I've been looking at the Ported Shield 9mm and the standard Shield 9mm. The ported version is about $ 70-80 dollars more. Is the extra cost worth the money? Currently, I am carrying Springfield XD sub compact 9mm. Any opinions or information would be greatly appreciated.
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Ported Shield 9mm vs Shield 9mm
- Thread starter Larry FF
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Rpg
Member
I cant imagine me a reason for a ported 9mm excep but re cool looking.
Noisy increased muzzle flash and dirty is what you get.
Noisy increased muzzle flash and dirty is what you get.
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The increased muzzle flash and noise is all hype. I've shot mine in the dark and couldn't tell any difference from a non ported gun as far as muzzle flash. You shoot a handgun in a defensive situation the last thing I'm concerned about is my hearing, either one is going to ring your ear drums without hearing protection. Anyways the difference is definitely worth the upgrade!
orangehole
Member
Go ported. I wonder about the comments from people claiming night blindness and flash burns. I have fired ported guns in darkness and even ported j frames from inside my pocket and had no blinding or fires. The reduction in recoil is noticeable and follow up shots are faster.
Illini_Glock
US Veteran
I wouldn't hesitate to pick up the ported model. I've got a couple of other handguns that are ported and the complaint of muzzle flash is complete junk. I've seen no noticeable difference in sighting due to the flash in near dark drills. They do take a little extra to clean, but that's part of the process.
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bigwheelzip
Absent Comrade
At least two or three forum members have said they like the sights and trigger, but were looking for a non-ported barrel to eliminate that feature for various reasons.
Other members had thought the decreased velocity caused by the ports might be the cause of slide cycle issues with certain ammo.
Personally, I'd avoid it on a defense weapon, in case you had an attacker at arms length and could not extend your arm and were forced to shoot from the hip. The ports could expel toward your face.
Other members had thought the decreased velocity caused by the ports might be the cause of slide cycle issues with certain ammo.
Personally, I'd avoid it on a defense weapon, in case you had an attacker at arms length and could not extend your arm and were forced to shoot from the hip. The ports could expel toward your face.
Ranger17
Member
I've watched other threads on this subject, seems those who own a PC Shield (like myself) love them, and there are those who would not purchase one.
I've had a range officer watch me shoot mine (indoor range that can be darker in some lanes) and visually did not notice any flash that would concern him. I tried to slo-mo video my wife shooting it and had to go frame by frame to catch the flash which appeared to be out the sides. Note i haven't tried the same video on her shooting my full size 9 just for comparisons.
As for sound, i dont notice any real diff at the range, and frankly in a self defense situation i'd assume shooting any 9 (esp indoors) with no hearing protection will be an issue, though not the first concern at the time considering the circumstances.
For me, the only con is it gets dirtier, but that is easy to take care of. A quick wipe with a rag or qtip while at the range keeps the front sight clean. The pros (trigger, sights, etc) outweigh the con.
just my .02 of course
I've had a range officer watch me shoot mine (indoor range that can be darker in some lanes) and visually did not notice any flash that would concern him. I tried to slo-mo video my wife shooting it and had to go frame by frame to catch the flash which appeared to be out the sides. Note i haven't tried the same video on her shooting my full size 9 just for comparisons.
As for sound, i dont notice any real diff at the range, and frankly in a self defense situation i'd assume shooting any 9 (esp indoors) with no hearing protection will be an issue, though not the first concern at the time considering the circumstances.
For me, the only con is it gets dirtier, but that is easy to take care of. A quick wipe with a rag or qtip while at the range keeps the front sight clean. The pros (trigger, sights, etc) outweigh the con.
just my .02 of course
The muzzle flash in low lighting is not the issue with porting on guns intended for defensive purposes. It is firing from a retention or compressed position, which you should be practicing and may have to do in self-defense situation.
Hot gasses, unburnt powder etc. can potentially be vented toward the face/eyes when fired from retention positions. Having your vision obstructed in a defense scenario is not a good thing. Numerous defensive shooting instructors have documented seeing these problems with ported guns in their classes when working on close-quarter shooting and therefore every reputable instructor I know recommends avoiding porting on a defense weapon.
Hot gasses, unburnt powder etc. can potentially be vented toward the face/eyes when fired from retention positions. Having your vision obstructed in a defense scenario is not a good thing. Numerous defensive shooting instructors have documented seeing these problems with ported guns in their classes when working on close-quarter shooting and therefore every reputable instructor I know recommends avoiding porting on a defense weapon.
xdmshooter59
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I will be doing a side by side comparison this afternoon. My PC Shield and a friends Standard version. I will give you my honest opinion of that comparison later.
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Steved13
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Most of the people who own the ported like the ported, and obviously thought it was worth it. Most of the guys who don't like it, don't own it and either it came out after they bought the standard, or didn't think it was worth it. If you buy one you'll probably like it, if you don't you'll have your reasons to post next time it comes up
As far as, "is it worth it"...How long are you going to own it...10 years? It's not a lot over that much time... maybe less still because you might get a few extra $$$ for the PC if you sell it at that point. If you like the sights and the nicer trigger, it's pretty cheap for those, and the porting is irrelevant cost wise.
If the only reason you are considering it, is for the shooting benefits of the porting...I don't think it's worth it, and I doubt anyone would think that it was...not for shooting benefits alone.
Bottom line it's guns, always best to get both
Ranger17
Member
Though i don't have an interest (yet anyway lol) of also getting a std Shield, i'll be curious to see your opinion on how the 2 compared. Of course, pix and video are always appreciated, esp if you can catch any flash out of both
xdmshooter59
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****** The Great Shield Shootout ********
Here's the results of my side by side shootout. Certainly nothing scientific, but more first impression and feel. Unfortunately I don't have pics or video this time out.
