I am wondering what the consensus is here. If you found a S&W you wanted would this stop you from getting it? What are the effects of Porting the barrel?

Thanks,

Mike

I won't say unequivocally no difference, but not a whole lot, depending on the gun. Porting on a hot snubbie or 3" barrel it wouldn't bother me. A 4" or longer barrel, especially with a full underlug, would make the porting a whole lot less valuable to me. Like rubber grips, if you need it, use it.

FloridaFlier said it well.

I'll add a few things:

1. It definitely reduces the number of potential buyers.
2. The burn yourself, fireball the size of the sun drivel is just that, drivel.
3. I've owned ported guns of all types. The shorter the barrel, the less the effect in my opinion. Rifles use this technology the best. A 3" .44 is going to be a hoss, porting will not make it tame.
4. The porting like S&W does on it's Comps is the best, otherwise shooting typical reloads does a number on your front sight in terms of filth.

You can expect a 10-20% difference in general in a handgun, a more pronounced effect in a rifle, only you can decide if that's a huge difference to you.

You mean there are pros!!??

I have fired several pistols that were ported and the only difference I find is in noise level increasing (even with muffs on it, it can be unpleasent), more difficult to clean, especially with lead bullets, and nickle plating will commonly flake.
My personal rule of thumb is this, if I really want the gun, I will find out the cost of a replacement barrel and the cost of it being installed, and deduct that cost from the purchase price. That is the only way I will purchase such a gun. I have probably lost out on a few good ones, but that is the way it goes. And, I will not buy a factory ported gun, unless it is a rifle that I can have the barrel shortened on.

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I have a 3" 29-10 that has been Mag-na-ported, it has their "dual trapezoidal" ports and, IMO, it makes a very noticeable difference in felt recoil and muzzle jump. The gun is surprisingly tame, more pleasant to shoot than a friends 7.5" Redhawk when fired side by side with the same ammo.

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Don't kiss smiling dogs!

i carry daily a 3"657 thats been ported...excellent shooting and its one of my best!

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KK4EMO

......and there you have it Mike9, it depends on the user. You'll never really know to you shoot a ported gun.

Avoid the porting if you have any intentions of formally competing with it. Porting is not allowed in IDPA and will put you in Open division in most of the other gun games.

Dave Sinko

+1

Folks who no longer desire their ported revolvers should contact me...

I don't care for ported barrels anymore. The excessive noise and muzzle flash is not worth it for what they do. I have own a few in the past and other than using on the range, its too hard on your ears for hunting.

I think of the ported barrel kind of like I think of the IL. It's not something I need and it's not something I want. I would buy a gun with an IL way before I bought one with a ported barrel. It's just my perception and I reserve the right to change my mind at a later date. Maybe someday I'll find a deal on one and realize I was all wrong

It wouldn't be an outright deal breaker for me, but I don't want ports. They certainly are a consideration and make me less likely to buy a gun, and this is especially true on a self defense gun. I've liked the concept of the Taurus Tracker since its inception, unlike many (though I haven't seen that much Taurus bashing here) I am a fan of Taurus handguns. I've considered it many times. I don't have one yet, and the ports are a big part of the reason (that and the general unavailability of aftermarket wood grips).

Pros:
-Reduces recoil
-Reduces muzzle rise
Both mean being quicker back on target for faster follow-up shots

Cons:
-They foul up and are a pain to clean
-They increase noise
-They increase muzzle flash, which can be a real problem on a defensive gun
-They lower the velocity of the round. They make the barrel effectively 1/2-1" shorter, resulting in slower velocity v. a true x" barrel. This lowers the power of the round a bit, and on a short barreled .38 or .357mag can be the difference between expansion or no expansion with JHP rounds.

Con: reduces resale value and limits potential buyers

I dislike porting for all the reasons mentioned above. Remember, that for porting to be effective in reducing recoil, it must bleed off pressure and any time you reduce pressure, you reduce muzzle velocity and, accordingly, downrange energy.

