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Ported Barrels: Are They Worth the Effort?

Good article and I agree there is a noticeable difference in both felt recoil and noise.

Larry Kelly was a very nice gentleman I live within 30 minutes of the company and had a lot of work done there talked to him many tiimes, admired his trophy room and petted the dogs that roam the premises many times.

The Redhawk had a lot done, barrel cut down to 4.5 inches, ported andthe crown inverted. The action was reworked and gold bead express sights added. Then just as a pretty touch the cylinder flutes were polished and the cylinder pin striped. The grips were smooth ivory. Sadly cannot find picture after the polishing.
Redhawk (1).jpg


That was my baby for many years and it took many types of game.
 
I owned a S&W 29(4 inch 44 mag) that I had Magna-Ported, for several years. I enjoyed it a lot...:)

I wouldn't hesitate to have another firearm Magna-Ported if I had a handgun that would benefit from it. I carry mostly 38's and 9 mm nowadays but if I ever go bigger I would consider having it Magna-Ported in a heartbeat. Great people to deal with, fast turn around time.

Most of the people who don't like porting haven't owned or shot a firearm where porting made a difference. On my S&W 29 it made a huge difference.
 
I have not owned or shot a ported gun of any kind. According to the article, noise and velocity was not affected much. Recoil is subjective and it is hard to attribute foot pound or percentage differences. Measuring split times for an average shooter would have been instructive. I'm sure someone like Mas could demonstrate minimal differences, hence a call for an average shooter. I would have also liked to know what a typical cost would be to get a pistol and a revolver done, plus shipping. Has anyone done DIY tests on a beater gun like drilling a couple of holes and check for results? Start at 1/4" and work your way up? :eek: Wouldn't it be weird if some backyard experiment worked as well?
 
youngolddude said:
I have not owned or shot a ported gun of any kind. According to the article, noise and velocity was not affected much. Recoil is subjective and it is hard to attribute foot pound or percentage differences. Measuring split times for an average shooter would have been instructive. I'm sure someone like Mas could demonstrate minimal differences, hence a call for an average shooter. I would have also liked to know what a typical cost would be to get a pistol and a revolver done, plus shipping. Has anyone done DIY tests on a beater gun like drilling a couple of holes and check for results? Start at 1/4" and work your way up? :eek: Wouldn't it be weird if some backyard experiment worked as well?
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Standard two port porting, one port each side of sight blade, is I believe $99. No idea as to shipping as I always take my handgun there personally.
 
One of my EDC's is a Springfield loaded model, 5" govt. For social work I carry Double Taps .450 SMC 230 grn. hp. I switched out the recoil spring to an 18.5 one. Since I am an experienced shooter, the recoil was manageable as is. I had Mag-Na-Port do their thing on it. Bottom line, I love it. It is much more manageable. Muzzle flash at night? Not a problem. I have run it in a low-light pistol course with no problem.
 
Mike H. said:
Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled “Ported Barrels: Are They Worth the Effort?” and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/ported-barrels/.

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I would like to point out some inconsistencies in Roy's comments.
1 - The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and OSHA state that exposure to noise at or above 120 decibels (dba) can cause Immediate Danger to Hearing in a healthy ear. Not say damage is not also possible at 100 dba.
2 - E.A.R. a well know hearing protection company (just for one, others bear this out also), shows that testing with a 9mm, 5" barrel produces a average decibel rating at or above 150 dba, and upwards to 160 dba. So if his sound level meter maxes out at 120 dba he is not getting an accurate reading.
3 - Sound levels above 85 dba requires hearing protection for long term exposure.
 
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I think ported barrels are fine on magnums & shotgun, and compensators on certain rifles are fine, but I think the current fad of putting compensators on small-caliber concealed carry semi-autos is highly over-rated.

My .02
 
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Talyn said:
I think ported barrels are fine on magnums & shotgun, and compensators on certain rifles are fine, but I think the current fad of putting compensators on small caliber semi-autos is highly over-rated.

My .02
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I used to think that, until I tried a ported Performance Center Shield side by side with a standard.

My splits were noticeably faster with the ported model…

There is something to it.
 
HansGruber said:
I used to think that, until I tried a ported Performance Center Shield side by side with a standard.

My splits were noticeably faster with the ported model…

There is something to it.
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My point is that small CCW pistols are intended for compactness and short-range self-defense, but then adding on more length & bulk (plus a RDS) starts defeating the purpose.
 
HansGruber said:
I used to think that, until I tried a ported Performance Center Shield side by side with a standard.

My splits were noticeably faster with the ported model…

There is something to it.
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You are right. The Eaa Witness I bought after Y2k at a song had factory porting and I shot it side by side with an unported model. I noticed a difference in recovery times and the owner of the unsported model bought mine off me. It works on more than just magnum revolvers in my experience.
 
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