Ports decrease muzzle velocity, whereas comps do not. Comps also add muzzle weight, which keeps the muzzle weighed down. A comp, plus a tungsten guide rod, feels like an airsoft gun.
Depends on the whole setup and ammo. There's at least one video on here somewhere, where someone actually picked up a few fps with ports. I don't know how, crazy. But, its usually not much of a drop at all. I'll get around to testing mine eventually.
This has been tested by other guntubers. The lose is nearly none. I have both setups with tlr H1 and tungsten. Ports blow away radian. Not even close rapid fire drills.
Exactly. Over and over people say 9mm is just as good as…40s&w, 45 acp, etc. they also say modern gun powder, new bullets…etc. then they run Jell-O shots loads and port their gun. They’re basically shooting less power than 380 acp.
No he actually was speaking English so not sure what your excuse for not comprehending basic English is…your attitude is compensating for something is my guess
One thing not mentioned here is by adding ports you’re taking a bit of velocity out of the system that gets to remain behind the bullet a tad bit longer in the case of the compensator. Would have been interesting to see velocity readings thrown in the mix to be able to quantify that, see if it’s enough difference to make a difference
@@_Delta_P_ I bet that depends a lot on the size and number of the ports, and the powder and how much of it used. Then, the length of barrel also plays a vital role as well..
i've also had a degradation in accuracy, after having a barrel ported.. as well as, with aftermarket ported barrels, vs the stock barrel. i've not noticed that with comps.. once re-zeroed, they seem to stay consistant.. were with my ported barrels, i still get more fliers
QVO Tactical and Tier 1 Concealed both have lots of content with ported barrels and comped guns and have both discussed the difference being negligible. We’re talking 20-25 fps which would amount to less than .25 ft/lbs of energy difference so effectively zero difference regardless of barrel length or port design (Within reason. Meaning any logical setup. Not stupidly massive ports, not 15 holes, ports being located at least halfway down the barrel and not by the chamber, barrel lengths reasonably expected for carry, ammo types reasonably expected for carry, etc.) I have also measured velocity with ported, comped, and normal barrels on a Glock, velocities were all within very small increments, even overlapped some with shitty ammo. Just info I’ve seen and put together on my own. 🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽
I personally run the Radian comp + barrel for on my main carry Glock, apart from not having to send in my gun for gunsmithing work for porting, I can have the extra barrel laying around if I do need to use it for another build or to have as backup just in case somehow my Radian barrel gets messed up. Love the good work you do bro
FWIW, Tier 1 Concelaed did a pretty comprehensive video about this exact subject, with different handguns and different shooters, using both ported and compensated guns. In that particular video, it seemed the ported guns came out on top, over the comp'd guns. Which leads me to believe it might come down to what type of porting a gun has vs which model comp it has. Which then leads me to believe, we're splitting hairs. Ported or comp'd is certainly better than a stock gun. The rest may just be preference. Also, Optics Planet fucking sucks. Order at your own risk.
I had an extensive conversation over email with optics planet about the exact part I wanted. They still sent the wrong one and they wouldn't take it back.
What's interesting here is where the gun falls back down to, moreso than the overall recoil angle. It looks like the ported one restored the sight picture a lot quicker (closer) than the compensated one at least for Micah. My understanding is that muzzle flip shouldn't matter as much as where the gun sits after the action cycles that determines the speed of the followup shot.
So yes. That said some of that has to do with the load. Different loads will work comps differently. For example loads that have higher pressures and more gas will force the comp to dip (like the +p loads) but powder puff loads (like the Jello shots) may not work the comp enough. This is without even considering the recoil spring weight and how lighter recoil springs sometimes help with that dip, but then it’s eating less of the cycling energy. None of this is as simple as, throw a comp on there and hope for the best. For example, my open gun has both porting and a compensator and fires 9 major ammo at about 160% maximum factory load pressures. Even shooting way hotter ammo than anything this Glock can handle, it shoots flatter than any of these guns. It is a system, not just any one thing, that drives how the gun behaves.
@@dsrrecordsent CZ 75 TS Czechmate. It’s set up for USPSA Open Divison. The 9 major load is 124gr @ 1370 FPS, from my math I’m at around 45,000- 50,000 PSI chamber pressure (30,000 is around where most factory loads sit). Just trying to make a point that compensators invert the relationship between felt recoil and bullet energy.
@@jerichorosas 1000% Thank for for the reply and explanation I totally understand the more energy the better the comp will work and your 9mm major loads are phenomenal! 124gr’s rolling at almost 1,400fps is 357MAG energy in an auto! That’s more than impressive and I bet you have NO problem knocking steel down my only question is what barrel length are you running?
I thoroughly enjoyed the entire video. I especially liked the way you used a qualitative judging system, yet acknowledged a quantitative way to interpret the data as well. Great job.
I think a category you should have talked about is price. I assume sending your Glock to get ported is also a lot more expensive than just getting an afterburner. Good video dude! Loved it!
It really depends - and actually might surprise you. Both monsoon tactical and Vulcan machine works port barrels on 1911 and 2011s for 250. Granted this is a send out with sometimes long lead times. The ramjet afterburner is 390 and you have to do it yourself. Final consideration tho, is that porting a barrel voids the manufacturer warranty but a compensator doesn’t
@zachanglin1810 you: "I need a capable semiautomatic compact frame handgun" Glock: "how about the Glock 19?" You: "I'll also need a barrel of horse cum" Glock: "You're not gonna believe this..."
Another negative aspect to the ported barrel, as Nightwood Guns showed on his tests of comps vs ports on his channel, is that when shot from retention ports will shoot out micro fragments of the bullet out of the ports, thus potentially causing injuries to yourself. He demonstrated this and had shrapnel wounds all along his support arm.
