Porting handguns

[mnhntr]

Porting a large caliber hunting handgun is a good idea. Porting a carry pistol is a horrible idea. Try training with a ported handgun and firing from various positions and you will find out that muzzle blast is a bad thing when it is very close to your exposed skin or face.

All this pseudo-intellectual drivel you read about barrel-porting on internet gun forms is just that - Nonsense! (Written about, and believed by people who have very little experience, are simply repeating what they've heard or read, and haven’t really got a clue.)

Seems you may need to improve your training before you accuse others of not having a clue.

 

[Glock Doctor]

mnhtnr, You forgot to say, 'In my opinion, .......' but no matter.

(Read my credentials. They're better than your own. So, rather obviously, is my experience with firearms; but, again no matter, right or wrong you're entitled to your opinion.)

 

[mnhntr]

Being that your so experienced, you would obviously know that giving yourself one more potential issue to worry about or train around is a bad idea. I guess I should have read your credentials to know you are the authority on all things guns and training, forgive me. It is not my opinion it is common sense that keeping things simple in combat type situations is a key element of success. Porting a gun for competition or hunting is great but for a defensive handgun you may have to shoot near your face is not. This is not an opinion.

 

[Praxidike]

Being that your so experienced, you would obviously know that giving yourself one more potential issue to worry about or train around is a bad idea. I guess I should have read your credentials to know you are the authority on all things guns and training, forgive me. It is not my opinion it is common sense that keeping things simple in combat type situations is a key element of success. Porting a gun for competition or hunting is great but for a defensive handgun you may have to shoot near your face is not. This is not an opinion.

What's your opinion on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3UZSLv-OdM?

 

[mnhntr]

It has NOTHING to do with blinding and everything to do with getting burned. I train my students in my Advanced class, to shoot from positions that are very likely in self defense scenarios. This would cause you to get porting blast in the face or burned if you use a ported handgun without canting the handgun in an unnatural way. If you need to port a handgun to shoot it comfortably you need to step down in caliber.

 

[HighExpert]

I have a Glock 22C with two barrels. One ported and one not. I really don't see much of a difference except noise and flash. Recoil is about the same with either barrel and, for that matter, with my Glock 27. I don't think the .40S&W has enough recoil to have a port make a difference or barrel length for that matter. It does help on my Taurus Tracker which is as light as many .357s and shoots .44 mag out of a six inch barrel.

 

[gamestalker]

Six years ago I was out doing some shooting, taking my ear plugs out, putting them back in, off and on, in between loading and such. Than I picked up one of my snubs, a S&W 66 loaded with full throttle 296'ers and forgot to stuff my plugs back in. That was six years ago, my ears have not stopped ringing since that incident.

I have suffered permanent and significant hearing loss. It is so bad that I have moments in which I feel like I'm going to go insane with the ringing and pain I continue to suffer with. I can't enjoy playing my electric guitar any more, music and general noises cause me great discomfort. I cringe when a Harley drives by me. I have to wear ear plugs just to ride my dirt bike also, which is rather uncomfortable after only a few minutes of sweating.

Anyone that feels that just one full house magnum round from a .357 won't do permanent damage, well, I respectfully disagree.

GS

 

[DPris]

I've fired .357s hunting, without plugs, and not experienced what you do.

Yours seems to be an extreme case.
Denis

 

[ArchAngelCD]

A few years back I was looking for a S&W M649 in .357 Magnum but couldn't find a nice one. I did however find a M640 that was part of a special run and came from the factory with custom Rosewood grips and it had gone to Mag-na-port. I'm no fan of porting especially is a SD handgun but because it was LNIB and the price was right i bought it. That revolver is one of the most accurate revolvers I own. Would I but another ported J frame, probably not but I'm also not selling the one I have...