I own a 6" 686-3 PowerPort that I bought strictly because they were discontinued and might become valuable some day. It turned out to be unfired, so I still haven't shot it. But I did own both a 6.5" 629-4 Classic and a 6.5" 629-5 Classic PowerPort and honestly couldn't tell any difference in felt recoil. But oh, boy - was there ever a difference in report and dirt! As it was also an MIM gun, I sold the 629-5.

Ed

It all depends on what the gun is, there are certain models that it has no effect on the collectability/ value of it.

Eric

Yes, it would stop me. I see no need for such, and despite what many will say, close in type shooting could result in hot particles up in your face or eyes. See Clint Smith's article concerning this in American Handgunner or Guns, I think. You just do not need porting to control recoil in any normal handgun caliber.

I have a 686 PP 6" barrel revolver. It shoots great, as far as recoil, it's very light. I'm not sure if it's due to the weight or the porting. Probably a little of both. The flash out the port would probably be a little bright at night. I've never shot it in the dark. Whatever.... it's a fun gun to shoot though I don't shoot it often.
My wife has a TRR8, 357 mag that also is a light recoil weapon without PP. She loves shooting it and making lots of noise!

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My one and only ported gun was a short barreled 357 and the flash would blind you at night so bad a second shot was impossible. It`s someone else`s now, and there are no more ported guns in my safe.

For a defensive gun I would stay away from them for all of the reasons mentioned - noise, flash - personal safety when firing close to your body, etc. One other factor that I ran into - some years back I picked up a small frame Rossi with a 2" ported barrel - in 357 mag. It had adjustable sights on it but I could never get them regulated for off hand shooting. The gun always shot low with full power loads off hand. One day my brother was shooting it and I was standing along side watching. I watched as each shot the barrel not only did not recoil upwards, it went down a bit. Recoil was rearward with a twist but the muzzle went down. It did not do ith with 38spl loads, just the magnums. I think I sold the gun to my brother that day...

You know it's amazing, I spoke to the folks at Magna-Port in the end of September about doing some work for me, they advised they were booked up till then of the year, but would work me in in January.

That's pretty amazing for a process that sets you on fire, blinds you by throwing debris at you, deafens you, makes you wet the bed and causes hemorrhoids......

I draw a distinction between "ported" guns and "compensated" guns. Smith has offered both kinds through the Custom Shop and various distributors. I've never owned or fired a ported revolver but I now own two compensated S&Ws. One is a 4" CS L-frame with the front sight and ramp set back to allow for the comp. The other is a 3" L-Comp. I was surprised to find that felt recoil was the same but muzzle rise was in fact reduced. For that reason I'm keeping these two revolvers and enjoying the slightly faster recovery from shot to shot. I'd be interested in firing ported guns with the same barrel lengths to see how they compare.

As always, YMMV!

Dave

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RSVN '69-'71
PCSD (Ret)

[rant] Honestly, I always wonder just how much experience people have with ported guns when I read these threads. I have a couple of PC guns with Magna-porting, that's how they came. I don't consider it a negative at all. I also have two 4" 629's, a -3 and a -4. Basically identical, except the -3 is Magna-ported. I know it's nicer to shoot. Anyone whose willing to bring their own ammo and try a side by side test can contact me, I'd be happy to let you see for yourself.

With pistols, the noise isn't any greater that I've noticed, unless you're right next to a barrier. Rifles, yes, but again not so bad unless you have something reflect the sound. And, just my opinion, but the port ejecta is no worse than what is normally coming out of the B/C gap, or muzzle. If you have any parts of your body where you might be injured by a ported gun, I think the chances of injury with a non-ported gun would be good as well. Obviously hot gasses are leaving the ports, but muzzle blast from a non-ported gun can be significant as well. Can it be a problem, sure, either way, if you're not able to keep soft parts away from the danger zone.

