To port or not to port!?

Ok, let’s stir the pot! Lol
Let’s keep this to strictly carry pistols.
3-4" barrels, would you purchase or customize your pistol with porting?
Personally, I am not a fan of it myself, (I feel that you already have a short barrel, so with the porting you lose velocity, yet gain better control,) I would like to hear what personal experience you may have with it?
Or has anyone done night training classes with a ported firearm what did you learn?
Thanks ya’ll looking forward to some Great feedback!

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I watched a video that made an excellent points as to why not have ported barrel… 1: muzzle flash is much worse in low light shooting. 2: if you are in your car or sitting and have to shoot across your body that position puts the angle of the ports of the ported barrel right at your face. 3: if you happen to have your small child in your arms you risk the gasses and muzzle flash to be directed back at the child. There were many more but those alone were enough to make me not go with ported Barrel.

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I have a M&P shield 9mm performance center which the slide and barrel are ported, I do notice just a bit of a difference when it comes to recoil and follow up shots are on target, and yes when fired at night you can see a bit of a difference in muzzle flash. Sooch on YouTube has a pretty good review on This pistol. Since then Smith & Wesson has come out with a 2.0 PC version with the improved trigger. Hey I think the ports look cool on the gun. One bad thing is it gets dirtier with ports after shooting so more cleaning. Other than that it’s a great gun to carry and fun at the range, gun also comes with a choice of night sights or fiber optics. I got fiber optics.

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Port is no bueno to me personally. Unless for like a target competition gun only.

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I know we said pistols, but it seems like a nice feature on my Stoeger M3000 Sport (30" barrel) … although I don’t have much to compare it to.

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Agreed! Didn’t even think of 3, but that’s a good one.

One of my carry guns is ported (PC Shield). I will confidently carry it. If I had to use my gun, the burns from the muzzle would be the least of my worries.

Imo these are the only real concerns with porting. The gun is louder, but I don’t consider that a negative. I also don’t consider the muzzle flash a big deal. I saw a video somewhere where a guy tested if the porting would “blind” the shooter. He said it did not. Shooting close to the body will burn you though and that is a real con. I would avoid porting on a carry gun… but my PC shield holds a special spot for me.

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I always port match the heads to the intake and exhaust manifold… oh wait this is guns. Never mind back to wrenching on the motor :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: :crazy_face:

Cheers,

Craig6

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I have the Sig p365 SAS with a very short ported bbl. As for muzzle flash, nothing I could discern in low light with the Critical Defense ammo I use. I do have some handholds that will show a bit but nothing that I would consider detrimental. However, I did have concerns with having the pistol close to my body when shooting, i.e. from a car seat or very close in. So I purchased a standard P365 barrel for it. Problem solved.

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Good one brother hope all is well and be blessed.

Porting often requires a hole in the slide, which is another opportunity for lint or other CC debris to get into the gun and possibly cause a malfunction.

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351…?

Yes that is true that’s why you have to maintain it more than a gun that’s not ported. I don’t mind doing some extra cleaning for a gun that I like and can potentially save my life.

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an S&W V-comp mostly for range, hunting, and plinking shure; as a defensive carry, none of the hardware I have seem to need it. (I haven’t fallen into the SIG 365 SAS rabbit hole, so that configuration is still an unknown for me.)

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@Greg35 357 Midnight, The car is named Midnight, the motor is going to be bored 30 over which adds 6 ci. = 357 Midnight.

Cheers,

Craig6

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I sense a form of synergy herewith.
I like it!

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Pass on porting a carry gun for me. Now, on a big bore, hunting revolver, yes please.

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