Ported 357

[Trigger Mike]

The smith and wesson is too heavy for regular carry as I don't have any hips so my pants fall down even with a micro 9mm.  

 

I'm not a big fan of Taurus but will think about it.   I have owned a charter arms 45acp and 9mm revolver and they weren't bad but can't shoot shot shells.  The 45acp revolver kicked like a rented mule but the 9mm was accurate,  just not what I needed at the time.  They do make a ported 357 though.  Curious how it is. 

[Widder, SASS #59054]

Taurus does make a couple models that are ported.

And, from my experience of ownership, the revolvers I have owned/shot were well built, reliable and as accurate as I could shoot em.

 

..........Widder

 

[Trigger Mike]

Also will porting make it more manageable?  I have a pinched nerve in my shoulder that affects the web in my thumb.  

[Pat Riot]

A friend of mine had a ported Taurus .357 with a 4" barrel. It was a very nice shooter. I don't recall model number details. With .38s there wasn't much flash from the ports but with .357 it had some flash. The ports did help with recoil. I liked his gun so much I tried to buy it, but he wouldn't give it up. I don't blame him. I have heard people say they had problems with Taurus revolvers, but that one was excellent.

[Utah Bob #35998]

Specifically which Taurus?

I now wear suspenders when toting one of my heavier guns. 

[Alpo]

We had a 4-inch ported 357 Taurus in the rental case. One day it started spitting. Little chunks of crap came flying out from the front of the cylinder. Took a look. The space between the top of the barrel and the bottom of the top strap was packed full of lead. The cylinder did not perfectly line up with the barrel, and when the bullet hit the barrel up at the top of the forcing cone it would shave a little bit of lead off of the bullet. This shaving went into the space at the top of the barrel, until the space was full, but since it was still shaving lead and there was no place for it to go it was kicked out to the side.

 

Took a dental pic and cleaned the lead out of the space, and it quit spitting. For about a year or so, until the space got full again.

 

This is one of the reasons why I will have nothing to do with a Taurus. They are crap.

[Smokin Gator SASS #29736]

I have a Taurus 445 44 special stainless steel ported 2". Great gun. Not a lightweight. Some shooters warn about the flash if you shoot it at night but I've never done it. Don't really know how much the ports help. I've loaded some fairly stout wadcutters from Matt's  bullets for it. Shoots great.

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

[Widder, SASS #59054]

Trigger Mike,

One horror story about ANY firearm doesn't mean that they are all bad.   Check out YouTube and you will find a horror story

about Rugers, Smith & Wesson, Wilson Combat, etc..........

 

Now here is the story about porting and 'DO THEY REDUCE RECOIL"  question.

 

Porting, just for the sake of having a hole or slot located at the end of the barrel,  is effective in recoil reduction based on

its location, number of ports, size and configuration.

And, porting becomes more efficient as the power of the ammo is increased.    In other words, you will get greater efficiency of

a properly ported pistol shooting a hot .44 mag than you will shooting a mild .38 special with similar porting.

 

Because recoil is subjective to the shooter, the type pistol, the type of grips, pistol weight, design and power,   nobody can tell

you exactly how porting might help you.

 

I have a 5-inch Mag-Na-Ported Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter in .45 Colt that I shoot monster loads out of.   YES, the ports 

do help with recoil.

I also have a 7.5 inch non-ported Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter in .45 Colt that shoots the same ammo.  The recoil from

that slightly heavier pistol is basically the same as the ported 5.5".

 

If you want some good info on the effects of ported pistols or rifles, go to Mag-Na-Port's website and read their information.

They know how it really works.

 

 

..........Widder

 

[DeaconKC]

And I want to give a big second to @Utah Bob #35998's suggestion of suspenders. They are a real help for keeping a gun belt stable and if you ever have back problems, will take weight off your hips as well.

[Blackwater 53393]

My Taurus 450 shoots better than I can shoot it. I’ve run, probably, fifteen boxes of assorted .45 Colt cartridges through it and it’s been absolutely reliable and deadly accurate at distances appropriate for a two and a half inch revolver.

