porting

A

ammo.crafter

New member
Has anyone had any experience with a ported shotgun barrell? Did you find it reduced felt recoil at all? I was contemplating porting a pump, a semi-auto and a SXS.:confused:
 
I've got a ported barrel mossberg model 500 which seems quite pleasant. I ran a box of shells through it in a very short period of time the other day with no issues. Five rounds as fast as i can pump em is easy and hip shooting is a hoot and a holler.
 
Porting is one of the useless alteration you can do to a s.g. barrel.
The idea for porting went like wildfire around the trap ranges where the boys who had thousands of bucks tied up in expensive shotguns and were always looking for ways to "tweak" patterns.
It was thought that porting would reduce pressure just prior to the shot charge leaving the muzzle thus reducing the excess powder gases that could blow donut holes in the pattern.
Porting does NOTHING fo the shot charge or the guns ability to pattern.
It does, however, make the thing much louder.
If you want to port your gun to improve patterns or reduce recoil you are fooling only yourself.
You will get much more noise for your money.
 
Pro's and Con's

I guess that's one opinion jeager. However, it's not exactly what the experts are saying. In fact, what I've read is that porting a barrel does two things quite effectively:

Reduces Felt Recoil
Reduces Muzzle Flip

I won't get into the science of why. I'll leave that to the experts. However, I've shot a gun pre-ported and post-porting. Granted, it does make the blast louder but pfffffffft that's what I wear earplugs for ;). I also discovered that the gun definitely shot differently just as everything I read on the porting said it would. Psychological......I don't think so.

Many still feel that porting isn't for them, and that's cool. But it's very unfair and illogical to say the only thing porting does is make the gun louder.
 
There is another interesting forum I belong to called ShotgunWorld that is basically only shotguns, Skeet and Trap along with a bunch of other shotgun related areas. You should go there sometime and look up "porting" you will see hundreds of posts regarding this subject. You will also find that 9 out of 10 people that have porting say it does little if any good, save your money and shoot more.
I have a Browning 4 barrel set I use for skeet. One time at a big shoot there was a gunsmith on site that did porting. Between events I had my BOTTOM barrel ported thinking it might help with lift and recoil so that my 2nd shot could be faster and with less adjustment. I went to the next event expecting some improvement. Personally I saw none that I could tell except the gun made more noise. Porting of a shotgun doesn't work like a rifle, there just isn't enough high pressure gas to allow much if anything to happen. I now have personal experience and all the science didn't seem to make a difference. Am I glad I ported,, yep,, did I waste my money,,, yep. Would I do it again,, Nope
 
The pattern tightenin from the Vang barrel is not from the porting, but from Hans backboring. The porting may, and I repeat may, reduce muzzle rise, but it does nothing for patterning.
 
I second that, Lilysdad. The porting only decreases the muzzle rise which is beneficial for Law Enforcement and Military use. Death from Afar, your exhuberance is noteworthy, but porting will not improve your patterning.
 
Allow me to retort.

The post above notes that a "fool" buys a ported barrel.
Vang Barrels are ported.
Ergo, a "fool" buys a vang barrel.

My point:
Vang Barrels are ported
Vang Barrels tighten up your pattern
Ergo, a clever man, a gentleman, and killer of thousands of rabbits buys a vang barrel.

They sure are hard on your ears though.
 
Vnag will sell you an unported barrel upon asking. Guess what, it costs less, therfore there is a lower level of profit. Vang is a businessman forst and foremost.

Ergo, a smart man buys an unported Vang, and enjoys the same patterning, at a lower cost and noise level.
 
I have a ported 835 and it feels no different that my unported pump gun. No less recoil, no less muzzle rise, & very little extra volume. I've owned a few ported firearms and I'm just not sold on the idea at all. I'd much rather keep all my barrels unported.
 
Interesting question about porting for a tactical application. Never having seen a ported fired in the dark, I'm just guessing but....wouldn't porting increase muzzle flare right into the line of sight of the shooter? This could further degrade the ability to see clearly for a follow up shot.

I just took a look at the Remington line of tactical/law enforcement guns and none of them are offered with a ported barrel. It it was an advantage that the buyers would benefit from wouldn't you expect it to be available?

Anyone with practical experience on this?

Jeff
 
Mr. Mulliken,
Vang and Remington have a very mutual relationship when it comes to their respective busineses. Vang will not make shotguns and Remington will not port their barrels. Vang is the only aftermarket supplier of upgrades that Remington will warrant and stand behind. That is to say that if you have anybody else's upgrades done to your 870, 1100 or 11-87 and it later needs some repair, Remington will not cover it under their warranty.
Also, I've test-fired many a shotgun for Vang and the muzzle flash from a ported barrel is negligible. I understand that many agencies use his ported configuration except DEA which will not allow it.
Call him and talk about it. He is always happy to chat with naysayers and such.
 
Interesting stuff,

Any idea why DEA wont use the ported barrel?

Vangs website indicates that porting reduces muzzle flash by up to 50%.

Remington sold the models 396 and 11-87 with factory porting on the barrels.

Jeff
 
SRG,

I think that Vangs reputation and credibility are clear. They do quality work, stand behind it and attract a loyal cleint base. But there are some misconceptions to clear up from your last post.

I called Remington customer service, they were clear:

Mods by Vang (or their competitors) null the warranty.

I emailed Vang, and got the following reply:

Good Morning

We are a Remington factory LE warranty station. The modifications we make to the barrel do affect the factory warranty. However, we stand behind our products and will warranty not only the barrel but all work we perform. Thank You for your interest in our products: Ken
 
Mr. Mulliken,
This is a quote from Remington's Field Service Support Manager, Mr. Ken Nickerson; "The use of Vang Comp. Tactical Systems' products on Remington firearms will not void the warranty."
As is the case with many contacts by phone, sometimes the person you're talking to is not familiar with company policy.
 
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