Ported barrels?

If porting has a major impact on accuracy -- handguns or shotguns -- why don't most people drill holes in their barrels ? Or, if porting is a major accuracy issue, why don't more guns leave the factory ported ? Porting looks cool but has little impact on accuracy. I like accuracy in a firearm. My .02

David. :)
 
Appreciate all the free education, it has helped.

Now that gun has been sold to someone more interested than me and I have since moved on to a nice EAA Witness full size 45acp that if everything goes well it will be to my FFL by the end of next week. Been looking for one for awhile and finally found one that fit my budget! This is an all metal model and not a poly gun. I am excited!
 
If the porting is not "factory" it degrades resale $'s.
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Not necessarily. Like many things there are well known companies who perform this service and their work is sought after. Magnaport International for one. I had a 460 Encore barrel that had been ported by magnaport and it did add value to the barrel when I sold it, but not equal to the cost of the service.

OP, hope you enjoy the EAA witness.
 
JohnW -- Good point but an exception to the generalization that value is degraded by porting the vast majority of the time. I have a lovely Browning Side xSide. Bought it pre owned for a song. Every time I shoot clays with it I wonder just what possesed the original owner to have holes drilled in its' barrels. Fun 12g shooter.

David. :)
 
My Taurus 455 came with a ported barrel. It's a 5 shot , 2 inch barrel, fixed sighted , snub nosed revolver in 45 acp. Why would porting be on a 2 inch barreled carry gun....I have no idea but I LOVE it.
It seems to recoil so much less than my 1911's...and it is so much more accurate it's scary. The 1911's are 2-3 inch grouping guns the 455 will group 15 shots into 1 5/8" one big ragged holes with no pesky fliers.
I don't know if the porting has anything to do with it but this accurate shooting gun isn't getting away from me...ever !
Gary
 
As a matter of interest regarding porting, Winchester Auto Comp powder is specifically designed, per their literature, to work with ported barrels by providing more gas pressure to work with the compensators:


Winchester spherical powders are known for their consistent burn rates and clean burning characteristics and are widely used for reloading shotshell,handgun, and rifle ammunition. As the name implies, this powder is designed to deliver optimum performance in compensated race guns. AutoComp has been formulated to help the compensator work more efficiently while it minimizes muzzle flash to help with rapid fire. Highly recommended for 38 Super, 9mm, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP.
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Bob Wright
 
Bob Wright said:
As a matter of interest regarding porting, Winchester Auto Comp powder is specifically designed, per their literature, to work with ported barrels by providing more gas pressure to work with the compensators:


Bob Wright
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Yes, but it's not magic, and the reduction in muzzle rise it provides is typical of a powder that uses the same charge weight. Therefore, it does not provide an extra huge amount of gas compared to other powders.
 
I had a Tanfoglio 9mm (Not a Witness, nor was it from an EAA predecessor) that was ported. It was amazingly easy to shoot, but it was a hassle to clean, so I sold it to a friend who surprisingly still has it sitting in his safe. It hasn't been shot in like a decade, because it was a hassle to clean compared to a non-ported gun. If it was Wonder or SS, I would buy it, as I have a non-ported 4.7" barrel for it sitting in my parts drawer, but it's blued and isn't nearly as pretty as it was back in 2000 or so when I had it.
 
A few years ago a local gunshop had a S&W model 19 that had been Magnaported. Nobody would buy it. And it was priced to sell. He finally lowered the price around $70 lower and someone bought it.

I had a Taurus Tracker 4" barrel in 44 mag that had the Taurus porting. I never did like it. I really liked the gun but hated the porting. I sold it. Have thought about buying another but so far have not done it. I treated it like a 44 Special and kept the speed down to a 1000fps or so. I did shoot a few 44 mags but couldn't tell if it helped that much. It was a light weight gun for a 44 mag and did kick a little.
 
I bought a used Glock 23C. I don't think it had ever been shot, and it also had a Bar-Sto .357Sig barrel too. I didn't like the blast of burning powder to the face when shooting indoors. I was using mostly handloads, but I would have really risked damage to my eyes from the blast. I didn't have that issue with the 357Sig barrel. It didn't seem quite as bad shooting outside. I purchased an aftermarket 40cal barrel without ports that greatly reduced the blast to the face so I now have the option of ported or not ported when I go to a range. But I think if I used the pistol with the ported barrel for self defense carry, I could risk a blast to my eyes, interfering with my ability to continue to shoot if necessary if I didn't have my glasses on. It's not likely, but it's something I do have a little control over. So I'm planning on using the ported barrel for outside range, and the regular barrels for concealed carry.
 
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