Ported or Un-Ported: Does It Really Matter?

Proponents argue a ported barrel is effective at reducing recoil and muzzle rise, but is porting fashion over function? Brent Wheat and Erick Gelhaus join Roy Huntington as he shares the surprising results of a recent experiment, and discuss various situations in which a ported barrel may or may not be preferred. Let us know in the comments - do you prefer ported or un-ported guns?
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[@tc556guy]

Back in the 80s when we were still carrying revolvers, I ported my duty 357. It had a noticeable impact on muzzle rise, and I never noticed any additional noise.

[@dennisl4000]

Great commentary. As my dad told me once, "The glove does not make the ball player." That being said, any advantage in a gun fight is worth having.

[@oldtanker4860]

Way back in the mid 70's my Dept was using Super Vel 125 gr 38's. At night the muzzle flash on the line was so bad you saw the target for the first round then had purple spots obscuring everything. We were convinced you could see the flash from space.

[@rudylane9692]

Jerry Miculek 329PD magnaport test was found to be faster than stock 🤔

[@geneyohannan8382]

I bought my Taurus 4”Tracker 357 15yrs ago because of it being a 7 shot and ported for easier faster shooting. I was new to Missouri, and had come across large cat kills hanging in trees on 3 occasions while deer hunting on conservation land. So I thought I’d like to have a strong round and fast shooting revolver to deliver it. When I did my research at the time this is what I came up with. This is also the gun I use to transition new shooters from 22LR to 38 special. It helps keep on target compared to my other non ported. Funny thing, I didn’t see any big cats till after I bought my own pce of property and started hunting it. 🤠 Gene Eldon Mo

[@fmgpubs]

We haven’t seen any cats here (SW Missouri) but the damn pigs have arrived. I always have a good pig gun handy now. Roy

[@geneyohannan8382]

@@fmgpubs yeah, I’ve seen 4 different large cats here. One was a male and one of the females had a single kitten in the cave back behind my property. I saw her during deer season that year all fat, and then I saw her with her little one in late winter in snow. Neat stuff. Missouri has a lot of cool wildlife. I am looking fwd to the Elk getting here. I have a bugle call so that I can welcome them 🤠 Gene

[@fmgpubs]

@@geneyohannan8382 I'll be damn. I didn't realize we had many. Roy

[@mkshffr4936]

I suspect that loudness is less of an issue with revolvers due to the cylinder gap.

[@tony-PA]

32 loads times 5 in two guns = 320 shots! When Roy said he did it in one day I expected him to say he was tired or his hand hurt. Instead, he said he was surprised by the results. Interesting stuff

[@fmgpubs]

Maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment. But recoil wasn’t bad so it just took time, not energy! Roy

[@TonyYork-KB9RAO]

[@Bill-jv5eg]

Yes, buy you got to spend more money! 😳😳😳