He had a really good video. I used his finding to make a decision on my edc (Went with radian afterburner, I have kids and if worse comes to worse and shtf I don’t want to be holding baby in arms with ports)
Comp Pros and cons Added weight and bulk Less tuning required often can run on factory springs Cheaper Flat shooting Ports pros and cons Usually have to mill and cerakote slide and barrel Spalling does shoot out Dirtier gun and optic glass but super flat and fast Usually requires recoil spring tuning Higher cost Cleaner look I have both ported and comped guns I have had to tune my ported guns while comped is usually ready to go depending sometimes they need tuned just depends
No experience in guns irl, but if I had to decide, I'd ask: What do I get from either: Recoil reduction regardless of caliber - do I need/want that? Whats better at that: Kinda the same Is there a benefit to getting a comp vs ports? -> Cheaper, reversible, interchangeable with new barrel, no drop of muzzle velocity, lower flash signature, have a more closed slide Is there a downside to getting a comp vs ports? -> Length + Weight + (subjective: looks/badassness) Do the benefits outweigh the downsides?
Shooting from retention with a ported gun will throw copper jacket shavings into your face! Comped will just throw gas but no metal shavings! Comped is the winner for sure!! Thanks for video! New subscriber!
One thing that wasn’t tested was velocity. Ported barrels usually lose a lot of velocity. The radian setup doesn’t lose any from what I have seen. Excellent video one of the best if not the best I have seen making comparisons on these setups. Great work 💯
I actually did some research on this and found it to be such a negligible loss in velocity it wasn’t worth mentioning. (30 fps being the high end and 5-15 fps on average)
I ran with a ported Glock for a little bit and it kinda sucked. Made the tritium/phosphorous paint on my front iron sights completely covered in carbon after several rounds. It also made cleaning the internals more of a hassle as it gunked up more
@@Bingalzwe’re you running straight line ports ? I think a chunk port would be better since it would move the front sight behind the chunk port and only the front of the barrel and slide would get dirty as opposed to the straight line comps take up a bigger amount of the barrel /slide
@@micahmayfieldA difference of 30fps might be crucial for the expansion of hollow point bullets, especially when micro pistols are close to the expansion threshold. However, for solid copper bullets, such as XD and G9, the practical impact is probably insignificant.
Aside from the comped version just being heavier at the end of the barrel, it applying roughly the same amount of gasses further away from your hand (and thus in a larger radius) would mean more torque, meaning more recoil reduction, even if slightly.
The problem with ports besides reduction in velocity, especially for carry is the shrapnel that it throws out the ports. Try a test where you put a banana peel above the barrel, and then imagine if you are in a life or death situation and you need to engage from retention. Brett from Nightwood Guns channel recently provided an extensive test with all of this.
My ported pistols were ported by Mag-na-port. Their autoporting is a unique system of porting semi-automatics by using a trapezoidal port through the barrel and an oversized expansion vent through the slide to allow maximum dissipation without fouling. The pair of ports are angled, one to the left and one to the right instead of straight up. You don't have the large flash of muzzle blast experienced with systems dumping larger volumes of gases through holes positioned across the center line. Unlike most other types of porting, there's no loss of velocity with Mag-na-ported guns.There's no increase in muzzle blast or night blindness attributed tot heir porting service. Some other ported barrels with more holes that they go farther back on the barrel are a really loud, but I never noticed any change on my Mag-na-ported guns.
@@straplyfedj people like the radian because it’s smaller and doesn’t add too much length, looks aesthetically pleasing. On top of that it’s a thread-less design which makes it 50 state legal
Awesome video bro! Loved the format, and have been looking for good info on this very subject. You have assisted my gun autism greatly today sir, thank you. 🙏
Lets not forget a ported barrel can be swapped for a non-ported/threaded barrel on a whim, a comped barrel needs tools. I personally care about this because i love silencers, but i know the overwhelming majority of handgun owners dont own one. Just food for thought.
While the force is greater coming from a barrel port, the torque arm is longer with a front mounted compensator. The additional weight out front helps with muzzle flip too. For IWB--> ported. OWB-->comped
Cool info! I’d add that the biggest benefit to a comp is that the end of the barrel becomes a striking weapon. You don’t have to worry about pushing your firearm out of battery in a self defense scenario unlike either a ported or unmodified firearm.
I‘m not sure this makes sense. Pushing the comp back will push the barrel and slide back and out of battery since the comp is m attached to the barrel. Essentially it’s no different than pushing back the barrel ans slide without a comp. A weaponlight that extends past the muzzle will however act as a stand off device.
@@Bisley1 a weapon light for sure! But my thinking isn’t necessarily that it could be used as a stand off device in the sense that you could brace up against cover and take a shot, but rather that you could punch forward in a natural motion and you wouldn’t push the gun out of battery. Most semi autos use a locking mechanism that’s cycled by the slide itself pushing on releases and pushing the barrel into the right position, so if the burden is on the barrel to be the strike face rather than the slide you’ll be less likely to push your gun out of battery. This all of course being secondary to all the other benefits of a comp, but I’d still personally like to be able to throw a solid punch over being forced to try and hit something with the grip of the pistol with an axe style swing. But absolutely, add the weapon light for a bit of extra assurance and honestly heft lol
Cqb breaching classes would tell you to get into the habit of keeping your gun close to yourself and not far out there as if you wanna jab somebody in the belly with it. It's fine with a rifle but the only time to do that is if you're out of ammo or need to inflict non lethal
One thing to tally up in the Ports' favor is that you don't need a hex key to take it apart for cleaning. I will 100% misplace it and have to bring one home from my work toolbox, then lose that one too.
Even tho the ported barrel's are alleged to have minimal velocity loss, I've always wanted to see a side by side comparison of how defensive ammunition is effected by the velocity of the ported barrel. Its hard to find ballistic gel comparisons of the two. I feel you and GT have the platforms to provide the the industry the information needed to make an informed decision.
I think you loose about 100 fps with ported and none with comp. I'd like to see a comparison also. Comp still has a full barrel is probably why it's not effected.
