Ported barrel as a CCW?

isoplus · #1

Hello, I'm a newbie here with a question.

Theotherday I receievd a ported barrel for for my glock 19.
Eagerly I took it to a indoor-range to test fire, and boy what a difference it made!
I recently gave up my beloved XD 40 SC for not being able to control the recoil during rapid fire (about 2~3 shots per sec), and gone to 9mm cal G19.
Now with this ported barrel, rapid fire was sooo easy it was almost unreal.
And since the kick was so little, it also helped me stop anticipating the shots making single contrled shots to be grouped tighter :)
Even though the protruding silver barrel makes my G19 uglier, it still fits perfectedly in my hoffner IWB holster w/o any modification.
The firing sound however was err.. lil weird though... like a fire cracker than a pistol

I now understand why you can't use ported barrels in competition shooting matches, but is there a reason why not many people carry ported barrel pistols as their primary CCW?
And, if I decided to carry it as my CCW, any word of advice? do's and don'ts?

Thanks,

O6nop · #2

I may be totally off, but off the top of my head, if you are in close quarters like inside a car or next to curtains or something like that, the flash could cause injury or damage. Like inside a car, it could catch the headliner on fire, or if you had to shoot through the passenger door, it could burn your passengers face. Also, if you aren't wearing safety glasses when you shoot, it could cause eye injury.
Like I said, I may be way off, but it seems I remember my CHL instructor warning against it.

What's the reason you can't use it in competition?

MoJo · #3

The back blast is dangerous, the larger muzzle flash can make you temporarily blind in the dark other than that, they are OK. I wouldn't carry a ported gun unless it was the only gun available.

As far as competition goes, different disciplines have different rules regarding porting.

txinvestigator · #4

There is no legal prohibition against carrying a ported gun.

At what distance are you trying to fire 3 rounds in 1 second, and why? If you cannot control a standard .40 in rapid fire, I suggest you slow down and get proficient at a slower speed. Then gradually increase your speed of fire to a point where you lose fine control, then back off a bit and work up to it.

Compensating for lack of shooting skill by using a ported barrel is fixing the wrong problem.

Also, regarding ported barrels, and has been said, in low light conditions, you can easily lose your vision for a short while. In a violent and deadly encounter you not only need your vision to shoot, but to evaluate the scene after as the event unfolds. So you fire 3 shots in under a second, but now you can't see; is he down, are there more, is he still a threat? Can you see to move to cover if needed, is that person running or yelling at you a cop?

Also, if you must shoot from a CQB or retention position that port will throw hot gasses on you.

There is reason you don't see ported barrels on the guns of cops, military, security, etc.

Get ya some good, formal training. It will serve you better.

isoplus · #5

Thanks for the advices all,

The barrel (ported) is a excellent and fun addition to my range visits,
but being a merchant working behind a counter w/o arm's length of free space, I'll go back to stock barrel for my CCW.

A couple of yrs ago, I had an armed robber who came in my shop fired 2 shots w/o saying a word, I shot back 6 times, the robber ran out.
After the initial shock was over I realized neither the robber nor I hit any of our intended targets

I honestly can't say, if it happened again, I would be able to calmly control my shots in that situation.

Amen to more trainings

DSARGE · #6

I carry a Glock 23 in a .40 cal. It is compensated. I have shot it alot and have never noticed any cons. Had it on indoor ranges, outdoor ranges, shoot houses, and with folks in close proximity. Love it (just not as much as my 1911).

TX Rancher · #7

txinvestigator wrote: At what distance are you trying to fire 3 rounds in 1 second, and why? If you cannot control a standard .40 in rapid fire, I suggest you slow down and get proficient at a slower speed. Then gradually increase your speed of fire to a point where you lose fine control, then back off a bit and work up to it.

