What is the difference between ported and compensated barrels?

There are a few cons to compensators – some real, and some overblown. The first is that the muzzle flash directed upward will negatively affect the shooter’s night vision. This has been mostly debunked. It’s also easily tested on your own. Muzzle flash varies depending on the ammunition used and barrel length. Some combinations can have very large flashes. 

However, most shooters report very little difference between shooting a gun that is compensated versus an un-compensated gun. If the gun is going to flash, then it’s going to flash, but comps do not make it significantly worse. In the military, rifles with flash suppressors are usually more concerned about an enemy detecting the shooter by the flash than the impact on the shooter’s own night vision.

The second common complaint is that shooting in a close-quarters situation could injure the shooter if any of their body parts or clothing get too close to a port. While it is true that you don’t want to jam your finger into a port when a gun is firing, in a real-life situation, the benefit of shooting faster and more accurately vastly outweighs the potential of a minor burn.
 

Third, critics say that porting reduces muzzle velocity because you are venting gases that should be used to propel the bullet forward. In actual testing, there is a small muzzle velocity decrease, but it is negligible, especially at pistol-shooting distances.

Fourth, they make the gun louder. Well, this is true. Ports and comps usually increase the decibels when you fire, but you are already shooting a gun, so…
 

Now the last issue is a real concern. Compensators can affect reliability. Comps add weight and length to the end of your gun. This can change the functioning of certain pistols. Ammunition and pistol geometry all act together to allow the gun to run. If you change something, it can make the pistol work less effectively. 

The best situation is when a gun company specifically designs a pistol with a compensator. They do the R&D to make sure it functions with a variety of ammo in all types of conditions. Home builders who want to modify their guns run the risk of making them less reliable and also possibly voiding their warranty. 

Therefore, do your research to see if your particular pistol and ammo combination will work with whatever comp you want to purchase. You might need to change some springs or your ammunition to get your compensated gun working. Contacting a gunsmith with porting experience or the manufacturer of the compensator is probably a good idea.
 

Conclusion

Do you really need it? Well, for larger calibers with lots of recoil, compensators make a difference. For subcompact 9mm guns, comps do improve the shooting experience by making these snappy guns more controllable. However, for full-sized 9mm handguns, with proper technique, you can make even non-compensated guns shoot super flat. Just watch top-level shooters. Their non-ported 9mm guns barely move at all. That shows it’s really all about technique.  

Ultimately, though, compensated guns are popular because we all don’t have the time or energy to develop world-class technique. Comps are a great shortcut. They also make guns really fun to shoot. Who doesn’t like an instantly more controllable gun? Who doesn’t want to shoot a gun faster while keeping the same accuracy? Go test a compensated gun and try to keep the smile off your face.

1. 08-13-2018, 10:26 PM #1

   There are lots of different ways to help with recoil and muzzle flip in handguns. Two of them are barrel compensators and barrel porting.
   Does one work better than the other?

2. 08-13-2018, 11:24 PM #2

   big differences in each. also big differences amongst just different types of porting, and among different comps. imo most porting is not very effective because it is done on thin barrels and there is nothing for forward moving gasses to act upon. now on thick barrels, or barrels with a rib on them, porting can be very effective. as for compensators, they run the gambit from almost useless to simply amazing how good they work. its all in the design.

3. 08-14-2018, 07:14 AM #3

   I've had several different firearms over the decades that were ported along with others that had muzzle breaks & still do to this day. I prefer ported bbl's on cc/snubnosed/short bbl'd firearms & muzzle breaks on plinkers/range toys. Use the same ammo (full house 357's) in a 3" bbl'd 586/686 and a 586 l-comp. It's a real eye opener. It's nothing to do a 400+ round range session with hot loads in the l-comp. Regular 3"/4" bbl'd 586's, it gets tiring before the 400 round mark. The trade off with the l-comp is it's listed as having a 3" bbl but it is really only a 2 1/2" bbl with the comp hole in the front of the bbl.

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   The 2 dw's have muzzle breaks on them. Not only do they add weight to the front of the revolver, they flat out work. A simple test of taking the muzzle breaks off and putting a standard bbl nuts on them and then shooting the same ammo will show any shooter there's a huge difference real fast.