So, would I seek out a ported gun? Not necessarily. But in magnums with enough pressure to make the ports effective, it does what it's supposed to do, and I like the ported guns I have. [/rant]

And, just to make it worthwhile:
629-3

PC 629-4, PC 686-4

PC 629-4 Hunter


ymmv

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Yes, stop me dead in my tracks!

They're ugly. I have no use or desire for them. Lastly, yet not all that important, they're outlawed in some games I play.

For me it's a personal bias, I just have no interest in one.

Some benefits may exist but to me they aren't enough for me to want a comped handgun.
If I see one for sale, I lose interest quick.

flash is directly a result of the ammo used.using a h-110 or 296 handload,yes it is flashy and loud. using some of the newer flash suppressed defense ammo, it is a non issue

My only ported revolver is a 3" Model 632 in 327 Magnum. I think the porting definately reduces muzzle rise, especially with hot 327s. Since S&W ports so few models I think it enhances the value not detracting from it. Collectors love limited production models.

Attached Images

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A lot of that demand is due to perception, not reality. Porting suggests a cool factor exists with the gun, that the gun is so almighty powerful that it needs porting to be manageable and so your shoot-'em-up buddies at the club think you're a true pistolero. In the real world, none of the above may be factual.

I bought a limited edition Remington Model 700 in .300 Rem Ultra Mag several years ago. Before I even shot it, I considered having it ported. Being a tournament trapshooter at the time, I had easy access to companies that brought their porting tanks to major shoots and was going to have Pro-Port do the rifle. That is, until the owner of the company asked me why I didn't just buy a .300 Win Mag in the first place because that is what I would end up with if he ported the .300RUM. As it turned out, the gun isn't all that hateful to shoot, even off a bench, so I'm glad I was dealing with an honest firm.

Porting is very popular in clay target shooting but if you ask anyone with significant knowledge of interior ballistics, they will tell you that porting is all but useless in shotguns because with 10,000psi of pressure being about the maximum in 12-gauge target loads, there simply isn't enough pressure there for the porting to be effective. Centerfire rifles, on the other hand, operate at up to 70,000psi so porting has enough pressure to work with and be effective. But there's that very real drop in muzzle velocity and energy that your chronograph will verify for you.

But some trap gun manufacturers, Browning in particular, almost do not make a trap gun without porting because so many buyers perceive it as a benefit and cannot resist the attraction of getting something "for free."

I once owned a pair of Kreighoff KS-5 single-barrel trap guns that were identical except that one that I bought used was ported by its original owner. Absolutely no one who shot both guns back-to-back with the same ammo could detect any difference in felt recoil.

Porting is great for blowing hot particles around, increasing muzzle report and flash and dirtying the gun. It also CAN reduce muzzle jump if the loads being shot generate lots of pressure. And if the ports are far enough back from the muzzle, it CAN reduce felt recoil, again with real stiff loads. But like the guy at Pro-Port asked me, if you want a .44 Special, why not just buy one instead of .44 Magnum and save the cost of the porting and the other negatives that go with it?

There is a reason why Smith & Wesson dropped the PowerPort feature from its line of full-size revolvers. Ineffectiveness and resulting slow sales is the first reason that comes to my mind.

Now, muzzle brakes and compensators that don't effectively shorten the barrel like porting does CAN BE very effective with high-pressure ammo while not reducing muzzle velocity and energy. Their only potential negative is the length they add to your barrel.

Ed

I avoid them (now), at least on target guns.

I have a .45 with a comp. During extended target shooting sessions, it started to create a flinch for me. Not a blinding, burn like a gasoline fire explosion, but rather a small little seemingly innocuous poof of light & pressure in your face. When it happens when you are concentrating, trying to shoot groups, like for testing loads, it becomes distracting. Not distracting like homey in the next lane with the side levelled 9mm, or the hillbilly to the right with the 12ga., but I'd rather have no distractions rather than small ones. I'm not to concerned with recoil/muzzle jump during target sessions either.