@dduffy8245 People are spamming it in the comments and even Micah said it himself in the comment section responses. He lost 15-30 fps from ports so don't worry about it. It'd like losing half a mm of barrel length haha.
@@jason200912 I understand, a lot of what ive read about the ported barrels shows minimal fps loss, however, defensive ammunition is designed for specific FPS's, so I think it would be interesting to see if the minimal FPS loss effected the expansion and penetration of the bullet.
@@scottrenner1576 hollow points perform better with lower fps generally. One exception might be ranger talons which are very unreliable and require super long barrels or the bullet won't open up due to regular clothing. Federal HST, Gold Speer both seem to have no difference whether +p or standard is used. With the exception that 147 HST penetrates 2 inches less at 15" at standard load. If the defensive ammo offers a +p option, it's usually better to take it unless you specifically want 147 HST which for lower penetration. Corbon, barnes XPD, Vortac all use the exact same bullet and in my opinion are the best, most reliable 9mm hollowpoint that expands exactly to double the 9mm original bullet unlike HST and gold dot which only achieve about 150% diameter. The XPD bullets penetrate 13 inches of gel which means it can probably only be used for direct bullet to attacker purposes and cannot be used for punching barriers that you get with 18" gel punchers.
Micah seems to be perfecting the opening shpiel where he sets up the video and thanks all of the sponsors. He's doing it well, which makes more people watch it. He makes it kind of entertaining which also helps. Micah is smashing it. Well done fella!
In a sea of misinformation that is the Internet I really appreciate finding an honest review like this. Like just facts and even an "I don't know" like thank you so much for being honest with us. Like I don't want to buy an opinion, I want to buy something reliable that I can trust my life with. Thanks for the hard work friend
Speaking from experience: Get an extended / ported past-the-end-of-the-slide barrel, as your front sight won't get obscured by carbon after one magazine...
No, the bullet leaves before the gases can slow your fps. But that ported barrel and slide will through so much trash in your eyes and the fire ball. idk if I would edc it. Along with those slide cuts..if you drop the gun the slide can and will brake
@@SpaceRanger187I use a ported G19 and there's no debris back in my eyes. However the slide does get fouled much quicker. The fireball is no more visible than my standard G23 clone.
.1 or .15 degrees difference in angle could literally come down to the slightest difference in grip technique and pressure lol.. I'd say that was basically dead even. Also the Radian is the most effective comp on the market right now, so any other comp would've more than likely performed worse. Parallel porting has been proven to be more effective than a single compensator in multipe videos I've seen. It has to do with the physics of the gas flow. Parallel ports allow the gas to escape evenly at a smoother consecutive flow, or in even sequence, like a wave. Compensators release all the gas at once at the end of the barrel, which is inherently more violent. It's not as smooth of a transition. The guys a Radian definitely know what they're doing though.. The engineering/design that went into that ramjet is superb. There's a reason it costs $400 😌
3 to 5% loss max from ported. I’m running a Zev hype comp & my velocity loss to a solid unported barrel is actually 2.3 to 2.5% max. So it’s VERY minimal…. We’re talking 50 to 80fps.
the blems in that tube you are filming through would drive me nuts, i thought something was on my screen. but this is the video that earned you the subscription… just sayin…
This was a really well done video. I don't have any ports or comps on my pistols, but it was fascinating to see how much they do. Now I'm curious if port or comp would do better or worse with a .45 due to the lower speed and bigger caliber.
I use the Mantis X10 for all of my recoil analysis, it might help you speed up the editing or gathering the data if you want to check them out and use it. It checks for more than just muzzle rise in recoil too, such as recovery time, recoil angle...
One thing to note, guns with barrels shorter than 3.5 inches may have trouble cycling some ammo when you port them so comp is the better way to go in my opinion on stuff like P365s & G43s.
Another argument for porting over comps is holster selection. If you already have existing holsters for a gun you like to carry, if you put a comp on it, you’re gonna need to find or get custom made new holsters to fit your gun for minimal gain really. With porting, your gun will still fit your existing holsters. Personally, between having less weight, less length, and a better holster selection, along with near the same performance, porting is more practical than comps. Just my opinion. Thanks
I bought a G20 length barrel with ports for my G29. It has the ports in the end of the barrel, so I didn't need to have any work done on it, simple barrel swap. Really tamed the snap.
Not all porting is done the same. For best muzzle flip mitigation, you want the ports as far forward as possible. DSC V8 is a good example. Some top of the barrel, inline porting goes back past the center of the barrel. Not as effective.
I own an old 2" .38 special snubbie that came factory ported. It is very flatt shooting. My 10 y/o daughter can shoot it with 1 hand. It is however bright af. Giant fireball, even in the daytime. 2 other things that wasn't mentioned is that porting is also loud af. And you have to keep in mind at all times that bright, hot gasses are moving extremely fast from the top of the barrel. Meaning in a close self defense incident, you'll have to keep the firearm close and rotated to where said hot gasses aren't shooting into you anywhere.....especially your face and eyes. With all that being said, I'm glad that I've got 1 ported gun. It has advantages and disadvantages.
AIM surplus sells some inexpensive ported barrels. Lot of 100-200 range ported slides and the afterburner introduces new points of failure. It probably would make a good competition gun, but I wouldn't want to carry it
I put one in my G17 for steel plate matches. It works quite well for the muzzle flip aspect, but the porting would be horrible for a carry gun, especially close retention shooting.
Micah this video is fantastic. I'm proud to have seen you become a very entertaining yet objective youtuber, virtually overnight! Keep up the great work man, I'll be watching each video. \\
Lol the comparison slow mo footage of the stock glock versus the gucci one looked exactly the same for both recoil profiles. Saved myself however many minutes and answered the question: “do we need this?” For myself
If a compensator can be twisted on to a threaded barrel, that is way better than ports because you can easily switch to a suppressor without changing barrels.
