Ya know - all this list of ported gun negatives always seem to be said a lot. And, I've heard it for years (I'm on like every gun forum known to man). But with the new ported Sigs coming out, some reviewers on Youtube have been doing some tests of these guns... To see if these old tales about the negatives of this feature really are true.... Even shooting in a pitch black indoor range, there seems to be no change in night vision as a result of the extra light coming up from the slide.... And, even with tests close to the body, not much is happening unless something is directly against the porting/comp. I found the videos I watched on Youtube several weeks back to be very interesting.
Some of these old stories about this seem to be negated...
Now, I only have my ported 3.1" Shield Plus (instead of a non ported model) because that is the only way the S&W Performance Center sells the gun in that size (at least my 4" Shield Plus is non ported). I wanted the better trigger, and the fiber optic sights, so I went with that version of the Shield Plus as it was the only way to get it.
And, when I got it, I had originally planned to buy a non ported barrel and drop that into the pistol. But, when I later shot the gun with the non ported barrel vs the ported barrel, I found that my group sizes were not as good with the non ported barrel... The ported barrel shot better. I even tried them both on the same range trip. I found that rather strange. But, I ended up just going back to the ported barrel.
Several years ago, I also have previously had a comped 1911 in 45ACP. And, I will say the only REAL negative for a comped/ported gun is the noise factor. It can be much louder than a non ported gun - especially in 45. THAT is something to realize. The ported 45ACP 1911 I had was usually the loudest gun at the indoor range whenever I shot.
I too avoided the factory comped Glocks that were sold over a decade ago, and I repeated the same thought processes on various forums concerning the negatives of ported/comped guns. Years later, though.... I will say that the noise is the only major thing to consider IMHO.
And, I've found that in 9mm, the ported Shield Plus is not that much louder... Less so than the comped 45ACP was...
So, I say - get it if ya want it