of my firearms MagNaPorted. In handguns, porting seems to be more effective when shooting a high-pressure cartridge in a lighter package. My four-inch, Model 66 is a good example. When shooting .38s or lightly loaded Magnums, it's no different than my other 66s. But if I slip some serious cartridges into the cylinder, the porting does reduce muzzle flip. All of my 66s are 4-inchers. I chose QuadraPort venting. I am pleased with the result.

If your revolver is only a 2.5- or 3-incher, I don't think you would notice much difference. Higher pressure stuff just tends to make more blast and flash in the shorties.

If you do choose to port your revolver, please do let us know how it works for you.

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Jaeger

What Dale53 said. My 3" 60-10 is Magnaported and doesn't seem to help much at all, except to increase the noise.

Dale had the experience of lighting off one of JD's .375 JDJ's years ago back when I was in Ohio groundhog hunting with a friend who owns one and he was trying out some stout loads. I'll stick with my .338 for big game as that Contender put a whallop on me, even with the brake and a set of Pacs on it. A 14" .223 Contender is a much better round for them critters:-).

BTW JD's shop is only 15 miles from where I grew up. Met the man quite a few times at my neighbors farm while he was shooting his wildcats. Nice guy and makes a fine product to boot. If you are ever in Wintersville he'll give you a personal tour of his shop.

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V/R
Roger / SG

I felt like most other replies--a waste of money and it screws up an other wise nice gun. Until I bought a Model 29-6" for a present for my son--it came magna-ported when I bought it.

I can't usually take .44 Mag's in handguns of any type--why beat yourself up. We took his gun to the range and he said it wasn't bad at all so I thought I'd give it a try. I found it wasn't bad at all--much less than others I've shot. This is the only experience I've had with Magna-ports but it made a real difference to me. JFWIW.

Steve

Porting works best with longer barrels. There appears to be more leverage to counter the torque of recoil when the ports are farther forward of the weapon's center of gravity.

Also, the more intense the cartridge, the more effective is the port in recoil reduction. So a .357 will probably show more effectiveness in the power of the gasses jetting upwards than will a .38 Special. More thrust is being created by the magnum.

For most of us, blast is much more of a factor in control and comfort than recoil. Porting will increase blast substantially.

My M53 .22 Jet has very little recoil but tremendous blast. Exciting, but not really much fun. A snubby .357 is going to generate a great deal of blast as it is, and a port will magnify even that.

My recommendation is to avoid porting in general, and especially avoid it in short guns.

IMHO,too noisy for CCW.Big guns,rifles,don't know-don't have any ported.

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WALSTIB

I fully concur with this statement. The extra blast is not worth the time and money to me. I especially dislike the added flash in a night-shoot and the blast from the ports easily can blow one's cap right off his head if it is held close to the body in a defensive posture. Put a load in it you can handle and stick with that.

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GA Carry member
Vietnam Vet

Keep it stock. You'll thank me.

My opinion as well.

Any gun that needs to be ported is just too much gun....IMHO.

The noise that ports generate can cause immediate hearing loss if you ever shot them with unprotected ears....defensive or hunt situations.

I'll never own another one..ever. One was all it took.

Magnaporting will reduce muzzle flip, but will also increase noise and if you shoot the gun at night the flash from the magnaports will tend to mess with your vision temporarily (like shining a flash light into your eyes). This could be bad in a defense situation.
See if you can borrow a gun that has been magnaported and try it out at night, before making your final decision.
Frankly, I would not shoot .357s in a J frame. I tried it, and concluded that I'd want a heavier gun (like a 4" 686).
Or as another option, consider the Ruger polymer framed revolver (LCR, I think). Polymer framed guns tend to absorb recoil much better than all metal guns. I have a 20 ounce Kahr .45ACP and it is actually very easy to shoot well.

Another dissenting opinion here. I just purchased a 629 Performance Center gun with the 3" barrel and factory Magna-Porting. The port is in front of the front sight and I've noticed minimal fouling of the sight...if any. It definitely reduces the felt recoil. Which is appreciated. Because recoil is still plenty stiff with 240 grain .44 mag factory loads.

Don't really have an opinion on porting, but here is a picture of a 60-15 as requested. I have seen a 60-15 Pro that was ported for sale at a local GS.

I had a 29-2 done about 30 years ago. Would NOT do it again, at least on .44 Mag and below. Recoil changed into a two piece back and downward snap that was to me more disconcerting than the old recoil. Flash and noise were worse. Also the red ramp insert shrank quickly thereafter (hot gasses?). After the new wore off, I have shot that gun very little in the intervening years.

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S&WCA 1729

There's porting and there's Mag-Na-Port. They both do the same thing, but the port on your 629 is not Mag-Na-Port.

I had a few of my guns ported by mag na port and doubt that I'd do it again. I find the improvement to be slight and can't really say I felt a difference.

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Lynnie, Professional Pest

When looking for revolvers there seem to be more Mag Ports available of a particular model than ones without which to me indicates they become a bit harder to sell.