Got the ramjet / afterburner combo. My G19 went from no malfunctions to barely being able to get the first round to chamber. Put the stock barrel back in and zero malfunctions again. BEWARE
Thanks again Micah And crew I really liked the music in general, classical was fitting in that particular piece, the little piece of music just before the night shooting because it was originally used the mid 1970’s motorcycle movie On Any Sunday with the legendary Steve McQueen, motorcycle riding and racing was a huge thing in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s that real men did, but the influx of illegal Allen’s with mother F’in soccer has killed the off road riding and racing of motorcycles, and then the house music which is all like Big 80’s night club music. Thanks again for some real knowledgeable information on ports and breaks.
I’ve seen some great considerations in the comments and one thing of note is that the pattern of the port or comp varies and makes a huge difference in efficacy. Even 2 comps may vary drastically in performance from each other so the same is true when comparing porting to compensating. Ultimately I’d say it’s between integrated comps (that don’t take the extra care threaded barrel comps do) and ported barrels. The rest is up to the pistol setup and the pattern of said port or comp.
For me, the deciding point is that I can use a ported barrel gun in IDPA, but not a compensated gun, unless the compensator is built in (not threaded).
This is what I wanted to hear. Have a Staccato xl. I want to Vulcan machine port it but I wasn’t sure if it was good. Thank you it is at least equal. Heart you guys
That Tomahawk Glock from Veil Solutions and LWS. Get them at Kit Resource. Incredible piece of equipment from some absolutely brilliant and great Americans.
Now do a vid comparing these against a properly comped and ported IPSC/USPSA Open division racegun. With most of these 'carry' comps they don't have enough volume and your typical 9mm ammo won't be producing enough gas and pressure to really drive them so they lose efficiency.
![ARGENTINA vs. BOLIVIA [6-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 10](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/C3wPtKNbAOA/mqdefault.jpg)
Is your camera man gonna open a YT channel about guns?
Underrated comment lmao
Sounding a little salty there. Why don’t you open a YT about guns then get a cameraman who will then do the same
😂 God I hope so... Let it be a thing
Lmao 😂
@@11BReloit’s a joke… you’re the one sounding angry…
I like this micha guy. He should do a collab with garand thumb wouldnt that be crazy
Garand who??? :-)
😂
That would be siiiiick!
Dork comment.
Dammmnnn
Damn that camera tracking synced to the slide was _slick_
Glad you made your own channel man really enjoying your content.
I went from a G17 duty gun to a G45+Afterburner, Size remained the same no need to switch holsters and a much flatter shot. Love it. Great video.
Literally thinking about doing the same switch. lol
Friendly reminder, remember RAPPS:
Religion
Assembly
Press
Petition
Speech
How do you like it? Is it worth it?
@@davidparrales1175 the radian ramjet and afterburner fucks, just buy it already
what if i put an afterburner on my 17 lmao
Ports decrease muzzle velocity, whereas comps do not. Comps also add muzzle weight, which keeps the muzzle weighed down. A comp, plus a tungsten guide rod, feels like an airsoft gun.
This. What's the measured velocity lost from being ported? Seems like the equivalent to an inch of barrel, which has an impact.
Depends on the whole setup and ammo. There's at least one video on here somewhere, where someone actually picked up a few fps with ports. I don't know how, crazy. But, its usually not much of a drop at all. I'll get around to testing mine eventually.
This has been tested by other guntubers. The lose is nearly none. I have both setups with tlr H1 and tungsten. Ports blow away radian. Not even close rapid fire drills.
Exactly. Over and over people say 9mm is just as good as…40s&w, 45 acp, etc. they also say modern gun powder, new bullets…etc. then they run Jell-O shots loads and port their gun. They’re basically shooting less power than 380 acp.
@@DTex.45ACP It’s incredibly negligible. We’re talking 20-30fps. Effectually zero.
I would be interested to see a 10mm version of this video, as the muzzle flip is much more acute.
You mean, 9mm doesn't need to be comped?
No he actually was speaking English so not sure what your excuse for not comprehending basic English is…your attitude is compensating for something is my guess
@@5whiskey5
you mean, i can comp whatever the fuck i want because its mine?
@@DoraTheMFDestroya of course you can. You do you, Boo Boo. 😘
@dorathedestroya2449 ive seen a comp for 22lr so yeah
I never comment, but I really appreciate you using Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 for mood music.
I second this😂🤌🏼
Love that he’s branching out and doing his own thing mad props
One thing not mentioned here is by adding ports you’re taking a bit of velocity out of the system that gets to remain behind the bullet a tad bit longer in the case of the compensator. Would have been interesting to see velocity readings thrown in the mix to be able to quantify that, see if it’s enough difference to make a difference
It’s been shown that ported barrels have negligible decrease in velocity.
@@_Delta_P_ I bet that depends a lot on the size and number of the ports, and the powder and how much of it used. Then, the length of barrel also plays a vital role as well..
i've also had a degradation in accuracy, after having a barrel ported.. as well as, with aftermarket ported barrels, vs the stock barrel. i've not noticed that with comps.. once re-zeroed, they seem to stay consistant.. were with my ported barrels, i still get more fliers
My first thought on seeing the thumbnail. I came here to say this myself.
QVO Tactical and Tier 1 Concealed both have lots of content with ported barrels and comped guns and have both discussed the difference being negligible. We’re talking 20-25 fps which would amount to less than .25 ft/lbs of energy difference so effectively zero difference regardless of barrel length or port design (Within reason. Meaning any logical setup. Not stupidly massive ports, not 15 holes, ports being located at least halfway down the barrel and not by the chamber, barrel lengths reasonably expected for carry, ammo types reasonably expected for carry, etc.) I have also measured velocity with ported, comped, and normal barrels on a Glock, velocities were all within very small increments, even overlapped some with shitty ammo. Just info I’ve seen and put together on my own. 🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽
I personally run the Radian comp + barrel for on my main carry Glock, apart from not having to send in my gun for gunsmithing work for porting, I can have the extra barrel laying around if I do need to use it for another build or to have as backup just in case somehow my Radian barrel gets messed up. Love the good work you do bro
It would be interesting to see how a Glock 17C compares to these two.