 

[TMCCOY]

I have no interest in being even more blinded with porting while shooting at night. Handguns I've shot (Glock) w/wo porting don't shoot different enough to justify IMO. To each his own for sure; I choose to pass.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Six years ago I was out doing some shooting, taking my ear plugs out, putting them back in, off and on, in between loading and such. Than I picked up one of my snubs, a S&W 66 loaded with full throttle 296'ers and forgot to stuff my plugs back in. That was six years ago, my ears have not stopped ringing since that incident.

That's exactly what I would expect.

I've fired .357s hunting, without plugs, and not experienced what you do.

Yours seems to be an extreme case.

Have you been to an audiologist?

 

[mnhntr]

I feel as though I need to apologize to Glock Doctor for being smug. My position on this matter is from my experience and training and will not change. By the way that is a sweet looking Glock.

 

[Praxidike]

It has NOTHING to do with blinding and everything to do with getting burned. I train my students in my Advanced class, to shoot from positions that are very likely in self defense scenarios. This would cause you to get porting blast in the face or burned if you use a ported handgun without canting the handgun in an unnatural way. If you need to port a handgun to shoot it comfortably you need to step down in caliber.

Why would someone hold a handgun that close to their face? Can you give a description of one of these self defense scenarios?

 

[DPris]

Re the muzzle flash- shortly after I had my 3-inch .357 GP100 ported I did particulate testing & night-shoot testing, along with accuracy testing.

With today's flash suppressed powders it's not hard at all to find a commercial load that has very little flare.
Denis

 

[buck460XVR]

If you need to port a handgun to shoot it comfortably you need to step down in caliber.

While this may be true for a SD firearm, for a hunting handgun and range shooter it's not. Being able to shoot high volumes of ammo to gain proficiency and familiarity with less fatigue, is a good thing when it comes to the handguns used for big and/or dangerous game. Same could be said for riding a hard tail motorcycle as compared to one with a good suspension....i.e., you could always just ride less.

Porting is as subjective as caliber/platform. Just cause one don't care for it don't mean the other guy won't prefer it. No body is forcing anyone else to shoot their way.

 

[mnhntr]

Why would someone hold a handgun that close to their face? Can you give a description of one of these self defense scenarios?

Sitting behind the wheel of a car and someone is trying to carjack you, your handgun would be parallel to your chest about 8-10 in from your face.
On your back with an attacker on top of you. (Think George Zimmerman)
Firing from the 2nd firing position of the 3 position draw.
Any instance that you cannot create the space needed to extend your arms into the 3rd firing position.


There are a lot of variables in a gunfight and making it more difficult is not optimal.

 

[Onward Allusion]

Why would someone hold a handgun that close to their face? Can you give a description of one of these self defense scenarios?

Many SD situations have the shooter using only one hand and many times from awkward positions. Of the 2 times I had to draw, one time I was on my right knee and if I would have had to fire, the muzzle would have been around a foot from my face.

It's not common for one to be in a Weaver stance in SD situations. It's nice if one were in some type of stable stance, but that's a perfect world.

 

[SDGlock23]

I don't so much used ported barrels, but I do run some compensated barrels, and there's a few reasons why depending on the situation where a comp or ported barrel can come in handy.

If I'm leaving the gun at home for someone who is maybe a little bit recoil shy, or maybe just somebody who doesn't have as much shooting experience as myself, I think a comped (or ported) barrel is a good idea to reduce recoil. Example would be a Gen4 G21 with KKM comped barrel shooting standard pressure 230gr JHP like an HST or Gold Dot, it recoils so light that the brass just bumbles out the side of the gun, and if you're setting down will literally land in your lap. 14rds of super low recoil 230gr JHP doing 850+ fps isn't a bad setup!

If I'm shooting for sport, there are times when a comped/ported barrel will help with faster follow up shots.

Or if I'm working up a warm load, the comp will help to vent gas and slow the slide speed down. For instance with a standard non compensated G21 I could get a 230gr doing about 1200 fps (.45 Super) before slide speed became too fast and feeding failures began to occur and it was chewing up the brass. With a comp, I've run them a 1400 fps with no ill effects.