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   It's nothing to shoot full house 357's (power pistol/158gr bullets) for hours at a time with those dw's/muzzle breaks beating and banging on steal, bowling pins or anything else. I've owned a lot of different 357's over the years and still shoot 3"/4"/6"/8" & 10" bbl'd firearms chambered in 357. Couldn't even begin to say how many 1000's of hot 357 reloads I've loaded/shot. Used to buy a case of ww820 at a time from pat's reloading (a case ='s 4 8# jugs/32#'s at a time) and burn it up in the 357's & 44mags.

   The porting, comps & muzzle breaks have always helps/worked on any 357 or 44mag I've owned.

4. 08-14-2018, 09:21 AM #4

   I shoot several ported guns. We have an amazing S&W armorer in our area that will port them in a multitude of ways. My favorite is boring right thru the center rib and starting small toward the frame and getting larger toward the end. I have a long cylinder SP101 that will recoil slightly down with 180 grain talons. I shoot a 45 acp 625 with 250 grain loads at pins that also has almost no upward movement due to this style of porting. A 40 EAA Witness steel frame factory ported gun works very well, with the right loads. My 6mm/284 has a 30" 1.25 diameter tube and it is breaked, would not give that up other than the noise.

   Ports do not do much other than make noise and smoke if the pressure is not up, but go with a double ball crane lock, properly aligned cylinders and pressure and you have a fine running pistol!

5. 08-14-2018, 10:03 AM #5

   Porting will help with muzzle rise, but a muzzle brake is more effective in reducing felt recoil.

6. 08-14-2018, 11:53 AM #6

   

   Originally Posted by str8wal

   

   Porting will help with muzzle rise, but a muzzle brake is more effective in reducing felt recoil.

   Correct and let me tell ya, if you port with a slight back cant you will get dirty... but it helps even more by aiding in recoil reduction. Not really recommended!

7. 08-14-2018, 07:36 PM #7

   I like mag na ports over a break / comp just to dang loud for me but helps more with recoil

   kids that hunt and fish dont mug old ladies

8. 08-14-2018, 07:48 PM #8

   I am thinking more in terms of controlling muzzle flip that recoil. I don't own a handgun with enough recoil to worry about.
   I am thinking in terms of a faster second shot.

9. 08-15-2018, 10:20 AM #9

   I have 2 Casull's in 454. The 4.5" is ported and the 7.5" has a vais muzzle brake. The Vais was more of a noticeable difference over the mag-na-port ............ for me

10. 08-28-2018, 05:00 PM #10

    Are you talking about revolvers or pistols? Magnaporting in a revolver works very well but on a pistol porting wont touch an effective compensator/brake. Compensated pistols not only help with muzzle rise but also delay the unlocking of the pistol, slowing down slide speed and reducing recoil that way. Its also nice to not have to chase brass into the next county with warmer loads. Downside is they are pretty loud with compensators. I use them on 9mm, 10mm, 45 super, and 38 casull glocks and they do a wonderful job taming spicy loads.

11. 08-29-2018, 01:51 PM #11

    I have exactly one (1) handgun with a ported barrel--a Glock 22C, all OEM. Is is louder than its unported cousin the Glock 23, and I can't discern much difference in recoil or muzzle flip between the two. I might just be an insensitive clod, too. The jury is still out regarding that latter question.

    I don't paint bullets. I like Black Rifle Coffee. Sacred cows are always fair game. California is to the United States what Syria is to Russia and North Korea is to China/South Korea/Japan--a Hermit Kingdom detached from the real world and led by delusional maniacs, an economic and social basket case sustained by "foreign" aid so as to not lose military bases.

12. 08-29-2018, 07:45 PM #12

    Thanks for the replies fellows.
    I believe I will just drop the idea for now.

13. 08-29-2018, 07:50 PM #13

    Lest not forget muzzle blast and depending on Powder, muzzle flash, especially with porting. I had a compensates XD V-10 in 40 back before I knew any better. Concussion gave me a headache and down the road it went.

14. 08-29-2018, 07:59 PM #14

    Most all of them work great for their respective marketing departments.