Honestly, if you buddy wants to reduce recoil on a 9mm G17... he needs to learn how to hold it properly. Porting a 9mm isn't the answer. Proper grip and stance will have far better outcome and be much cheaper than porting the 17.

Besides, there really isn't that much recoil to a 9mm to begin with.

Originally Posted by zhurdan

Honestly, if you buddy wants to reduce recoil on a 9mm G17... he needs to learn how to hold it properly. Porting a 9mm isn't the answer. Proper grip and stance will have far better outcome and be much cheaper than porting the 17.

Besides, there really isn't that much recoil to a 9mm to begin with.

I totally agree. A ported barrel also increases the muzzle flash and muzzle blast - and these are not good things. Have him look for the NRA Basic Pistol Course taught in his area.

I have owned several ported ("C" model) Glocks, and still own a G17C. The porting does not really reduce the recoil (the sensation of the gun coming back into your hand), as much as it reduces the upward flip of the muzzle. If a person is already fairly good at firing rapidly and accurately, a ported or compensated weapon will allow them to shoot followup shots even faster in some situations; in other cases (such as multiple targets, where it takes longer to swing to the next target than it takes to recover for the next shot) it will not really help much at all.

As for the flash and muzzle blast, cheap practice/target ammo will flash quite spectacularly in a ported weapon, but quality defensive ammo has flash retardants added to the gunpowder and is not "flashy" at all, even in ported barrels. And once you get above a certain point, loud is loud; if you are target shooting with decent ear protection, neither ported or plain barrel shots will bother you. If you pop-off any ammo WITHOUT ear protection, well, that un-ported barrel will get those bells a-ringin' just fine, too.

thanks all...this was my advice also (to shoot and familiarize with his glock) I guess he just needed to hear it from others...
Much appreciated...

Full disclosure... I have a G32C in .357Sig. There are other issues that present themselves with ported weapons.

1. Firing from retention - If you fire from retention like most instructors teach, you're going to get a face full of hot gas, and that's not good. I've started rolling the pistol starboard to avoid getting gas in the face but it's not as stable a platform when shooting from retention.

2. The 9mm "can" benefit from porting, but the reason I said what I said earlier is because all too often, people look for gizmo's and gadgetry to improve their shooting rather than putting in some meaningful training time. My first reply was a bit short on both patience and information and for that, I apologize.

3. Shooting in an enclosed area will amplify any weapons report... porting makes it even worse. Even with ear protection on, it's uncomfortable and may cause people to develop bad habits (flinching) while practicing indoors or under an awning.

4. Shooting at night - It'll damn near blind you in low light or in darkness. Granted, you'll need to first positively identify any threat that presents itself (flashlight) but the porting does not help your ability to recover from white light exposure.

Originally Posted by DJ Niner

I have owned several ported ("C" model) Glocks, and still own a G17C. The porting does not really reduce the recoil (the sensation of the gun coming back into your hand), as much as it reduces the upward flip of the muzzle.

I agree.

I had a S & W model 29 in a 6" barrel that I shot fairly well. I then bought a S & W model 29 with a 2-1/2" barrel. Instead of kicking my arm up like the larger gun it flipped my wrist back. After just 50 rounds I had such a nasty bone bruise on my shooting hand (web-thumb side) that I could not hold the weapon for almost 6 months.

I shot a Magnaported version later on and it flipped up much less (but was not as comfortable as the 6" gun was). Barrel length has a bigger effect than porting. But in the end, any shooter should be able to handle a full sized weapon with 9 mm rounds. This is not a very formidable round to shoot. Especially not out of a Glock.