The advantage of a ported barrel

H

Hotboy

New member
I plan to make my first handgun purchase in a month or so after I complete a Basic Firearms course and try a few rental handguns at the range to see what feels right.

Right now, I am leaning toward 4-inch .357's like SW686, used SW66, Taurus 65, 66, 608, or Ruger KGP 141. Out of all these, only the 608 has a ported barrel and I'm wondering whether you'd recommend that a newbie like me:

- stay away from a ported barrel for some reason
- buy one because the reduced recoil is easier to handle
- try one (if possible) and decide for myself (duh!)

I don't know whether the local ranges have the 608 for rent. From what I've read, the only disadvantage to having the ported barrel is the (arguable) extra flash during night shooting.

I'd be using the gun primarily for range shooting and keeping for peace of mind at night. Are there any other .357's with 4-inch ported barrels that you would recommend that I look at?

The other issue that I haven't seen much info on is the advantage/disadvantage of full barrel underlug versus the shorter underlug. I would guess that it's primarily a feel issue for the shooter.

Any words of advice for me?

Thanks!
 
A few observations in random order from one newbie to another.

A ported barrel does not reduce recoil. It reduces muzzle flip, or muzzle rise. It may actually increase felt recoil, as the same energy is there and the handgun is forced to go up less, and back more. So you feel it pushing back at you more rather than back and up. The barrel will still rise, but not as much.

The only time I would shy away from a ported firearm is if it was specifically purchased for self defense. If it was a range/nightstand gun, and not a snubbie, I wouldn't be too concerned about the porting.

Any carry gun, even a 1911 would serve you better un-ported. I would be more concerned about crap getting blown into my face than loss of night vision. if you ever have to shoot with a gun held close to your body or in any position other than at arm's length, a ported weapon could be bad news.

Underlug=feel issue.

Four inch Colt King Cobra. Shop hard and long. It will be worth it.

Or, I could be completely wrong, as usual.:D
 
A lot of people say to stay away from the ported barrels. Wether or not they are right, I don't know. I do plan on getting one soon to find out though.
 
I have the Taurus Tracker thats ported. I have noticed that it kicks a little harder than my 2 1/2 inch S&W 686 357 mag did. The porting keeps the muzzle from flipping up as much. It does create quite an upward flash but any 357 barks fire out the front and sides anyway. I would't use this for conceal carry cause of the fact that the upward flash might inhibit my night vision. I got mine for carry out in the great outdoors. A lot of dangerous wildlife out here. Both 2 and 4 legged depending on how far south you go.
 
Lennyjoe -
Is that the Titanium version of the Tracker that you have? Does it have a 4" or 6" barrel? What do you think of it overall?
 
Its the 4" Stainless steel version. I like it very much. I have put around 1000 rounds through it so far and have had no problems whatsoever. The adjustable sight is nice. The thing I like best about it is the grip. Taurus calls it the ribber grip and it takes alot of the shock out of the recoil. I opted for the SS version cause the wife loves to shoot to and figured the Titanium would kick too much for her. Its my second Taurus weapon and so far no problems. I think the Taurus of new is putting out excellent products. People tend to remember the past too much. They have come a long way over the years.
 
Thanks for the review. I am really considering the Titanium Tracker with a 4" barrel. It all depends on how things go when I get to AZ.
 
My first revolver purchase was a stainless steel 4" Taurus Tracker. Because of the porting and the serrated rubber grip, I noticed no recoil or muzzle flip. But I did not like the fact that the instruction manual nixed dry firing, nor the fact that it had a PC locking mechanism in the hammer, so I took it back to the dealer and got a Ruger KGP141.

Before I had it ported by Jack Weigand, the KGP141's muzzle flip & recoil were painful to me; but I'm old and arthritic.
 
I've fired a ported SP101 and a non-ported model side by side for comparison. The ported model "felt" like it had significantly less recoil and muzzle flip.

I would have liked both guns chrono'd w/the same load to see if there was a significant loss out of the ported gun. Anyone done that?
 
"A ported barrel does not reduce recoil."

Sure it does...if the ports are angled backwards as well as up; and most of them are. :cool:

If muzzle-flip were the only concern, the ports would be cut [or EDM'd] at an angle 90* to the bore axis. Most porting is done at an included angle somewhere between 45-90*...usually closer to 90* than 45*.

And most porting these days is angled outward somewhat from the centerline of the barrel so as to vent hot gases away from the line of sight.

So...if you're actually shooting the firearm, gases are going to go up, out and slightly rearwards.

Less recoil and less muzzle flip!
 
I have two ported pistols, and am very pleased with both of them. They are a Total Titanium Taurus 38 snubbie, and a Glock 19c. Both have been shot alot, and have performed perfectly. I have never felt as if I was in any danger due to their ported barrels.

mytaurusm85tibarrel.jpg


myg19c3.jpg
 
I have a ported semi-auto (Springfield V-16 longslide) and a ported revolver (Taurus 4" .41Mag), and I like them both.

I would not care to have a ported snubby or a ported 1911 that was a carry gun. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I don't want to shoot that kind of a weapon from inside a coat pocket or in the middle of a wrestling match. Such an event will probably never occur, but then the chances of me using a weapon defensively are not real great, either.

On a range gun, porting is an option that I can take or leave. On a defensive weapon, I'll leave it. Just my opinion. If porting works for you, that's great.
 
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