Is a ported revolver a bad carry piece?

Cal44 · Apr 23, 2018

I have a 60-9 that is factory magna ported.

What are the disadvantages of carrying a ported revolver?

Should I be looking for a non-ported version?

To me, less muzzle flip seems like a plus.

spring1271 · Apr 23, 2018

I find them fine during the day but try it in low / no light and see how much it affects your vision. The gases going vertical can be blinding and distracting in those situations. So try it and see with your carry ammo and see how it works for you.

gwpercle · Apr 23, 2018

Mine is ported, 45 acp revolver, I like it , carry it and shoot it a lot.
A lot of people will give you all kinds of reasons why it's bad....I own one, shoot one and carry one and all of those reasons have turned out to be non-issues.
One person claimed I couldn't shoot it while it was inside my coat pocket...maybe thats a legitimate reason but I don't shoot guns while they are in my coat or pants pockets....I got body parts in there so I take it out my pocket before dropping the hammer...works real good that way.
Shoot yours a bit under low light , it doesn't have to be dead of night, and see if the porting bothers you. I honestly don't remember seeing any undue flash and ammo selection could play a role also, I've seen some advertised as low muzzel flash....try it first.
Gary

colt_saa · Apr 23, 2018

Less muzzle flip is better.

Part of the problem is peoples expectations of what handgun porting is designed to do. Many think it reduces recoil and are disappointed in the experience. As you are obviously aware, it reduces muzzle rise.

I have been carrying ported firearms for decades. I have a ported PC Model 940 Special with me right this minute. It is one of dozens of ported forearms have I have owned or shot

Most of what you hear on the Internet is more Internet rumor than fact.

Cheap practice ammunition is loaded with inexpensive powder that lacks flash suppressant. Most all of your Premium self defense ammunition offerings have a flash retardant added to the mix so this notion of being blinded by your first shot is not the case.

Additionally, if the blinding issue were a true fact, it would be a problem for almost EVERY Revolver out there since gas escapes the barrel cylinder gap long before it reaches a port.

When was the last time that you, the shooter, complained about the muzzle flash from the B/C gap?

Porting is not for everybody, some folks just can not warm up to it. Try it for yourself. Have an open mind and then decide.

bigggbbruce · Apr 23, 2018

Since I've been carrying for near 30 years and not having shot anyone as of yet, I'd carry it and not give it another thought.

uncleted327 · Apr 23, 2018

No problem carrying a ported gun whatsoever. Anyone spouting BS about night vision has obviously never shot a handgun at night, of any variety. Not only is the muzzle flash of a ported gun no more blinding than a non-ported gun, but in a revolver there is also a little thing called a barrel/cylinder gap between the cylinder and forcing cone that will also throw a flash regardless. Same thing goes for in the pocket shooting, if a non-ported wheel gun can be fired from a pocket without setting you ablaze so can a ported gun. It's nonsense the internet myths that survive, usually carried on by those with no direct knowledge of the topic. Carry on and don't worry about the porting.

jerry52 · Apr 23, 2018

hold it close to your body or face and pull the trigger, not going to be fun who knows what position or grip is going to be used on a self defense gun

silversnake · Apr 23, 2018

bigggbbruce said:
Since I've been carrying for near 30 years and not having shot anyone as of yet, I'd carry it and not give it another thought.

I carry a gun for the day I might have to use it, not the 10,000 other days that I don't.

Try shooting a ported revolver from a retention position a few times and then decide whether or not you still want to carry it -- for me the answer is a huge "NO".

Joed49 · Apr 23, 2018

I carried a Taurus 445 which is similar to a Bulldog in .44 Spl. It was ported and I love it. Carried it for about 10 years before selling it.

Flash at night is dependent on the powder used. If you get flash with one bullet try another it may be better.

Till I owned a ported revolver I didn't think much of them. When I fired it at targets my opinion changed.

ispcapt · Apr 23, 2018

The ports are usually 1/4" or so from the end of the muzzle. Does the muzzle flash of a non-ported gun blind you at night? The 1/4" isn't going to make any difference in the amount of flash. You're going to get a whole lot more flash from the end of the muzzle in a 360 deg flash than any amount you'd get from a couple of small slots 1/4" from the muzzle.

bigwheelzip · Apr 23, 2018

silversnake said:
Try shooting a ported revolver from a retention position a few times and then decide whether or not you still want to carry it ....