I like my 17c but its recoil from a 17 is negligible.
FWIW, Tier 1 Concelaed did a pretty comprehensive video about this exact subject, with different handguns and different shooters, using both ported and compensated guns.
In that particular video, it seemed the ported guns came out on top, over the comp'd guns. Which leads me to believe it might come down to what type of porting a gun has vs which model comp it has.
Which then leads me to believe, we're splitting hairs. Ported or comp'd is certainly better than a stock gun. The rest may just be preference.
Also, Optics Planet fucking sucks. Order at your own risk.
It's exactly that. It's not port vs comp but rather how each is done.
Facts, I've had issues with my last 3 orders through them
@@David-cy2ug They're legit terrible. I have no idea how they are still in business.
I had an extensive conversation over email with optics planet about the exact part I wanted. They still sent the wrong one and they wouldn't take it back.
@@brody7020 They are assholes, liars, and their "customer service" is terrible.
This video was actually super valuable for providing solid benchmark recoil and aftermarket comparison. Bussi indeed!
What's interesting here is where the gun falls back down to, moreso than the overall recoil angle. It looks like the ported one restored the sight picture a lot quicker (closer) than the compensated one at least for Micah. My understanding is that muzzle flip shouldn't matter as much as where the gun sits after the action cycles that determines the speed of the followup shot.
So yes.
That said some of that has to do with the load. Different loads will work comps differently. For example loads that have higher pressures and more gas will force the comp to dip (like the +p loads) but powder puff loads (like the Jello shots) may not work the comp enough. This is without even considering the recoil spring weight and how lighter recoil springs sometimes help with that dip, but then it’s eating less of the cycling energy.
None of this is as simple as, throw a comp on there and hope for the best.
For example, my open gun has both porting and a compensator and fires 9 major ammo at about 160% maximum factory load pressures. Even shooting way hotter ammo than anything this Glock can handle, it shoots flatter than any of these guns. It is a system, not just any one thing, that drives how the gun behaves.
Both guns had different stippling. So the green ported one could have been rotating/slipping in the hand? 🤷♂️
@@jerichorosaswhat pistol platform?
@@dsrrecordsent CZ 75 TS Czechmate. It’s set up for USPSA Open Divison.
The 9 major load is 124gr @ 1370 FPS, from my math I’m at around 45,000- 50,000 PSI chamber pressure (30,000 is around where most factory loads sit).
Just trying to make a point that compensators invert the relationship between felt recoil and bullet energy.
@@jerichorosas 1000% Thank for for the reply and explanation I totally understand the more energy the better the comp will work and your 9mm major loads are phenomenal! 124gr’s rolling at almost 1,400fps is 357MAG energy in an auto! That’s more than impressive and I bet you have NO problem knocking steel down my only question is what barrel length are you running?
0:17 is a great camera trick. Reminds me of the shinning axe to the door scene.
I thoroughly enjoyed the entire video. I especially liked the way you used a qualitative judging system, yet acknowledged a quantitative way to interpret the data as well. Great job.
Nerd.
I think a category you should have talked about is price. I assume sending your Glock to get ported is also a lot more expensive than just getting an afterburner. Good video dude! Loved it!
It really depends - and actually might surprise you. Both monsoon tactical and Vulcan machine works port barrels on 1911 and 2011s for 250. Granted this is a send out with sometimes long lead times. The ramjet afterburner is 390 and you have to do it yourself.
Final consideration tho, is that porting a barrel voids the manufacturer warranty but a compensator doesn’t
I want ALL the Glockness, I want a port, a comp, a 10-inch suppressor, stippling, extended mag, switch……
Official glock 🐎 jiz
WHAT DID HE SAY AT THE END THERE
@zachanglin1810 you: "I need a capable semiautomatic compact frame handgun" Glock: "how about the Glock 19?" You: "I'll also need a barrel of horse cum" Glock: "You're not gonna believe this..."
@@minusmartin🐶🔫👮♂️
@@johnthomson2377 someone somewhere said “better rufus than me” and really stood by it
Another negative aspect to the ported barrel, as Nightwood Guns showed on his tests of comps vs ports on his channel, is that when shot from retention ports will shoot out micro fragments of the bullet out of the ports, thus potentially causing injuries to yourself. He demonstrated this and had shrapnel wounds all along his support arm.
He had a really good video. I used his finding to make a decision on my edc
(Went with radian afterburner, I have kids and if worse comes to worse and shtf I don’t want to be holding baby in arms with ports)
@@JustinV911 absolutely. Gas isn’t comfortable but ultimately isn’t going to hurt any unintended targets.
Those fragments are flying upwards though. Not backwards.
Could be a eye hazard if you like to hip fire with your ported gun
@@jason200912 that’s why I said “shooting from retention” which is a situation that could happen. Something to consider.
Major downside for sure. Trying to find tests to see if the same shrapnel issue is true for a comped barrel or a internal comped barrel.
Comp Pros and cons
Added weight and bulk
Less tuning required often can run on factory springs
Cheaper
Flat shooting
Ports pros and cons
Usually have to mill and cerakote slide and barrel
Spalling does shoot out
Dirtier gun and optic glass but super flat and fast
Usually requires recoil spring tuning
Higher cost
Cleaner look
I have both ported and comped guns I have had to tune my ported guns while comped is usually ready to go depending sometimes they need tuned just depends
Comps for comp(etitions)
Ports for carry.
Just like right tight memorization
If you run it back go straight irons or use the same optic on both. More weight on the slide causes more leverage and muzzle flip.
As a LEO in Texas, l use a compensated Glock 17 for duty and a ported Glock 17 for off-duty. I really like them both.
