Semi-Auto Barrel Porting

[Ken Kwiat]

Since I've gotten such great advice on this thread before, let me throw another question at the experienced Clays shooters.

It seems like most of the serious Clays shooters that I see with O/Us have their barrels ported -- I assume for basically the same reasons we port/compensate our Open guns, reduced muzzle flip & quicker pick up esp. when shooting doubles.

The semi-autos seem to be a 50/50 (or less) as best I can tell.

By the same logic, does a well-executed (by a Clays-peaked gunsmith) series of ports help with semi-autos? BTW: I'm a very happy Ber. 391 convert after the advice I received here. I only mention that if someone has a horror story of ruining a 391 barrel...

Thanks in advance.

[EricW]

I called up Angle Port and asked how much recoil reduction I'd get if I ported my 391. The answer: "About 1%."

Chamber pressure max on a shotgun is about 7-8000 psi. By the time the wad travels 26" and most of the gas heads out the gas ports, I have a tough time believing that porting on an auto does squat. On a fixed-breech gun, I'd believe porting helped. The $50 forend weight from Cole's probably is more effective in reducing muzzle rise on a 391 than porting.

[/Curmudgeon Mode]

[JD45]

Most of the top guys shoot ported guns, but I will never believe that it helps at any shotgun port other than world champ level pin shoots.

They make one heck of a racket, give you something difficult to clean, and don't really do anything for your shooting. Nevertheless, they sell guns with porting like hotcakes.

[JD45]

Oh, if you want a softer kick, try some guns with mercury recoil reducers and especially the Gra-coil type devices that install in the butt-stock. I can't seem to get the feel for the shock absorber (Gra-coil) types. I always collapse them a little when I mount the gun ( to a different length each time).

[gunboy]

I have owned and shot many ported and unported competition guns and would say its greatest attribute is lowering muzzle jump.... espicially on the semi autos making revovery shots quicker. The downside is a lot of folks just dont like being around them as they are a lot louder...more so in sports where your likely to stand beside rather than behind i.e. sporting, 5-stand, trap. I have not found significant reduction in actual felt recoil. I think Ballistic specialties is the most effective and easiest to keep clean.

[blackdragon]

I would save your $ spend it on Shells. I don't notice the difference.

Ivan

SCS Vegas

[ranger]

I won a coupon for free barrel porting at a recent tournamant. I gave it away - I do not want to port anymore shotgun barrels. I have several shotguns with ported barrels and I do not think they help.

I am shooting a Beretta 391 12 gauge Sporting Clays with 30 in barrel and it is not ported.

You are better off adding weight to the shotgun or (gasp) shooting lower recoil shells.

[Airedale]

Ken,

I have backed down from a high of 5+k targets per year down to about 300 targets this year (burnout). I've shot tons of skeet and sporting, a little trap (boring IMO), live flyers, and helice.

I have shot many ported shotguns and don't like them or believe them to be an advantage. Forget all the bells and whistles- changing choke tubes etc.-just shoot a shotgun that fits you. Fit is the most important issue.

Your basic 391 is great (Mrs. Airedale shoots one w/30" bbl.). A barrel weight is the only thing I might suggest.

My current clays gun is a 1898 mfr. LC Smith Pigeon grade live pigeon gun-it's choked .035/.045. It fits me and works well.

Like many others said-save your money and buy shells.

Dave

[Ken Kwiat]

To all that responded -- thanks much.

I will invest in shells and range time instead (in between IPSC practice, of course!).

Plus, for a .38 super junkie, I enjoy the non-piercing report.

I did also get a good clays fit specialist work on my 391 straight away. It does feel very comfortable especially since I've never, ever shot a shotgun that fit me before. An epiphany of sorts.

Recoil reducers: my 391 (the Teknys) came with Beretta's recoil damping system -- I assume this is similar in concept to the Gra-coil type mercury dampeners that JD45 mentions. From my limited experience it seems to work as advertised as I don't get the jarring recoil that I've experienced with some other guns.

So, I guess my obsession to improve on the tool is to add an extended bolt release-button (for my magazine loading damaged thumb) and leave good enough alone for now.

Oh yea, I may try a LtMod choke as well.

See, we IPSC gamers can't leave good enough alone.

Ken

[ranger]

Ken, if you have a 391 Teknys, you have the factory recoil reducer in the stock. The Teknys comes from Beretta to be avery competitive sporting clays shotgun "out of the box".

[Irishlad]

Good decision not to port a target shotgun bbl.

