Drill your own ported barrel???

J

JiminTexas

New member
Drilling the holes to port a pistol barrel just doesn't look to be that complicated. It just doesn't look like rocket science. I have a good drill press with a machinists vice and I know how to use both. I have measured ten different pistols with ported barrels 5 Taurus three charter Arms and two Smith and Wessons. I believe that I can come up with a set of holes that will suffice as barrel porting. But, I don't want to overlook anything. Other than the location of the holes (distance from the muzzle and the front sight), size and number of the holes and the angle that they are drilled at, what do I need to consider before I screw up my Mod 29 S&W? I measured the barrels of the ported Charter Arms Bulldog Pugs and compared them to the un ported Bulldogs and the barrels themselves are exactly the same. I am assuming that this is true of other revolvers. Have any of you done this for yourselves in the past?
 
Make sure you have a way to remove the burrs inside the barrel...

Last thing you need is an already weakened barrel with an obstruction...
 
That is precisely why MagNaPort has had such a successful run...by burning the ports with an EDM machine, it leaves no metal burrs to contact the bullet as it goes down the bore.
 
Our comp guns were thru-barrel ported by milling a v-4 of ports in the comp body. You need to cut slow, and de-bur the cuts with a file. An expansion chamber design is more effective, IMHO.
 
Drilling the holes to port a pistol barrel just doesn't look to be that complicated. It just doesn't look like rocket science. I have a good drill press with a machinists vice and I know how to use both.
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The statement that you have the equipment and know how to use it sounds almost scary in this context. You would not want to drill into a barrel in a drill press if you expect any porting to turn out well. Drilling holes willy-nilly into a firearm barrel is a recipe for disaster. But you're right, it isn't that hard to do if you have the right equipment and know how to do it, kinda like rocket science.
 
This reminds me of the barrel Dr. Mann wanted Pope to vent for his experiments...Only Pope...(he not only drilled but tapped for set-screws to regulate gas escape) made sure all the holes came thru CENTERED in the grooves...as viewed from side of brl..holes had a spiral pattern. I'd like to see someone do that on a drill press!
 
I’ve told this tale before on here, but here goes again.

A guy I knew fancied himself as somewhat of a gunsmith. He had a short barreled pump shotgun with a pistol grip he wanted to port. Drilled several holes in the barrel at the muzzle. Every time he shot it from the hip it blew his hat off and damn near deafened him and anyone nearby. Porting may not be such a good idea.
 
Please don't try to port anything with a drill press!!! I build muzzle breaks and port barrels and have had to fix lots of barrels that guys with drill presses got ahold of. It takes more than a drill press and a machinists vice to do that job right. No mater how good you are the drill bits will drift and you have to have a way of deburing the holes in the bore. If you value your 29 you might want to reconsider and send it to someone that specializes in that sort of thing.
 
Not trying to rain on your parade, but if all you have is a common drill press and vice then you don't have the equipment needed.
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As Scorch succinctly pointed out, it's a bad, bad idea.
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My thoughts exactly and I'm glad that 2 true professionals chimed in.

And I'll bet the drill press is mounted to the kitchen table:eek:
 
made sure all the holes came thru CENTERED in the grooves...as viewed from side of brl..holes had a spiral pattern. I'd like to see someone do that on a drill press!
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That wouldn't be too hard. It would be an insult to any of the machinists I know to suggest they couldn't center each hole in the groove.

(I wouldn't let them port any of my barrels though.)

I don't suggest doing this on a garage drill press. But if you have to try it yourself try pouring a lead plug in the muzzle first to limit tear-out and burring on the inside. Buy an old barrel to test your skills on first.

There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves. ~ Will Rogers
 
Way long ago,about the time of the Hunt bros silver scam,I found myself in dire need of cash and sold my brother a Colt SAA in 45 Colt,with about 100 rds through it,for $150.(I paid $192 for it,new) He traded it for a Jurras.44 Automag.Nice pistol.Then he had it Magna Ported.
You absolutely could not shoot it without ear protection.It was like being beside the muzzle of a centerfire rifle.It caused physical pain in the ear.
for me,it ruined the gun,and,for him,too.He sold it soon after.
That is how I feel about porting a good .44.
On your drill press plan.I made chips for a living for over 30 years and I do my own gunwork.Even for something like a Clausing gang drill,pretty good,as drill presses go,They are more for blacksmith/welder work as far as I am concerned.
If I wanted to drill such holes in a part,I would use a Bridgeport and either a 5-c collet index fixture or something like a small rotary table with a chuck,Yuasa Accu-dex.
BUT,I would not do that to a barrel.The burrs,etc,and the muzzle is what launches the bullet./Bad place for flaws.I have done a lot of sinker EDM work,and that would do the job just fine.
Instead of thinking how much $ you will save,DIY,think how much you will lose,screwing up your 29.
 
O.K., O.K. I get the message. I'll bite the bullet, so to speak, and send it off to Mana-Port. After all, That's why I asked the question, to sanity check my idea.
 
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