1 Oct 99
From a well-known instructor and colleague:
“A student in an instructor class of mine had a similar experience several years ago with an aftermarket-ported Glock .40, shooting Cor-Bon ammo. (In addition to being a firearms instructor, he was also a dealer or rep, both for Cor Bon and for the porting system.) When we got to the weapon retention stance (speed-rock type position) drills, he fired one shot, holstered his pistol, raised his hand, and said he didn’t think he could continue. His face was covered with burned and unburned powder particles. I gave him my pistol to shoot, which can be fired without injuring oneself, at least if you can manage to keep out from in front of the muzzle or close behind the recoiling slide.
I would not recommend (except for shooting games), nor willingly carry, a ported handgun. In addition, while the reduction in recoil and shot-to-shot recovery time offered by the better porting systems may help one mow down a closely-space line of bowling pins faster, I don’t believe porting is likely to provide any significant advantage in defensive use. I also note that the upward muzzle flash in dim light from porting in some calibers significantly impairs night vision (much worse than the muzzle flash alone), and that porting can cause barrel fractures and various other stoppages in some firearms.”
/John