 

As I said in another thread, I wouldn’t shoot my “Ruger Only” rounds through it, but I HAVE shot my “pistol caliber long range rifle” rounds with no complaints and hot reloads that surpass .44 mag by a good bit.  Tough little gun!

 

As to the porting issue. When I set out to find this gun, I tried several that were ported, one that was done by a gunsmith and a couple more that were factory ported.  Both of the factory guns had the ports vertical to the barrel and the flash in dark and low light situations was distracting and it took a little time for my vision to return to normal. The professionally ported gun was done with the ports angled to either side with about thirty degrees of separation. The flash wasn’t nearly as distracting and my sight returned MUCH more quickly.

 

 I chose to go for one without porting which caused me to search for quite a while, but if I had to take a ported gun, I would want one with the porting done in a split fashion.  You’re still dealing with the flash, but it’s much more like ordinary muzzle flash in low/no light conditions.

[Tennessee williams]

1 hour ago, Trigger Mike said:

The smith and wesson is too heavy for regular carry as I don't have any hips so my pants fall down even with a micro 9mm.  

I have a 12 ounce 357 magnum smith and wesson. I don't think you will find one lighter.

1 hour ago, Trigger Mike said:

I'm not a big fan of Taurus but will think about it.   I have owned a charter arms 45acp and 9mm revolver and they weren't bad but can't shoot shot shells.  The 45acp revolver kicked like a rented mule but the 9mm was accurate,  just not what I needed at the time.  They do make a ported 357 though.  Curious how it is. 

Porting does make a difference(which could be done to most any of them) but to me grips make a greater difference in felt recoil than porting ever has. 

 

My opinion is, if this is a carry gun and not a fun target gun you will fire 300 times per week felt recoil won't matter much. There's a big difference in firing for fun and firing to save your life. I'd say if you fire it in self defense, the web of your hand will never know it has a round go off.

[Pat Riot]

1 hour ago, Father Kit Cool Gun Garth said:

Thanks Kit. I wasn't aware of this revolver. I will have to keep an eye out for this one.

 

.357 / .38 AND 9mm (with a cylinder swap) How cool is that?

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Look hard at a S&W 340SC.

Just run 38s.

Weights less than 1 lb loaded. 

OLG 

[Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129]

Most manufactures Suggest you abstain from using Shotshells in their guns..

The higher the pressure at the moment before the bullet exits the greater the recoil reduction. 

Port a 30 inch barrel on a 30-06 and the recoil reduction is less than 1% even with the heaviest loads, port a 24 inch barrel and you get 5% reduction . 

Port a 22 inch barrel and you get a 14% reduction, using the same loads in all instances ...

 

Jabez Cowboy

  

[JD Lud]

Only revolver I have ever had spit lead in my face was Rossi//Taurus 357.  It fell apart and I sold it in pieces.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

My experience with ported guns is that they don't reduce recoil much if at all.  Can't eliminate the laws of physics.  What they do is reduce muzzle rise.  Muzzle brakes and compensators are a different story.

[Sedalia Dave]

1 hour ago, DeaconKC said:

And I want to give a big second to @Utah Bob #35998's suggestion of suspenders. They are a real help for keeping a gun belt stable and if you ever have back problems, will take weight off your hips as well.

 

I second the above. I buy the Carhart suspenders with the button tabs and not the clips. Over time the metal clips will tear up any seats you sit in a lot. 

Every pair comes with a set of buttons. You can buy extra buttons and put a set on every pair of jeans you own. I found that if I put the back two buttons on the inside of my jeans instead of the outside that they were more comfortable. For the front two pairs of buttons, install them so that the far left and far right button are about even with the front edge of your pockets.  get them too far to the side and the suspenders don't fit correctly.

 

I use an icepick to make the hole for the stud. Insert it through the hem of the jeans and then place the stud over the button. Always hammer the stud and not the button. I pad the face of the button with a folded wash cloth. Don't hammer on the kitchen table or counter tops as you can damage them. If you make a mistake I use a pair of side cutters to clip the bottom off the button. Then you can remove what's left of the stud and try again.

 

Below are links to the style I wear and extra buttons. prices below are pretty good but shop around as sometimes shipping is rather high. Be sure to shop around as the price varies quite a lot. Especially for the extra pack of buttons.