Dang, that must be one massive duty holster
@@Camelfacekamala Naw l carry a SAFARILAND 6362 RDS for a Glock 34 mid-ride no issues bro.
@@timoanez4668Did you put the foam in the bottom so the 17 doesn't rattle? If not.. highly recommend 👌
Yeah Texas! I really like ports. But I do have an xmacro and it shoots really well. Super flat. That’s what I carry most days.
@@_Delta_P_ Heck yeah bro that is the way! Stay safe out there 🙏
No experience in guns irl, but if I had to decide, I'd ask:
What do I get from either: Recoil reduction regardless of caliber - do I need/want that?
Whats better at that: Kinda the same
Is there a benefit to getting a comp vs ports? -> Cheaper, reversible, interchangeable with new barrel, no drop of muzzle velocity, lower flash signature, have a more closed slide
Is there a downside to getting a comp vs ports? -> Length + Weight + (subjective: looks/badassness)
Do the benefits outweigh the downsides?
Shooting from retention with a ported gun will throw copper jacket shavings into your face! Comped will just throw gas but no metal shavings! Comped is the winner for sure!!
Thanks for video! New subscriber!
One thing that wasn’t tested was velocity. Ported barrels usually lose a lot of velocity. The radian setup doesn’t lose any from what I have seen. Excellent video one of the best if not the best I have seen making comparisons on these setups. Great work 💯
I actually did some research on this and found it to be such a negligible loss in velocity it wasn’t worth mentioning. (30 fps being the high end and 5-15 fps on average)
@@micahmayfield oh nice, appreciate the response and added info
I ran with a ported Glock for a little bit and it kinda sucked. Made the tritium/phosphorous paint on my front iron sights completely covered in carbon after several rounds. It also made cleaning the internals more of a hassle as it gunked up more
@@Bingalzwe’re you running straight line ports ? I think a chunk port would be better since it would move the front sight behind the chunk port and only the front of the barrel and slide would get dirty as opposed to the straight line comps take up a bigger amount of the barrel /slide
@@micahmayfieldA difference of 30fps might be crucial for the expansion of hollow point bullets, especially when micro pistols are close to the expansion threshold. However, for solid copper bullets, such as XD and G9, the practical impact is probably insignificant.
Stocking cap matching the stache.. instant +10 recoil control
So stoked you have your own channel. Your energy and talent needs to be shown.
Aside from the comped version just being heavier at the end of the barrel, it applying roughly the same amount of gasses further away from your hand (and thus in a larger radius) would mean more torque, meaning more recoil reduction, even if slightly.
The problem with ports besides reduction in velocity, especially for carry is the shrapnel that it throws out the ports. Try a test where you put a banana peel above the barrel, and then imagine if you are in a life or death situation and you need to engage from retention. Brett from Nightwood Guns channel recently provided an extensive test with all of this.
I've been contemplating the Ramjet afterburner. This was satisfying to see it came out on top.
They’re great in my experience. I kept my Glock 45 completely stock outside of the ramjet and have never had a malfunction in 4,000 or so rounds
I enjoy your vids, but I would say this one was one of the better or best ones I've seen from you. Good job Bro
Awesome video...entertaining yet informative...I'm currently weighing the pros and cons of this dilemma and I found this very helpful.
Greatly appreciate the use of Tchaikovsky piano concerto no.1 as background music here.
I'd lean toward a comp because it doesn't require as much (if any) permanent modification
Especially the Radian, since it doesn't use a threaded barrel and can be swapped with ease.
My ported pistols were ported by Mag-na-port. Their autoporting is a unique system of porting semi-automatics by using a trapezoidal port through the barrel and an oversized expansion vent through the slide to allow maximum dissipation without fouling. The pair of ports are angled, one to the left and one to the right instead of straight up. You don't have the large flash of muzzle blast experienced with systems dumping larger volumes of gases through holes positioned across the center line. Unlike most other types of porting, there's no loss of velocity with Mag-na-ported guns.There's no increase in muzzle blast or night blindness attributed tot heir porting service. Some other ported barrels with more holes that they go farther back on the barrel are a really loud, but I never noticed any change on my Mag-na-ported guns.
I run the radian ramjet & afterburner. It’s a game changer. The barrel length is negligible. My Glock 19 still fits in my iwb holster. It’s worth it.
Are you still using a glock 19 holster?
from what i see the pmm is better
@@straplyfedjbut it’s way too long
@@oscarcortez5863 not the pmm micro comp. Its about the same size as the radian. And from many videos i see its better.
@@straplyfedj people like the radian because it’s smaller and doesn’t add too much length, looks aesthetically pleasing. On top of that it’s a thread-less design which makes it 50 state legal
Awesome video bro! Loved the format, and have been looking for good info on this very subject. You have assisted my gun autism greatly today sir, thank you. 🙏
Lets not forget a ported barrel can be swapped for a non-ported/threaded barrel on a whim, a comped barrel needs tools. I personally care about this because i love silencers, but i know the overwhelming majority of handgun owners dont own one. Just food for thought.
Just buy 2 guns 🤪
I decided to do both. A ported compensated barrel. I’m not taking any chances…
While the force is greater coming from a barrel port, the torque arm is longer with a front mounted compensator. The additional weight out front helps with muzzle flip too. For IWB--> ported. OWB-->comped
Hang a heavy lead flashlight and there you go, even more weight.
Add a silencer too for more weight
Cool info! I’d add that the biggest benefit to a comp is that the end of the barrel becomes a striking weapon. You don’t have to worry about pushing your firearm out of battery in a self defense scenario unlike either a ported or unmodified firearm.
I‘m not sure this makes sense. Pushing the comp back will push the barrel and slide back and out of battery since the comp is m attached to the barrel. Essentially it’s no different than pushing back the barrel ans slide without a comp. A weaponlight that extends past the muzzle will however act as a stand off device.