Also, regarding ported barrels, and has been said, in low light conditions, you can easily lose your vision for a short while. In a violent and deadly encounter you not only need your vision to shoot, but to evaluate the scene after as the event unfolds. So you fire 3 shots in under a second, but now you can't see; is he down, are there more, is he still a threat? Can you see to move to cover if needed, is that person running or yelling at you a cop?

Also, if you must shoot from a CQB or retention position that port will throw hot gasses on you.

I would also add noise to the potential negatives. Porting has been shown in many cases to increase the sound pressure at the shooters ears...

Considering most engagements for civilians will happen in low light conditions and close quarters, the flash and hot gasses are a concern.

isoplus · #8

Yeah, I agree...

As I said above, the sound was definitely different.
It had higher pitch 'crack crack' sound to it instead of the usual 'thum thum'...
If it was a indoor shooting w/o any ear-protection gear, it could've been bigger differences...

KBCraig · #9

txinvestigator wrote:At what distance are you trying to fire 3 rounds in 1 second, and why? If you cannot control a standard .40 in rapid fire, I suggest you slow down and get proficient at a slower speed.

I seem to recall someone around here using a Bill Jordan quote as a signature. Something about speed versus accuracy.

Also, if you must shoot from a CQB or retention position that port will throw hot gasses on you.

I always practice firing from retention when I go to the range. I don't even want to think about the diagonal burn marks across my torso if I did so with a ported barrel.

Kevin

gregthehand · #10

Maybe I can add a little bit of light to this. In the academy and in the field I carried a Springfield 1911 with the V-12 porting. I never noticed any loss of vision or spots from firing in a dark area. I did fire the pistol in dark areas as part of many of out stress course firings. HOWEVER what I did notice was when I fired my pistol from the hip as we often had to do the muzzle blast would hit me in the face. On one occasion it hit me so hard it broke skin NO KIDDING! I didn't believe it until my buds told me and I went and looked in a mirror and saw for myself. In the future this made me flinch very bad when I fired from the hip. Am I saying porting is bad? No. I personally don't think it's a bad thing. But that's just me.

KBCraig · #11

Here's what it boils down to: porting was invented for ultra-recoiling rounds, not everyday carry calibers. I'd consider .44 Magnum the lower threshold for porting, but only in a 4"+ barrel.

Anything is a candidate for porting when used for target or hunting, even .22 LR. Porting does what it's supposed to do, but "supposed to do" doesn't always apply to concealed carry.

Kevin

QB · #12

I have or have had several ported guns and they are great fun at the range. I'm not sure the porting made me shoot them any better (they were .38 super and 9mm) but they were neat guns. Two of my SVIs had ported Schumann barrels (4 and 6 ports) and when I shot them at the indoor range they were much louder. But more noticeable to those around me was the "percussion". My range had that acoustic tile ceiling and the percussion from the ports would literally make some of the ceiling come down like little snowflakes (you know, that white fluffy ceiling foam). I personally woudn't want to shoot one of my ported guns in close conditions with no ear protection let alone maybe harming someone near me with the percussion/flash from the ports. Not when I have other gun options that I shoot fine with. And if you are shooting a ported gun from an unconventional position it could be even more hazardous. Maybe the 4 and 6 ported guns are more extreme than a "normal" ported barrel, I don't know. But I don't carry any of my ported guns.

Venus Pax · #13

isoplus wrote: A couple of yrs ago, I had an armed robber who came in my shop fired 2 shots w/o saying a word, I shot back 6 times, the robber ran out.
After the initial shock was over I realized neither the robber nor I hit any of our intended targets
I honestly can't say, if it happened again, I would be able to calmly control my shots in that situation.

Amen to more trainings

Charles was saying the other day in PPOH class that shooters with the highest level of training (SEALS, etc.) can expect, at best, 80% accuracy while shooting in a defensive situation. The rest of us probably won't have that accuracy. That's why it's good to practice.

isoplus · #14

There's a range called 'Top Gun' in Houston which I often visit.
I'll prolly ask them about one of those training courses.