First off, the Standard Shield which was a friend of mines probably has in the neighborhood of 2-3 thousand rounds thru it vs my 350 on the PC version, so possibly in that time the trigger pull on his may have smoothened out some, I dunno.
Using 115 gr FMJ ammo, each of us shot 50 rounds thru each gun, one magazine at a time alternating back and forth between guns. One magazine at a time working the trigger very slowly to gauge the quality of each trigger pull.
Then... it was a one magazine at a time (alternating between guns) shooting rapidly to gauge muzzle flip.
On trigger pull: I definitely felt a difference in pull weight, not a great difference, possibly a pound or so less on the PC ?? but it was noticeable to me. aside from that a slightly shorter take up to nice crisp break as well. Mind you it was not a great difference, but noticeable. My buddy thought the same. Winner. Noticeable, but not a lot. Edge goes to the PC version.
Muzzle jump: This was probably the toughest test to decipher. Rapidly firing 6 rounds from one gun, then immediately grabbing the other gun and doing the same. Slight difference at best from what each of us said. If you weren't being conscious of it, you may not tell a difference at all. Slight edge to the PC version but very subjective.
Accuracy wise, both guns shot surprisingly well for light 3" pistol. Rapid fire gave a slight edge to the PC version, but the difference is negligible IMO if one was involved in a defensive situation at close range.
One thing both of us absolutely agreed upon was that it was much easier to reacquire the FO sights of the PC version vs the stock sights on the standard version shooting rapidly. The PC shield sights were far superior.
In Summary,
For the extra $75 - $100 for the PC Shield, I think the enhanced trigger and much improved fiber optic sights makes the PC version worth the money IMO. Let's face it, adding good set of FO sights alone on the standard shield may put you over the cost of what the PC would run you and even more to improve the trigger. But from a purely EDC gun, one in which you may have to defend your life with in a short distance gun fight, I see no real advantage by going to the PC version. There simply isn't enough difference to matter. Doesn't mean you shouldn't buy one if you like the extra bells and whistles of the PC version, just not needed for what it was intended for.
There you have it, one mans opinion.
Here's the results of my side by side shootout. Certainly nothing scientific, but more first impression and feel. Unfortunately I don't have pics or video this time out.
First off, the Standard Shield which was a friend of mines probably has in the neighborhood of 2-3 thousand rounds thru it vs my 350 on the PC version, so possibly in that time the trigger pull on his may have smoothened out some, I dunno.
Using 115 gr FMJ ammo, each of us shot 50 rounds thru each gun, one magazine at a time alternating back and forth between guns. One magazine at a time working the trigger very slowly to gauge the quality of each trigger pull.
Then... it was a one magazine at a time (alternating between guns) shooting rapidly to gauge muzzle flip.
On trigger pull: I definitely felt a difference in pull weight, not a great difference, possibly a pound or so less on the PC ?? but it was noticeable to me. aside from that a slightly shorter take up to nice crisp break as well. Mind you it was not a great difference, but noticeable. My buddy thought the same. Winner. Noticeable, but not a lot. Edge goes to the PC version.
Muzzle jump: This was probably the toughest test to decipher. Rapidly firing 6 rounds from one gun, then immediately grabbing the other gun and doing the same. Slight difference at best from what each of us said. If you weren't being conscious of it, you may not tell a difference at all. Slight edge to the PC version but very subjective.
Accuracy wise, both guns shot surprisingly well for light 3" pistol. Rapid fire gave a slight edge to the PC version, but the difference is negligible IMO if one was involved in a defensive situation at close range.
One thing both of us absolutely agreed upon was that it was much easier to reacquire the FO sights of the PC version vs the stock sights on the standard version shooting rapidly. The PC shield sights were far superior.
In Summary,
For the extra $75 - $100 for the PC Shield, I think the enhanced trigger and much improved fiber optic sights makes the PC version worth the money IMO. Let's face it, adding good set of FO sights alone on the standard shield may put you over the cost of what the PC would run you and even more to improve the trigger. But from a purely EDC gun, one in which you may have to defend your life with in a short distance gun fight, I see no real advantage by going to the PC version. There simply isn't enough difference to matter. Doesn't mean you shouldn't buy one if you like the extra bells and whistles of the PC version, just not needed for what it was intended for.
There you have it, one mans opinion.
xdmshooter59
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Forgot to add. In an average lit indoor range, flash was also negligible between the two.
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Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
Did you try any shooting from any retention or compressed positions?
kye4some
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If you get the chance shoot both and see which one you liked better, a lot of things are subjective and each person has their preferences. I have both and really like the standard Shield and it's trigger. The PC has a cleaner trigger and sights are very easy to read. I use Tritium sights (AmeriGlo Tritium ProGlo I-Dot) on my standard and will carry that one at night but favor the PC for daytime carry.
Here is the standard Shield 9mm w Trit signts:
PC gota love me some port:
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Here is the standard Shield 9mm w Trit signts:
PC gota love me some port:
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Ported Shield 9mm vs Standard Shield 9mm
Thanks to everyone for their responses. A special thanks to xdmshooter59 for the detailed comparison. I went to rent the standard one today, but someone had just rented it. I will keep you posted when I try one.
Thanks again everybody. I certainly didn't expect that big of response.
Thanks to everyone for their responses. A special thanks to xdmshooter59 for the detailed comparison. I went to rent the standard one today, but someone had just rented it. I will keep you posted when I try one.
Thanks again everybody. I certainly didn't expect that big of response.
V0OBWxZS16
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Did you use a timer or just go by feel? Did you only shoot two-handed or did you try strong and weak hand only?
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