 

Carhartt A0005521 - Dungaree Suspender

Carhartt A135 - Extra Buttons

[TN Mongo, SASS #61450]

Ruger has just released their LCR revolver in 9mm.  My very petite daughter has my LCR in .38 and loves it.  It's very light weight and felt recoil is better than many all steel model snubbies.

 

Ruger® LCR® Double-Action Revolver Model 5456

[Dantankerous]

I have a Taurus 44 mag Tracker. It is ported. Shoots fine but I do not notice any discernable difference in recoil compared to my other 44 mags. I did not buy the gun for its ported barrel however, I just wanted another 44 mag and did not own a Taurus. 

 

Quality wise it's not a Performance Center Smith but its a decent shooter.

[Pat Riot]

5 hours ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

My experience with ported guns is that they don't reduce recoil much if at all.  Can't eliminate the laws of physics.  What they do is reduce muzzle rise.  Muzzle brakes and compensators are a different story.

Correct. I should have been clearer before. To me, minimizing muzzle rise gives the feeling of reduced recoil but in reality they just reduce muzzle rise. 

[Widder, SASS #59054]

1 hour ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

Correct. I should have been clearer before. To me, minimizing muzzle rise gives the feeling of reduced recoil but in reality they just reduce muzzle rise. 

 

Yea, I should have been clearer also.   Larsen stated it correctly.

 

...........Widder

 

[J.D. Daily]

When my son finished the classroom portion required to be licensed as a paramedic I agreed to by him a 44M hand cannon.  Before I bought I rented a S&W model 29 w/6.5" barrel & a Taurus Raging Bull.  I shot 25 rounds through each.  The combination of the recoil absorbing grips and porting made the Taurus much more pleasant to shoot.   The ports took the nasty wrist twist out & the grips reduced the joint bounding.  My 110 pound wife has shot a cylinder full with the last round a Buffalo bore +P.  She had no complaints until she fired the +P. 

[Tall Tale Todd]

Friends don't let friends buy Taurus

[Trigger Mike]

I sometimes use the cabelas field suspenders with the plastic clip that holds onto your belt.  Some folks gave me a hard time about old men wearing suspenders so I put them over my t shirt but under my main shirt and leave it untucked like  slob.  Sometimes I'm just in a mood for a good revolver.  

[Alpo]

6 minutes ago, Trigger Mike said:

Some folks gave me a hard time about old men wearing suspenders

That's why God gave you a middle finger on each hand.

[DeaconKC]

Taurus' QC has really improved the last 20 years or so. Gotta give em credit and I am a Sig and S&W snob.

One thing to remember if you are CCW with a gun with ports ,do NOT fire it close to you in a retention hold against your side. Those ports will tear your skin, possibly causing serious injury.

[Trigger Mike]

On 2/3/2022 at 3:54 PM, TN Mongo, SASS #61450 said:

Ruger has just released their LCR revolver in 9mm.  My very petite daughter has my LCR in .38 and loves it.  It's very light weight and felt recoil is better than many all steel model snubbies.

 

Ruger® LCR® Double-Action Revolver Model 5456

I have the ruger 9mm revolver and like it and it fires shot shells fine, but it is not as accurate as the charter arms 9mm revolver.   I bought the larger grips for the ruger and will see if the ruger gets more accurate.   

 

I had bought the charter arms to load with shot shells for my son to use as his mom is nervous with a loaded pistol still.  I wanted him to have something to kill the rattlesnakes we have around here.  He wanted a s and w governor.   

[Smuteye John SASS#24774]

2 hours ago, DeaconKC said:

Taurus' QC has really improved the last 20 years or so. Gotta give em credit and I am a Sig and S&W snob.

One thing to remember if you are CCW with a gun with ports ,do NOT fire it close to you in a retention hold against your side. Those ports will tear your skin, possibly causing serious injury.

No ports on a carry gun for me for just that reason.

 

A face full of fireball isn't conducive to accurate shooting and being hit in the face by burning powder might be a tad distracting.

 

Not to mention the smell of burning hair.