I like to use comps because if you don't want them, you can just screw them off and not worry about it. Plus, ports are generally done to the existing barrel and will cause velocity loss, a comp doesn't do that, you just add it or take it off without worry of losing velocity.

 

[BSA1]

Porting a large caliber hunting handgun is a good idea. Porting a carry pistol is a horrible idea. Try training with a ported handgun and firing from various positions and you will find out that muzzle blast is a bad thing when it is very close to your exposed skin or face.

Porting a gun for competition or hunting is great but for a defensive handgun you may have to shoot near your face is not. This is not an opinion.

I feel as though I need to apologize to Glock Doctor for being smug. My position on this matter is from my experience and training and will not change.

It is a opinion. Yours unless you can show me where in The Bible it says it is written in stone.

I have problems imaging shooting situations where the shooter would have his gun held tightly against their chest and directly below their face as to be blasted and blinded by the gunshot.

When using a revolver the best technique to use when in contact with the attacker is simply jam the muzzle into his body and pull the trigger. I can tell you from a case I have first hand knowledge of the results of the all the burning gunpowder, fire and bullet creates horrible internal damage. I can also tell you that the shooter will only hear a pop instead of a loud bang again because most of everything is going into the body.

Sitting behind the wheel of a car and someone is trying to carjack you, your handgun would be parallel to your chest about 8-10 in from your face.

Gun is still extended away from your face.

On your back with an attacker on top of you. (Think George Zimmerman)

Jam barrel into the attackers body and pull the trigger. Revolver shines in this situation. A semi-auto with a comp or porting on the end of barrel as in Post 23 would allow follow-up shots as needed.

Did Zimmerman's gun jam?

Any instance that you cannot create the space needed to extend your arms into the 3rd firing position.

What you are describing here is really more lack of awareness of what is going on around them (Condition White). I have previously stated on many occasions that I am the biggest coward on THR. I have a yellow stripe running down my back and will fight only when backed into a corner. My tactics are (1) talk my way out of the situation while (2) backing up keeping distance between me and the aggressor. But then at this stage in my life I don't have anything to prove.

As you said you have too much time and money to change techniques and tactics. Other THR members may be more receptive to using different techniques. As I previously said I don't consider porting to be of value in 2 1/2" barrel and limited value in 4" barrel revolvers due to what I perceived as little reduction in recoil. However I would not let the noise and upward muzzle blast prevent me from using a ported gun.

 

[mnhntr]

When using a revolver the best technique to use when in contact with the attacker is simply jam the muzzle into his body and pull the trigger. I can tell you from a case I have first hand knowledge of the results of the all the burning gunpowder, fire and bullet creates horrible internal damage. I can also tell you that the shooter will only hear a pop instead of a loud bang again because most of everything is going into the body.

Agreed

Quote:
Sitting behind the wheel of a car and someone is trying to carjack you, your handgun would be parallel to your chest about 8-10 in from your face.

Gun is still extended away from your face.

Not far enough. If you have to turn and draw and fire on someone trying to take you out of the vehicle it is not a full extension.

Quote:
On your back with an attacker on top of you. (Think George Zimmerman)

Jam barrel into the attackers body and pull the trigger. Revolver shines in this situation. A semi-auto with a comp or porting on the end of barrel as in Post 23 would allow follow-up shots as needed.

I am simply referring to a situation where ones situational awareness failed and has a close encounter that does not allow for full extension and the shots must be taken at an odd position.

Any instance that you cannot create the space needed to extend your arms into the 3rd firing position.

What you are describing here is really more lack of awareness of what is going on around them (Condition White). I have previously stated on many occasions that I am the biggest coward on THR. I have a yellow stripe running down my back and will fight only when backed into a corner. My tactics are (1) talk my way out of the situation while (2) backing up keeping distance between me and the aggressor. But then at this stage in my life I don't have anything to prove.

No argument that the best way to win is to not be involved. However as an instructor I need to train students to be able to react to any circumstance and that means firing from odd positions or angles that porting is a danger.