IMHO, I have both ported and non-ported, it is a questionable modification. They are louder and make the bbl more difficult to clean though.

You see them on a lot of O/U's because the manufacturers decided it was a good option to make "standard"...marketing stuff. Some are now offering "sporting models without porting...ha!

Even if they did work work, I think they would only help if you were shooting 2 shots at the same target, i.e. staying on the "same flight path". Otherwise, on many doubles you need to change the direction of your swing anyway and a "reduction of muzzle flip" of a 1/32 of an inch is not noticable on moving targets.

[Tom Freeman]

I had a chance a few weeks back to compare a factory ported Benelli to a non ported version of the same gun.

Putting four fast rounds (0.15-18 splits) on a 25 yard IPSC target revealed the porting did not do much.

The non ported gun climbed to maybe the top of the head. The ported gun maybe climbed to the bottom of the head.

Could have been different with slugs or buck, but all I used was AA Handicap.

Not much gain.

All I shoot at the clay games anymore is a 28 O/U, I am just a weenie when it comes to recoil anymore.

[Ken Kwiat]

Hoser,

As to your recoil weenieness -- it must be all that clean livin'.

But, a 28 ga.? I figured you'd be nailing those birds by now with your T2K.

Your experience is good to hear, it definitely seals my decision. You know, basically my 391 with the recoil reduction system is a darn soft-shooting 12 ga. to begin with. I must be catching the constant "can't leave good enough alone" from a certain Rabbit shooter that we know

I'm curious, how are your scores stacking up in Clays, esp. with the 28 ga.?

I'm finally getting in the upper 60s but well below where I'd like to be.

Henning's getting the Clays bug as well so hopefully we can push each other for some better scores. It sure is a different game.

Take care,

K2

[PacMan]

Hey Ken, I used to own a plain 391 for goose hunting and it was soft as butter even with full power 3" F (or T) shots. The gas operated 391 is much softer than my Benelli M1. I would agree with you regarding the extended bolt release button/device, similar to the Benelli, the Beretta button alone is a pain in the rear.

When are you going to come out and do some 3 gunning with us?

H. Dang

[Tom Freeman]

When are you going to come out and do some 3 gunning with us?

Yeah, thats what I want to know. There is two matches a month....

Clays with the Tubb is tough. It gets easier once they stand still.

Clays with the 28 isnt as hard as it sounds. I can get in the high 70's to low 80's (four rounds of 5-stand, its all I have on base) as long as the shots are inside of 50 yards. I am trying to not get serious about the clay games as its fun and I really want to keep it that way.

I may have shot my last round of 12 gauge outside of IPSC. 200 rounds and I dont feel at all beat up.

I am really looking forward to Pheasant hunting this year.

[JD45]

Another magic recoil reducer for 12ga: 1oz.@1200fps

If it will work in your autoloader.

[QQQQ]

I happen to have 4 30" optima bore 391 barrels, one stock, and 3 ported by "custom" companies (all big names in the sport) and can notice no difference in the recoil or muzzle rise between the 4. Save your cash...and don't forget to change the recoil spring once in a while...your gun will thank you :-)

[michiglock]

I had my 11-87 Magnaported and they also lenghtened the forcing cone area. The porting did little, but the forcing cone work did a lot for recoil rduction.

[Flatland Shooter]

In addition to the lengthened forcing cone, I had Briley bend my stock to fit me. The better fit seems to reduce felt recoil. Also improves my accuracy. Ports did not seem to help me.

[mikey357]

...many years ago, I had my 12 gauge 1100 "Skeet B" ported...went from "B" Class to "AAA" in ONE YEAR...no, it wasn't ALL the porting, but it DID help...YMMV....mikey357

[LPatterson]

For skeet doubles I had MagnaPort do my 11-87 26" barrel and lengthen the choke and it made a lot of difference (to me) on the followup shot. Several of the AAA shooters use ported 391's for doubles & the 12ga event but switch to an O/U for the other 3 guns.

[mooster1223]

I had my 686 ported and when shooting it after shooting a non ported gun, me and the other owner both agreed that it DOES make a noteable difference in muzzle rise. My browning gold evolve is ported from browning and I love that gun for sporting clays. I really do think that there is a benifit to porting a shotgun but not for recoil reduction.

As far as the increased noise levels everyone seems to complain about, the last time I went shooting, everybodys gun makes a noise when they pull the trigger, ported or not. It's no different than somebody shooting the really fast loads that are soooooo common in sporting clays any more. Don't make your decision based on everyone else's potential complaints about noise level. If it's too loud, stand 5 feet further back.