I'm happy for the people who value them & appreciate them, I just aint one of them.

Some like 'em some don't. I think aftermarket porting on a S&W revolver lowers the value, I know it does for me. It's been my personal experience A/B-ing a couple of different guns that the benefit is minimal if there at all. And also that those who want so badly to believe it's an "enhancement" that adds to the price of the gun when selling it are usually those who own one and can't sell it and get all their money back out of it . . .

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Fred brought up an important and often overlooked fact - modifications to a gun lower its value 99% of the time, no matter what they are or who performed them. And the 1% exception to that rule is when you find someone who agrees totally with what you had done and is dumb enough to admit it during a price negotiation. Most of the time, even if the prospective buyer absolutely LOVES what you had done, he's going to act like he hates it and use that to lower the price you will accept.

To me, alterations to a gun suggest misuse and possibly hidden amateur gunsmithing. I know that is harsh but it's why I only buy 100% unmolested guns.

Ed

Just as a lot of the "negatives" of porting are due to bull manure and not reality.

My point was this, some people feel porting is a huge plus, some despise it. I'm not put off by someone hating or loving it, to each his own. I just get tired of third hand my uncle Stan shot a ported gun one time or I read it on the Glock forum posts.

It sounds like you are well versed in the subject and have substantial firsthand knowledge on it, in other words, you have an opinion I can respect, we don't have to agree, but I can still respect an opinion based on experience.

Thank you for your respectful reply. You are correct, I have spent a lot of time researching numerous popular firearm modifications in my capacity as a contributing editor for Shotgun Sports Magazine. In no other shooting sport is porting more popular and at the same time less effective than in clay target shooting. There is a natural give-and-take associated with porting - that is, to be effective, it has to bleed off pressure which in turn reduces muzzle velocity. Given that as well as its other drawbacks, it would have to reduce felt recoil a whole lot before I would spend money to have it done.

If recoil was a problem for me but I felt the task for which I wanted to use that particular firearm required the full downrange energy of that cartridge, I would invest in a compensator or muzzle brake. If I didn't feel I needed all that power, I would go to a lesser cartridge before porting (and devaluing) the more powerful gun.

But as you also correctly noted, a lot of people believe in porting and swear by it as being effective. I can only suggest chronographing a gun before and after or comparing the muzzle velocity of two identical guns, one of which is ported. If the ported gun's muzzle velocity is significantly lower, the porting is effective. That is dictated by physics and is not subject to opinion or emotion.

Ed

Thank you for all the insightful replies. I think that I will stick with un ported revolvers. Thanks again for the great replies.

Mike

We were out shooting yesterday and I took my 3' Mag-na-port .44mag specifically because of this thread. Shooting 240gr magnum loads that gun is a pussy cat - minimal muzzle jump and substantially reduced felt recoil, it comes almost straight back into your hand rather than jumping up. My son's girlfriend shot it and my FNP45 Tactical and watching her it was quite obvious that the gun didn't jump even as much as the .45. Say what you will about porting but I can tell you that Mag-na-port's porting works exactly as they say.

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As stated previously, yes - porting is effective in reducing felt recoil in handguns being fed hot loads. And that's great if the downrange energy reduction is not important to you and it likely wouldn't be with such a short-barreled revolver. Don't forget, you aren't coming close to burning all the powder in full-house magnum shells in that short barrel to start with and porting is allowing more of it to exit the gun unburned.

Ed

Ported Barrels - YouTube

I have two revolvers that I bought many years ago that are ported. I wouldnt buy a ported gun today. (As a matter of fact, I recently found a revolver on my 'Want List', but it has porting - so is a No Go for me. - - - The main reason is that now I try to keep the muzzle blast down as much as possible. (For that reason favorite chamberings are 44 Special, 45 Colt, and 38 Special).