Anyone had magnaport work done to carry gun

Magna-port S&W 340 PD

I had my S&W 340 PD magna ported last year. I am happy with the results. I also added pachmayr decelerator grips. There is a definite improvement in recoil and follow up shots are more accurate. I have not found the increased flash/noise to be a problem.
 
I started using Magna-Port when they first came out and had it done to 3 guns by them. I worked in a tool & die at the time as I still do and after shooting with the guys I worked with we soon were porting are own guns with our EDM machine. We did our Ruger Blackhawks and TC Contenders and as Bob Wright had said earlier the felt recoil wasn't changed by much as the big talk of the time promised but muzzle rise was decreased. These were mostly heavy guns and the weight of the gun absorbed the recoil. Between me and my friends we lost interest in porting. About five years ago I discovered a company called Gemini Customs who were specializing in custom combat tuning of carry revolvers. I sent them a S&W 642 who's package included a action tune and a porting job that consisted of 3 large holes down the length of the barrel. I also had them polish the trigger bright to help ease with the double action only pull of the gun. This was the first ported gun that I have really notice any decrease in felt recoil and it was considerable. I was soon sweet talked out of it by my friends wife who has swooned me out of a few guns after getting them set up for defense shooting. I have not shot any of the smaller or light weight semis with porting but I am convinced that the lighter a gun gets the more the benefit maybe. Oh yeah that 642 was loud.
 
I have similar guns, ported and non-ported. The ported gun is so much louder that I'd never carry it for SD....it has no advantage over a non-ported gun great enough to offset the certain permanent hearing damage.
 
This was the first ported gun that I have really notice any decrease in felt recoil and it was considerable.
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Magnaport Intl. offers rifle Magnaporting, which is the top ports along with side ports, which, of course, are the ones for recoil, as the ports are angled rearward. On a heavy kicker like my .45-70, there was no question what I needed. But, as I said, it's still horrendous, as it's a tapered barrel.
 
No.

Why no magnaport?

Because if you have to fire the gun from retention the blast can blind you to.

See that port points upward and when fired from the belt level the blast comes up in your face.

I'd rather have a regular gun and not worry about that.

Deaf
 
Once owned a Springer Ultra Compact that came factory ported, and I have no experience with MagnaPort.

1.) I couldn't discern any difference in recoil between it and any other lightweight .45ACP I own.

2.) I fired it day, twilight, and at night. The flash is impressive at night but I did not find it in any way "blinding". That, for me, isn't a valid issue.

3.) I was sceptical that the ports would pass enough gas to do damage when fired in retention so I set up a sheet of copy paper in a frame to see if there would be scorch marks. I fired the pistol a measured six inches below the paper. The upward blast from the ports blew the paper apart, burned it and blew it out of the frame. Not exactly scientific but I quit carrying the ported pistol.

Best,

Will
 
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Years ago I had a super Blackhawk barrel shortened (before they offered them in anything less than 7 1/2) and sent it to mag-na-port. Honestly I couldn't see or feel anything different once I got it back. If there was any difference in recoil or muzzle rise it was lost on me. Their work was very good with what they did, but I don't think I would have it done again.
I have a 629 with a 3" barrel currently, but the barrel was ported before I got it. I quickly found that lead was not the thing to shoot through it. It's a bugger to remove from the front sight.
 
General consensus is that porting isn't such a good idea for a carry gun.
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Must be by people with no experience with a ported gun.


What Webleymkv said is good info. Yes there's low flash but debris could and would possibly strike you in the face or eyes under certain conditions especially if the gun would be used for self defense.
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Pure speculation with a catch-all phrase tagged on in an attempt to be non-specific and cover any eventuality that could happen anywhere in the universe. I could also be sitting in my living room and a jet engine could fall off of an aircraft under "certain conditions" and kill me because I live near the flight path of an airport.

I have had a Detonics Combat Master since 1982. It was a snarly, hard to handle pistol because of the short barrel and reduced grip size. I used to own a machine shop and had an EDM, so I ported my own guns. The first gun I ported was the Detonics in 1984. After porting, the gun became far easier to shoot, and was my carry gun for the next 25 years.

I have never found problems with gas or debris hitting me in the face. The muzzle blast from the ported and unported pistol is exactly the same. If the gun is ported correctly, that is at a 45-degree angle to the bore axis, any gas or debris is vented away from your line of site.

The same with flash. This is an imaginary problem as far as I can tell. If you're not blinded by the muzzle flash - then the flash through the ports won't blind you either. Again, if the gun is ported at a 45-degree angle to the bore axis - the flash forms a "V" that is NO DIFFERENT than using an AR style rifle with a flash hider.

Most of these reasons for not having a gun ported are imaginary or speculative. I have three ported pistols and have never, in nearly 40 years of shooting them, had the problems you find touted by the "experts" on the Internet.

I just got a Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan, and that gun is going in for porting at Gemini. I can hardly wait to have it done as it will become an even better revolver to shoot as it will be more controllable for follow up shots.
 
I'd have to agree, and my experience mirrors your exactly- no issue with flash or debris.

It's funny how someone will tell you that a 2.5" .357 revolver is practical, but a 5" .45 acp carry comp *isn't*.
 
I had them port a 3-inch Ruger GP in .357 Mag years ago & never regretted it.
Carried the gun after retirement till 911 when I switched to a 1911 (we live not far from what was then a potential military terrorist target).

I tested it with several different magnum loads at night in the dark & several produced only a very mild spark. It's not hard to find a good defensive load that uses flash-retardant powders in the major handgun calibers.

I also tested for particulate ejecta through the ports (which is a concern some people have if they plan to fire with the gun close to the body or otherwise right under their face), and found very little. I held a sheet of paper about a foot above the ports while firing, nothing scorched & nothing either imbedded or perforated.

If it's necessary to fire from a hip or speed rock position, just angle the hand slightly out board to direct port gasses away from the body. If an aggressor's close enough to prevent you from extending the gun forward of your body, tipping the top of the gun fractionally away from your carcass should still achieve a hit.

The possibility of shaving tiny jacket particles as the bullet passes the ports does exist, but it's not a huge concern for me & may be bullet-dependent regarding jacket material.
The MagnaPort process doesn't leave internal burrs or sharp edges to cause shaving like drilling can.

I found the porting on that revolver aids control & benefits rapid-fire shooting, if necessary.
Absolutely zero issue with muzzle flash. And I do mean zero.
Very minor concern about ejecta if fired close to the body.

I have another 3-inch GP that'll eventually be ported, and I'll probably send off a four-inch Smith Model 629 next year. Both are in line after other projects are done.
Considering porting a Ruger SP .357 I have, too.

I doubt I'd do it with an auto, but that's just me.
Denis
 
My EXP.

Had a 4" Colt King Cobra Magnaported (Great company & work was flawless) , later in life I started casting my own fodder for the 38/357 & 44.

Found out as ya increase pressure on the bullets the more was peeled off & blown into the air landing on my arms , not hot enuff to burn ya but hot enuff to distract ya!
 
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