@@Bisley1 a weapon light for sure! But my thinking isn’t necessarily that it could be used as a stand off device in the sense that you could brace up against cover and take a shot, but rather that you could punch forward in a natural motion and you wouldn’t push the gun out of battery. Most semi autos use a locking mechanism that’s cycled by the slide itself pushing on releases and pushing the barrel into the right position, so if the burden is on the barrel to be the strike face rather than the slide you’ll be less likely to push your gun out of battery. This all of course being secondary to all the other benefits of a comp, but I’d still personally like to be able to throw a solid punch over being forced to try and hit something with the grip of the pistol with an axe style swing. But absolutely, add the weapon light for a bit of extra assurance and honestly heft lol
Cqb breaching classes would tell you to get into the habit of keeping your gun close to yourself and not far out there as if you wanna jab somebody in the belly with it.
It's fine with a rifle but the only time to do that is if you're out of ammo or need to inflict non lethal
One thing to tally up in the Ports' favor is that you don't need a hex key to take it apart for cleaning. I will 100% misplace it and have to bring one home from my work toolbox, then lose that one too.
I know you usually work with Garand Thumb but I really enjoy the content you are putting out on your own! Keep up the great work brother!
Even tho the ported barrel's are alleged to have minimal velocity loss, I've always wanted to see a side by side comparison of how defensive ammunition is effected by the velocity of the ported barrel. Its hard to find ballistic gel comparisons of the two. I feel you and GT have the platforms to provide the the industry the information needed to make an informed decision.
I think you loose about 100 fps with ported and none with comp. I'd like to see a comparison also. Comp still has a full barrel is probably why it's not effected.
@dduffy8245
People are spamming it in the comments and even Micah said it himself in the comment section responses.
He lost 15-30 fps from ports so don't worry about it. It'd like losing half a mm of barrel length haha.
@@jason200912 I understand, a lot of what ive read about the ported barrels shows minimal fps loss, however, defensive ammunition is designed for specific FPS's, so I think it would be interesting to see if the minimal FPS loss effected the expansion and penetration of the bullet.
@@scottrenner1576 hollow points perform better with lower fps generally.
One exception might be ranger talons which are very unreliable and require super long barrels or the bullet won't open up due to regular clothing.
Federal HST, Gold Speer both seem to have no difference whether +p or standard is used. With the exception that 147 HST penetrates 2 inches less at 15" at standard load.
If the defensive ammo offers a +p option, it's usually better to take it unless you specifically want 147 HST which for lower penetration.
Corbon, barnes XPD, Vortac all use the exact same bullet and in my opinion are the best, most reliable 9mm hollowpoint that expands exactly to double the 9mm original bullet unlike HST and gold dot which only achieve about 150% diameter. The XPD bullets penetrate 13 inches of gel which means it can probably only be used for direct bullet to attacker purposes and cannot be used for punching barriers that you get with 18" gel punchers.
Best video yet, Micah. Loved the format of this one.
About 17 pistols and not a single Glock but that ramjet may make me go get a G45
Micah seems to be perfecting the opening shpiel where he sets up the video and thanks all of the sponsors. He's doing it well, which makes more people watch it. He makes it kind of entertaining which also helps. Micah is smashing it. Well done fella!
Love these head to head/testing videos.
In a sea of misinformation that is the Internet I really appreciate finding an honest review like this. Like just facts and even an "I don't know" like thank you so much for being honest with us. Like I don't want to buy an opinion, I want to buy something reliable that I can trust my life with. Thanks for the hard work friend
Speaking from experience: Get an extended / ported past-the-end-of-the-slide barrel, as your front sight won't get obscured by carbon after one magazine...
Crack me up mica!! Glad to find the channel!!
Still holding out hope that LWS and KitResources release an unported version of their Tomahawk slide. Would look great with the Radian Afterburner
Shoot kit a msg
I’d be down for a run of them.
@@-LWS- Well damn son! If it happens, mark me down as a buyer!
Ahhhhh, the toys are awesome! A lot create content but you guys are making quality content look easy like it should be. Great job and review!
I wonder if you lose any significant amount of velocity with a ported barrel vs the comp ?
No, the bullet leaves before the gases can slow your fps. But that ported barrel and slide will through so much trash in your eyes and the fire ball. idk if I would edc it. Along with those slide cuts..if you drop the gun the slide can and will brake
@@SpaceRanger187I use a ported G19 and there's no debris back in my eyes. However the slide does get fouled much quicker. The fireball is no more visible than my standard G23 clone.
Top tier production value dude, nicely put together.
First comment! for the algorithm gods
.1 or .15 degrees difference in angle could literally come down to the slightest difference in grip technique and pressure lol.. I'd say that was basically dead even. Also the Radian is the most effective comp on the market right now, so any other comp would've more than likely performed worse. Parallel porting has been proven to be more effective than a single compensator in multipe videos I've seen. It has to do with the physics of the gas flow. Parallel ports allow the gas to escape evenly at a smoother consecutive flow, or in even sequence, like a wave. Compensators release all the gas at once at the end of the barrel, which is inherently more violent. It's not as smooth of a transition.
The guys a Radian definitely know what they're doing though.. The engineering/design that went into that ramjet is superb. There's a reason it costs $400 😌
I wonder if there is a reduction in velocity from a ported barrel.
Curious of that myself
There is, 5-10% loss is average
3 to 5% loss max from ported. I’m running a Zev hype comp & my velocity loss to a solid unported barrel is actually 2.3 to 2.5% max. So it’s VERY minimal…. We’re talking 50 to 80fps.
the blems in that tube you are filming through would drive me nuts, i thought something was on my screen. but this is the video that earned you the subscription… just sayin…
Woulda been cool to see a pmm 320 to compete
a PMM Micro JTC would have been the appropriate barrel/comp choice for this.
All I want is the Mayhem Comp so my glock can look like a warhammer pistol bolted. With a purity seal attached. BUSSI!!!!
This was a really well done video. I don't have any ports or comps on my pistols, but it was fascinating to see how much they do.
