Do "Ported" barrels work as advertised?

[daddySEAL]

What about "Ported" barrels?
Do they work as advertised(cut recoil and muzzle flip up to 40%)??

[TX Rancher]

They do a remarkable job in reducing recoil. But since they do it by venting gas up and somewhat back, the increase in noise can be substantial (for the shooter).

Due to increased "flash", noise, and the potential for burns when shot in non-standard positions, many folks do not recomend ported weapons for defensive carry.

For competition they're great...

[daddySEAL]

Thanks,
Would not use one for carry, just range practice with my kids.

thanks

[Fosforos]

Before I bought by Glock, I was trying to decide between the 19 vs 19C (compensated).
I was able to rent both at a range and shoot them side by side.
Maybe it was my inexperience (second time ever shooting handguns), but I could not tell a difference at all.
But you'd think I would have been able to tell if there was 40% less recoil.
I ended up buying the standard model.

There have been many lenghty discussions and debated about compensated models on the GlockTalk forum, and it seems like many of the "drawbacks" were kind of non-issues. They claim that mussle flash with carry-ammo is no more than standard, and many reported shooting with the gun close to their faces without any burn issues, and also reported negligible losses of mussle velocity.

I don't know if other brands of compensated pistols behave the same way.

In the end for me, I didn't want to pay more for something I couldn't appreciate.

[jimlongley]

I put a porte barrel on my .45 a few years back, I probably even still have it somewhere around.

When I took it to the range to sight it in with the new barrel I could tell the difference in recoil, but something else bothered me. As I fired I noticed that this white flaky stuff kept falling on my head and arms and it was kind of bothering me. Then I figured out what was happening, the blast was being directed up into the ceiling tile and knocking flakes and chunks off.

[carlson1]

They are fun to shoot, but I would not carry ported because a very close body shot could prove bad for the shooter.

[9mmGuy]

They look cool when you shoot them at dusk or at night...

[carlson1]

They look cool when you shoot them at dusk or at night...

Actually it is not that dramatic.

[romcneil]

Ported barrels are more effective with the higher pressure rounds. I would not expect much difference with a 9 mm or .45 ACP ported barrel, but the difference is quite dramatic if firing major factor .38 super in the IPSC race guns, or firing .41 Rem mag or .44 Rem Mag cartridges. My only ported gun is a Taurus Total Titanium medium frame, short barreled .41 magnum. Recoil in this ultralight revolver is reduced to be comparable to my S&W 657 with a 6" heavy lugged barrrel.

I agree that I would not want to carry this ported gun for routine concealed carry, but it does make an excellent woods gun. It is no fun for anyone in an indoor range, even with good hearing protection.

Bob

[jwp]

There have been many lenghty discussions and debated about compensated models on the GlockTalk forum, and it seems like many of the "drawbacks" were kind of non-issues. They claim that mussle flash with carry-ammo is no more than standard, and many reported shooting with the gun close to their faces without any burn issues, and also reported negligible losses of mussle velocity.

That's interesting. On one of Matt Burkett's radio shows, his guest is the guy who runs The Box O'Truth. At one point, kind of in passing, they make a sort of joke about people who think the muzzle flash from compensated guns is something worth worrying about. I don't remember the details, but it was something to the effect that such people had obviously never spent much time shooting compensated guns.

It seems like it'd be really easy to test this sort of thing. Maybe I'll have to look around for a heavy caliber pistol with a ported barrel.

[HankB]

I have a Mag-Na-Ported .375 H&H, and the difference is appreciable - the 'porting made it possible for me to fire a couple of boxes off a benchrest (for example, during load development) whereas before, the recoil after one box began to bother me.

I also have a reworked .357 revolver, which includes a compensator milled into the muzzle. There's a noticeable reduction in recoil and muzzle flip when shooting full power loads - particularly the 125 JHPs - but for .38s the difference is imperceptible. (And this compensator is not the most efficient design - the end is a bit more "open" than ideal, in order to enable the firing of Glaser Safety Slugs, which allegedly tend to expand a bit in diameter as they leave the muzzle.)

A lot of compensator efficiency depends on how much powder you're burning, which affects the pressure at the muzzle. Winchester's loading data recommends, IIRC, around 18 grains of their #296 powder for the 125 JHP . . . a .38 Special wadcutter will use 2.7 grains of Bullseye; less muzzle pressure due to lower volume of powder gas, so less effect from a compensator.

IIRC, old USGI Ball ammo in a .45 used around 4.6 grains of "Bullseye #2" which is a .45 barrel won't generate a lot of pressure. Many 9mm P loads will similarly use 5 grains or less powder, and since they're essentially the same diameter as a .357 (only a few thousandths smaller) a compensator won't be particularly effective on either.

[9mmGuy]

I am in the market for a g19, so I went to the range to test fire one. when I got there the g19 was already out on the range but they had a g19c that I could shoot. the counter guy said there is not really a noticeable difference. so I started shooting it and every time I shot there was this stuff falling like it was snowing?? so I targeted the pistol and held steady and looked up and fired, it seems every time I was shooting it was blowing some of the sound absorption material(which looked like ceiling tile) off the top of my stall!! So there has got to be some good amount of pressure coming out of those holes for that to happen, right?

I have never shot a g19 non-ported so I don’t know what the difference is. but I will say that I was shooting my taurus 24/7 pro at the same visit and although I know the pistols are not the same, the felt recoil and more so the sound were A LOT different!

[jbirds1210]

It is worth saying that the only way one can predict the flash of factory ammo is to take it out and try it before carry. Each lot of ammo is capable of producing a completely different result from the ports.

I took a class in Nevada and it was really neat to see some of the different defensive rounds in the black of desert night...it really does put on a show....greens, reds, whites, and blues.

FWIW- I can't really tell much difference in the recoil with ported v. non- ported in a 9mm.

[KBCraig]

It's the "Flaming Bunny O' Death!"

[J.D.]