That would be my concern, carbon blasted toward my eyes from the ports if a close-in attacker forced me to fire from retention.

Mister X · Apr 23, 2018

It's a bad idea for the same reasons a ported shield is, which Craig Douglas recently banned from his classes. 10/21/17 ECQC Albuquerque, N.M.

As of today I am disallowing the S&W Shield with factory porting from ECQC coursework. In my professional opinion the factory ported Shield is an unsafe pistol for any kind of close body/contact/retention style of shooting.

-Craig Douglas

BigBill · Apr 23, 2018

I don’t own ported guns. On my auto pistols I go up two sizes stronger on the recoil spring. This calms down the recoil. With the magnum revolvers I live with the recoil.

yfdcap · Apr 23, 2018

I have several. I carry them on occasion. Shooting at night is not a problem. Im not worried about close combat burns or anything like that. The only real difference will probably be your ears bleeding after shooting it. These things are LOUD. Unless you are going up against hundreds of zombies I would say its a non issue also. To be honest if you are put in a situation to actually pull and use your CC, chances are you are not going to notice any of these things.

44wheelman · Apr 23, 2018

I have a comp on one of my 45’s. When I’m slow fire target shooting, it is distracting. The extra little blast towards my face leads to a slight flinch in anticipation. My ported 45 is not as noticeable.

Don’t think it’s an issue in a defensive situation.

adwjc · Apr 23, 2018

'Try shooting a ported revolver from a retention position a few times and then decide whether or not you still want to carry it -- for me the answer is a huge "NO".'

I don't know what type of retention position you use, but I have practiced this many times and with the butt tucked toward torso/hip, there is no problem firing a revolver this way. If the cylinder gap gas escape is not a problem, why would the gases escaping the ports be a problem?

Rpg · Apr 23, 2018

I wouldn’t carry a ported gun.

Others have discussed many of the usual points against them so I won’t enumerate them.

My experience with ported guns is that they are unpleasant to use (noise, blast) and produce trivial benefit.

I wouldn’t buy one and won’t use one.

But that’s just my opinion, of course.

rosefarm · Apr 23, 2018

Beats the hell out of a slingshot! Carry that thing. If you study the statistics of actual defensive gun use, more often than not the gun is never fired. If it "fits" you and you are confident in it and with it...carry it.

Laketime · Apr 23, 2018

Years ago I carried a ported model 19 snubnose. The report was considerably louder due to the porting ,that I opted to only carry .38 specials in it. Not damaging my hearing was a big factor in switching to a charter Arms 44 special Bulldog.

Wise_A · Apr 24, 2018

Why do you want porting?

This is a serious question. What do you hope that it will accomplish?

People have a hard time distinguishing between things that are useful in competition, and useful in combat. A ported or compensated barrel, for instance, might shave a few hundredths of a second off your split times. Useful in competition. Not so useful in self-defense.

Now, this is the part where someone jumps out and goes "HURRDURR fight for your life every advantage every microsecond counts hurrdurr". I can feel people reflexively winding that response up as I type.

However, that response is wrong:

(1) A few hundredths of a second is a humorously small amount of time. Claiming that the difference between life and death is that small is a pretty clear mark of a defensive gamer. If I said that a 1.5" group at 7 yards was too big for defensive shooting, you'd conclude I was a moron, and you'd be right. Well, suggesting .01 seconds matters is equally silly. If you think that a single hundredth of a second matters, then you'd better not carry .45 ACP. It takes a whole hundredth of a second longer to reach the target than 9mm!

(2) Porting isn't free. It costs you velocity. Velocity is part of the penetration equation. You need penetration in order for the bullet to reach (and break) parts of your attacker's body that he needs in order to attack you. Is a few hundredths of a second you gain really going to outweigh the loss in velocity?

Is a ported revolver a bad carry piece?

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