Now I'm curious if port or comp would do better or worse with a .45 due to the lower speed and bigger caliber.
dude thanks for doing some nvg content. every time I watch a GT video I always want to see some night time shooting. solid video
I'm going to port your comp, if you know what I mean.
I use the Mantis X10 for all of my recoil analysis, it might help you speed up the editing or gathering the data if you want to check them out and use it. It checks for more than just muzzle rise in recoil too, such as recovery time, recoil angle...
I’ve got a 20$ eBay compensator on my $300 PSA dagger. Mf shoots better than my 19c 😂 💀
I have the afterburner and i carry it appendix and I don’t even notice the extra length. Love it.
The guys out at Louthan Gunworks ported mine and I’ll never look back. Truly life changing!
Videos are getting better and better. Great job Mr. Mayfield
is this guy being astroturfed? how does he have so many guns and such good filming with so few subs? love his vids but it's crazy.
Thank you for updating your videos with the normal screen and not widescreen
One thing to note, guns with barrels shorter than 3.5 inches may have trouble cycling some ammo when you port them so comp is the better way to go in my opinion on stuff like P365s & G43s.
Another argument for porting over comps is holster selection. If you already have existing holsters for a gun you like to carry, if you put a comp on it, you’re gonna need to find or get custom made new holsters to fit your gun for minimal gain really. With porting, your gun will still fit your existing holsters. Personally, between having less weight, less length, and a better holster selection, along with near the same performance, porting is more practical than comps. Just my opinion. Thanks
Dope video, I'm digging the longer format.
Very informative video thank you for taking the time to create and produce this content!
I bought a G20 length barrel with ports for my G29. It has the ports in the end of the barrel, so I didn't need to have any work done on it, simple barrel swap. Really tamed the snap.
Not all porting is done the same. For best muzzle flip mitigation, you want the ports as far forward as possible. DSC V8 is a good example. Some top of the barrel, inline porting goes back past the center of the barrel. Not as effective.
I own an old 2" .38 special snubbie that came factory ported. It is very flatt shooting. My 10 y/o daughter can shoot it with 1 hand. It is however bright af. Giant fireball, even in the daytime. 2 other things that wasn't mentioned is that porting is also loud af. And you have to keep in mind at all times that bright, hot gasses are moving extremely fast from the top of the barrel. Meaning in a close self defense incident, you'll have to keep the firearm close and rotated to where said hot gasses aren't shooting into you anywhere.....especially your face and eyes. With all that being said, I'm glad that I've got 1 ported gun. It has advantages and disadvantages.
I have my Glock slide cut by LWS with the Afterburner set up. Looks great and works even better.
I was a 52c in the army so I kinda know what I'm talking about being the tip of the spear. Comp are just cool
AIM surplus sells some inexpensive ported barrels. Lot of 100-200 range ported slides and the afterburner introduces new points of failure. It probably would make a good competition gun, but I wouldn't want to carry it
I put one in my G17 for steel plate matches. It works quite well for the muzzle flip aspect, but the porting would be horrible for a carry gun, especially close retention shooting.
Micah this video is fantastic. I'm proud to have seen you become a very entertaining yet objective youtuber, virtually overnight! Keep up the great work man, I'll be watching each video. \\
Also worth noting. You can disassemble a ported gun as normal whereas a comp’d gun you need to disassemble differently and have tools.
Lol the comparison slow mo footage of the stock glock versus the gucci one looked exactly the same for both recoil profiles. Saved myself however many minutes and answered the question: “do we need this?” For myself
If a compensator can be twisted on to a threaded barrel, that is way better than ports because you can easily switch to a suppressor without changing barrels.
Got the ramjet / afterburner combo. My G19 went from no malfunctions to barely being able to get the first round to chamber. Put the stock barrel back in and zero malfunctions again. BEWARE
Love the badlands jellos! They are crispy! The 124s they have out now are awesome!
That music was giving me serious Space Cadet 3D Pinball vibes and I love it!
Thanks again Micah
And crew
I really liked the music in general, classical was fitting in that particular piece, the little piece of music just before the night shooting because it was originally used the mid 1970’s motorcycle movie On Any Sunday with the legendary Steve McQueen, motorcycle riding and racing was a huge thing in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s that real men did, but the influx of illegal Allen’s with mother F’in soccer has killed the off road riding and racing of motorcycles, and then the house music which is all like Big 80’s night club music.
Thanks again for some real knowledgeable information on ports and breaks.
I’ve seen some great considerations in the comments and one thing of note is that the pattern of the port or comp varies and makes a huge difference in efficacy. Even 2 comps may vary drastically in performance from each other so the same is true when comparing porting to compensating.
Ultimately I’d say it’s between integrated comps (that don’t take the extra care threaded barrel comps do) and ported barrels. The rest is up to the pistol setup and the pattern of said port or comp.
For me, the deciding point is that I can use a ported barrel gun in IDPA, but not a compensated gun, unless the compensator is built in (not threaded).
Thanks for clearing up a huge question. It was as entertaining as it was informative. Cheers 🍻
This is what I wanted to hear. Have a Staccato xl. I want to Vulcan machine port it but I wasn’t sure if it was good. Thank you it is at least equal. Heart you guys
That motion tracking at the beginning looks badass
Video actually starts at 5:55 your welcome for saving your time.
That Tomahawk Glock from Veil Solutions and LWS. Get them at Kit Resource. Incredible piece of equipment from some absolutely brilliant and great Americans.
I have a Glock 19C and I can say it is a big difference over a standard Glock 19.
How is it possible to do that on 2:17? Is that by the virtue of different springs? Every Glock I have shot required both hands to rack the slide
Now do a vid comparing these against a properly comped and ported IPSC/USPSA Open division racegun.
With most of these 'carry' comps they don't have enough volume and your typical 9mm ammo won't be producing enough gas and pressure to really drive them so they lose efficiency.
More techno. I enjoy grooving out while considering firearms upgrades.