Porting?

[Brohawk]

I'm glad I found this board so I can tap into others' experiences. In considering a more powerful round, I'm also thinking about recoil. Not in the sense of "I don't want a gun that kicks", but with the thought of being able to put multiple rounds on target quickly.

I've heard a couple pros & cons regarding ported barrels. On one hand some say they are great for reducing muzzle jump so you can stay on target, and on the other hand some say you shouldn't shoot a ported pistol in your pocket (Sorry- I couldn't resist that one! ;D) But seriously, is the upward flash that much of a problem? One pistol I'm looking at is the Springfield XD-40 V10 with the ported barrel.

Thanx for your opinions.

[XavierBreath]

Ported weapons are great if you like shooting at paper. If you are planning to pack the pistol, and therefore may have to use it defensively, I have to say that unported is better. In a defensive situation, you may not have the luxury of holding the gun away from the body. Those gases can do a lot of damage. Same principle as keeping your fingers away from a revolver's cylinder while firing.

Just my 2 cents. A couple of my target nrifles are ported, my handguns are not.

[DoubleAction]

Brohawk;For some handguns the issue of porting is a senseless discussion.I have a 3" S&W .44 magnum and it exhales flame like a torch without any porting.Most of the semi-autos that I have with ports or comps is for recreational shooting.I shot a friends Springfield V-10 at the range and my Series 70 Colt Commander ,with it's unported barrel ,with 185 gr. +P Gold Dots and it made his Springfield look extremely bad.If you want a compensated Target pistol for a reasonable price, get one that will give some results;I am fond of the Sig 229 Sport in .357 sig for the money.