I think it’s not easy and could be dangerous. It should be a precise balance of gas flows and barrel strength by cutting out the ports.
Full engineering job to do it right, if feasible or not at all.

 

I'm not doing myself. I'm referring to letting a gun shop that specializes in milling do it.

 

I have had barrels ported for years. What to expect? No increase in accuracy should be expected. A slight but measurable decrease in muzzle rise will be realized if the porting is done properly.

Having said that, I would never have barrel ports milled, but will always have them done via the wire EDM process. This process leaves absolutely no burr inside the barrel, and there is no chance of doing additional damage with tools, which is possible with mechanical milling. I will say that porting will not make a gun more accurate, because that is not the purpose, but porting that is not done properly can absolutely make a gun less accurate.

I use the same porting experts that Jerry Miculek uses, Mag-Na-Port. The cost is negligible and the results are second to none.

This porting was done by mag-na-port for my PPQ. It works like a charm.

 

Thanks for the input. I appreciate it.

 

I have a PC Shield 9 that’s factory ported.
Slow fire; you won’t notice much difference. BUT; when you shoot faster (2-3 shots per second), it really comes into it’s own. The pistol just stays pointed straight.

The small ports also don’t cause any problems for concealed carriers, like some compensated guns might. I’ve shot mine from the low retention position, and there wasn’t even any hint of powder fouling on my white shirt.

Previous thinking was that porting a carry gun wouldn’t work, as it’d blow gasses and fouling up into the shooters face (it doesn’t), and blind the shooter when firing in low light conditions (it doesn‘t). I guess that a lot of those fears were from folks reading “porting” and equating that with a compensator.

 

 

I was debating on getting the factory barrel ported or getting a match barrel upgrade from KKM. I think I'm going to go with a match barrel.

 

Not on a carry gun.
So what's wrong with the factory barrel?

 

It's not just porting the barrel. The slide should be "ported", too. The expelled gas has to go somewhere without blowing out inside the slide.

I know barrel porting on a 5" M&P 9MM works. Felt it, seen it, and like it.

Not sure I've seen/felt the difference between our ported 9MM Shield and unported 9MM Shield. Could be there, just not sure I've noticed it when shooting them.

I'd forgotten about MagnPort. I used to think about sending my 4" M29 to them but just never got around to it almost 40 years ago. Yeah, they've been around for a long time.

 

Just looking to try & improve upon the accuracy of the pistol by going to a match barrel.

 

Match barrels belong in match guns. They have tighter chambers and fit tighter in the slide. You aren't going to see a noticeable improvement in accuracy, but you might see a change in reliability. The best thing you can do to improve your accuracy is practice alot. Have you shot your shield plus yet? They are surprisingly accurate and very easy to shoot well. But it's a carry gun, and reliability is paramount!
It probably won't affect your night vision, it may or may not send debris towards you, and it will decrease your velocity but not by enough to matter.
My take on it, as someone who's been shooting over four decades, and carrying over two decades, is don't needlessly modify your CCW piece. Spend the money burning a hole in your pocket on ammo or training.

 

Question about porting the barrel. At night will it affect your night vision. I have no experience with ported barrels but was just wondering.

 

As far as accuracy, no, it will not make a difference. What it will do, is lessen the jump of the muzzle, a little. In my experience, being with a Glock 23, they will foul the heck out of your front sight, so a night sight is pretty much useless on a comped weapon. On night vision, you will get a little flash, but with good ammo, it will be negligible.

I don't know your capabilities or experience but, IMHO a better option is to spend your money on training. You will get a better feel for your weapon and maybe learn a better way to grip that will assist in your accuracy and control.

Good luck!

 

I see the flash from my 5" PC 9MM slide (ported barrel and slide) while shooting it in the shade or under the overhead cover at the range. Not sure how bright that would be at night. I do see the white dot on the front sight looking "dark/dingy" at some point when I'm shooting it. A quick wipe with my finger/thumb will brighten it up again. Or on my t-shirt tail.

The best thing I did for my 5" 2.0 FDE 9MM was buy an Apex barrel for it. If I can find a 124 grain hollow point load that shoots like the Winchester 124 grain FMJ NATO ammo I'd be happy with it. The Apex trigger kit made the trigger awesome, but didn't make the pistol shoot better groups.

I've had zero function issues with the tighter barrel in the 2.0 5" pistol. But, the statement that they have tighter internal dimensions is absolutely true. You'd need to do a plunk test with new/different ammo before taking the gun and ammo to the range and you'd need to shoot the ammo a good bit to insure it functions correctly.

You guys better quit talking about how accurate the Shield Plus is or you're going to talk me into buying one.

 

^^^^ 🤣🤣