Pistolgripshotty
New member
Does anyone have any experience with porting a barrel...I was considering porting mine on my 500 but need a little more knowledge about it. Any info is good info. Thanks!
Porting a Barrel
- Thread starter Pistolgripshotty
- Start date
jaguarxk120
New member
Some people say it's good and some say it does nothing. I lean to the nothing people.
Shotguns operate at much lower pressures(12,000psi) than a rifle(50,000psi), and venting off some of the powder gas won't do much help in controling recoil.
In rifles part of the recoil impulse is from the jet/rocket effect from the gas comming from the muzzle, and a brake will help control recoil. Shotguns the recoil impulse is more form the fact you are shooting a 492 grain hunk of lead out the barrel.
The porting makes the gun sound louder (venting gas closer to shooter) and some think the ports/holes look cool.
Shotguns operate at much lower pressures(12,000psi) than a rifle(50,000psi), and venting off some of the powder gas won't do much help in controling recoil.
In rifles part of the recoil impulse is from the jet/rocket effect from the gas comming from the muzzle, and a brake will help control recoil. Shotguns the recoil impulse is more form the fact you are shooting a 492 grain hunk of lead out the barrel.
The porting makes the gun sound louder (venting gas closer to shooter) and some think the ports/holes look cool.
big al hunter
New member
My 835 came factory ported. It helps with muzzle rise on 3 1/2"mag loads with 1 1/4 oz loads of steel shot or 1 3/8 oz lead turkey loads. It does not seem very effective on 2 3/4" shells. At least I don't notice any difference with other shotguns. If your not hunting turkey it probably wont change much. The best recoil reducer I have found is a flex tech stock. Beneli and Thompson Center have them as an option from the factory. Cuts recoil 40% according to the adds. I will say they come very close to meeting their claim.
It does nothing with target loads .Try to understand the physics of it.
It does help with full loads .Putting the porting at and above the center line of the bore helps reduce muzzle rise which can reduce felt recoil.
40% seems way high , 25% is more likely .I wonder how they arrived at 40% ?
It does help with full loads .Putting the porting at and above the center line of the bore helps reduce muzzle rise which can reduce felt recoil.
40% seems way high , 25% is more likely .I wonder how they arrived at 40% ?
Tombstonejim
New member
I hate to ask this silly question. But if porting does nothing for target loads why are most high dollar trap and skeet guns ported?
jaguarxk120
New member
Kolar, Perazzi, and Zoli do not come ported, although if you want porting any of the three will be more than happy to port the barrels for a slight extra charge.
Chuckusaret
Moderator
I have several ported guns and it does reduce felt recoil and muzzle flip/rise. Mine were ported by Mag-na-port.
Its often debated on here....personally, I do think it reduces muzzle rize for your 2nd shot ...even using relatively light target loads.../ and it might reduce recoil a little ... but others say its just a marketing ploy ...
But all of my target guns ....Browning O/U's and my Benelli super sports are all ported ...at least the 12ga and 20ga's...not the 28ga or .410....
but I think the OP is wondering whether he can take a drill ...and drill bit ...to his gun and start drilling holes ...??
....but I wouldn't suggest " do it yourself porting "...not even on a 500.../ you're going to need a fixture to hold the barrel stead, variable speed drill press, some bits that will cut the steel in the barrel ...and be able to de-burr the top and the inside of the barrel with a hone or something.. and potentially touch up the finish....
porting - is not a do it yourself project - in my opinion.
But all of my target guns ....Browning O/U's and my Benelli super sports are all ported ...at least the 12ga and 20ga's...not the 28ga or .410....
but I think the OP is wondering whether he can take a drill ...and drill bit ...to his gun and start drilling holes ...??
....but I wouldn't suggest " do it yourself porting "...not even on a 500.../ you're going to need a fixture to hold the barrel stead, variable speed drill press, some bits that will cut the steel in the barrel ...and be able to de-burr the top and the inside of the barrel with a hone or something.. and potentially touch up the finish....porting - is not a do it yourself project - in my opinion.
Chuckusaret
Moderator
BigJimP is correct, the muzzle flip/rise is reduced by a noticeable amount but the felt recoil is reduced by maybe 5% or so. Would I attempt to port any of my guns, never. It takes more than a drill press and drill vise.
big al hunter
New member
Mete, the flex tech stock has a very flexible core and butt pad that is surrounded by a vented shell. The combination allows a large amount of the recoil to be absorbed into the stock and released slower. Thereby reducing felt recoil. I have one on my TC Encore 12 ga. slug gun. It is close to half what I feel from my other shotguns. You should try it. 
look
tcarms.com
looktcarms.com
big al , that looks interesting !
