[Karate]

I have been looking a threads on porting...I have a Model 66 with 2.5 barrel and have been considering having it ported...but I want to make sure it's what I want before doing it...this is my carry gun...so lets have some votes and opinions...please speak freely like you always do

[P95Carry]

I vote non-ported. To be honest the only porting I considered at all .... was re a 9 1/2 " barrel .454 Ruger .. but even so have not bothered. LOT of money and I can handle the recoil anyways!

As for snubs ... IMO porting is a no-no. Others of course may think different.

Let's face it .. most confrontations are up close and personal .. so I am not too bothered by muzzle rise on my SP101, even with hot loads. I do not need any more muzzle flash ... well, directed up and /or sideways .. the front flame will do fine in subdued light :p. I want to see my CT laser light too in those conditions!

I just don't see a real short barrel really benefitting from an expensive porting job ... I mean, apart from necessary practice, this sorta gun ain't gonna be a range plaything like others necessarily .. and get 1,000's of rounds thru it. Mine doesn't I know that. It has to be there against the remote (hopefully never) occasion when it is needed in extremis. I doubt porting will help me then that much.

Only my 0,.02 I stress! :)

[Majic]

I voted non-porting also. If you are having trouble controlling the handgun then maybe you need to back down in power level or caliber. Also you have lost a lot of the cartidges capabilities with the short barrel and porting only cause you to lose even more.

[only1asterisk]

I don't think you are going to lose any performance by porting a 2.5" revolver. The flash from a short barreled 357 is huge. Porting isn't going to make any additional difference to you night vision. Touching of a round of 357 do a number on that with or without the porting. Porting isn’t going to hurt velocity that much either, although this will vary from load to load. Unless we’re talking big hybrid porting, velocities from ported guns are not significantly different than those produced by otherwise identical unported specimens. You may experience increased noise and pressure, but being a 2.5 357 it already has plenty of both and the extra may pass unnoticed.

There is no free lunch. Porting may increase leading to the point you avoid lead bullets altogether.
Porting and indoor ranges don’t mix, and even outside it will not win you any friends. You may not notice it as much as people around you, but there will be more noise.
Porting makes some gun retention positions untenable. Fire your revolver from one and you may take a divot out of yourself.

I suggest you try before you buy. Find someone that has a ported short barreled 357 and have a go at it. If you are going to get one of your own guns done, make it one you will be able to part with. I no longer own any ported guns at all. It wasn’t for me, but some people like it.



David

[dairycreek]

I voted for non ported. I have owned a number of ported revolvers and I would caution a shooter that "stuff" comes out those little holes when you shoot. Having that "stuff" hit you is disconcerting at best. Shooting a ported revolver in the evening just leaves me as blind as a bat for a time. The flash sure is something to contend with. Finally, I just hate like heck to clean out those little holes. FWIW I don't own any more ported weapons. Good shooting;)

[sw44wcf]

I don't believe in porting for a defensive handgun, if it's a target - a.k.a. a range queen gun - I'm for porting. Just my two cents worth.

[HSMITH]

I don't like the noise of a ported gun number one, and number two if I have to shoot a 357 magnum from a close retension position porting is going to hurt me. Not maybe, it IS going to hurt me. My opinion on porting is this: If you need ports to shoot the gun you need to back down a notch or two in power levels and stay with what you can handle. If you need ports to control the gun it is too much for you.

Porting sucks, and ruins the value of a gun to me. I place at LEAST a $125 deduction on the value of a gun with ports.

[Quartus]

And then there's the question of reliability. It's one thing on the range to have a ported barrel blow up. It's another in a gunfight. If it reduces reliability only 5%, it's too much in a defensive gun.

[Round Gun Shooter]

I have had several ported short barrel guns and have used them with no problems. I am currently working on a 2.5" 66 that will eventually have a quad port system from MagnaPort.
http://www.magnaport.com/images/mg004.jpg

From MagnaPort: Quadport is designed especially for the 2 1/2 inch S & W barrels or shorter SP 101's to help control the upward pressure on these light weight firearms. Consisting of two small oval ports cut into the barrel, this style of porting was designed exclusively for the short barreled revolvers popular for close range shooting.

A number of chronograph tests have been conducted over the years. It has been proven, time and again, that Mag-na-porting does not influence velocities to any meaningful extent.

I have found that ported guns and all self defense short barrel guns need special ammo for various conditions. I prefer Gold Dot ammo as low flash short barrel ammo with no debris coming out of the ports.

With practice, ported guns allow better follow up shots from less perceived recoil.

As someone else stated, try before you buy. They are not for everyone.

Regards,

[magsnubby]

I pretty much agree with only1asterisk. Porting dosen't reduce recoil it redirects it. I have a ported Taurus 606 2 1/2 " .357. and i love it.

[stans]

No porting on my defensive gun, thank you. I prefer as much of the hot stuff moving along the same path as the bullet, not up and possibly towards my face should I be required to pull the trigger with the gun close to my body.

[popeye]

I just sold my Dynaported mod 66 2.5". Real loud, more flash, and more cleaning. I've still got a 19 2.5". The controllability between the 66, and the 19, I felt was imperceptable.

[fedlaw]

When I broke both of my wrists, crushing my right (dominant) arm, I thought I would never be able to shoot again (or much else.) Two great surgeons, many hours of reconstructive surgery, a titanium ulna and lots of rehab led me to a S & W 629PP. Since my surgery, I have not shot a .44 without porting, but even if the port is only psychological, it works for me.

[JERRY]

in light weight snubbies...........porting makes a good gun better.