In addition to understanding the physics of the recoil we did some serious testing . Tombstone --There are many gadgets that are really scams and people who don't know the science etc are taken in .That happens in almost any field.
I was part of a test with some very good ,very experienced sporting clay shooters .Two identical Browning SC guns were used, one with and one without porting .A round of SC was done by shooting half the rounds with each gun. The shooter was asked if he could detect any difference , and the watchers were asked if they could see any difference.
No difference was seen or felt with target loads.
Pure target loads made by companies like Remington have powder carefully chosen that will burn all the powder completely within the barrel.That removes any jet or rocket effect that is reduced by porting.
The porting however will act on powders that are burning outside the barrel and reduce recoil.
It's all physics but they don't teach science in schools anymore !
In addition to understanding the physics of the recoil we did some serious testing . Tombstone --There are many gadgets that are really scams and people who don't know the science etc are taken in .That happens in almost any field.
I was part of a test with some very good ,very experienced sporting clay shooters .Two identical Browning SC guns were used, one with and one without porting .A round of SC was done by shooting half the rounds with each gun. The shooter was asked if he could detect any difference , and the watchers were asked if they could see any difference.
No difference was seen or felt with target loads.
Pure target loads made by companies like Remington have powder carefully chosen that will burn all the powder completely within the barrel.That removes any jet or rocket effect that is reduced by porting.
The porting however will act on powders that are burning outside the barrel and reduce recoil.
It's all physics but they don't teach science in schools anymore !
I've got porting on my competition gun. I haven't noticed a distinct difference in recoil compare to guns without the porting. What I have distinctly noticed is that cleaning a ported barrel is much more difficult with a ported barrel. I find myself with q-tips and pipe cleaners trying to get into every little hole...and even then I end up with a couple residue flakes I can never seem to get off.
Like many things (e.g. raised ribs on skeet guns), I think there's solid science and engineering behind porting...but I personally don't find the benefit in recoil reduction to justify the additional hassle in cleaning.
I would not disqualify a gun for purchase if it had ported barrels, but it is most certainly not a requirement for me, and I prefer the regular barrels.
Like many things (e.g. raised ribs on skeet guns), I think there's solid science and engineering behind porting...but I personally don't find the benefit in recoil reduction to justify the additional hassle in cleaning.
I would not disqualify a gun for purchase if it had ported barrels, but it is most certainly not a requirement for me, and I prefer the regular barrels.
TheKlawMan
Moderator
Don't forget a major factor. They look cool! KInd of llke the old Buicks.
340 Weatherby
New member
Klawman that's the best reason I've heard yet! LOL
Some friends tested this by swapping ported and non-ported factory barrels of identical length and weight on a Beretta 390. Using target loads we each fired 25 shots without knowing which barrel was on. Initially I could not tell the difference based on recoil or muzzle rise. Eventually I could tell the difference but only because the ported barrel was louder.
I've owned ported guns and for clay shooting I wouldn't not buy a gun because it was ported but currently none of mine are and I certainly would not spend money getting it added to a gun in the aftermarket.
I've owned ported guns and for clay shooting I wouldn't not buy a gun because it was ported but currently none of mine are and I certainly would not spend money getting it added to a gun in the aftermarket.
TheKlawMan
Moderator
How did you manage not to know?
Firefighter88
New member
Does porting a barrel, that was originally not ported, affect the value of the gun at all?
If its done right ...probably not ...
If its done by some "Bubba" in his garage....yes, probably ...
If you have a barrel ported ...or any major changes in a gun done ( like going from Inertia triggers to mechanical triggers ) - I'd suggest you keep copies of the work order ( kind of like you would on a car )..especially if its an expensive gun with retail value over $ 4,000 or so .....to prove the work was done by a well known gunsmith or a reputable shop ( like Briley Mfg ) or if the original mfg did the work, etc...
If its done by some "Bubba" in his garage....yes, probably ...
If you have a barrel ported ...or any major changes in a gun done ( like going from Inertia triggers to mechanical triggers ) - I'd suggest you keep copies of the work order ( kind of like you would on a car )..especially if its an expensive gun with retail value over $ 4,000 or so .....to prove the work was done by a well known gunsmith or a reputable shop ( like Briley Mfg ) or if the original mfg did the work, etc...
Blocked out shooting glasses on the shooter, testing done under controled conditions. The gun was loaded with two shots and handed to the shooter who could not see which barrel was on the gun. One guy fired, one guy loaded, the third made sure the muzzle stayed in a safe direction.