Port job for 2" .357 mag?

[Ironhorse]

My wife's primary CCW gun is a Taurus model 651 - 2" .357 magnum. We're toying with the idea of sending it in to Mag-na-port to have it ported. What I'm hoping for is to get some 'before and after' stories from those of you who've had your handguns ported (especially those with short barrels) to see if the cash we'll be laying out will be worth the reduction in muzzle flip/felt recoil. When I apporached my gunsmith with the idea, his take was (in a nutshell) "You won't be reducing the recoil much, and you'll be making the gun A LOT louder." I trust the man, but still want to verify. Thanks in advance to all who answer.

[Boomboy007]

Minimal effect on recoil, lots more noise (not a small consideration with .357 anyway), and probable seriously deleterious effects on muzzle velocity. Since a two inch barrel gives little room for gas expansion anyway, I think that the end result would not be to her liking if she was ever forced to use her carry gun for defense.

A far better option, IMHO, is to use .38 instead of .357. True, the .357 is powerful, but I used to use low recoil .38 in my snubby .357 S&W, and the effects on denim clad water jugs was almost as good. Plus, it was a lot faster to get back on target.

That said, maybe practice mostly with .38, with a few .357 thrown in, but carry .357 on a daily basis. In a real self defense situation, I doubt the recoil from a full cylinder or two would even be noticeable, at least until after the situation was handled.

[SeanC]

There's always the option of just sticking to a good .38 special load as well. The .38 Winchester Silver Tips are pretty stout, and there's no shortage of .38 +P on the market that should be easier on her than the .357s.

-Sean

[CDW4ME]

I had my older S&W 638 (38 spec.) ported (years ago) and IMO follow up shots were quicker.
I recently bought a new model 638 and I had the gun Mag-Na-Ported before I ever shot it.

[swede4198]

My wife has rhumitoid arthritis which makes here recoil sensitive. Here gun of choice is a ported .357 with a 4" barrel. She has no problems with .38+P rounds. The porting does help her compared to a similar unported 4" revolver.

[Willard Of Oz]

Go over to the Michigan Gun Owners forum and ask over there.

Mag Na Port is in south east Michigan and a lot of the members are very familiar with their work.

Http://www.migunowners.org/forum/index.php

[Ironhorse]

My wife has Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which is why we chose the 2" barrel. She loves the way my 6" S&W model 14 shoots, but the barrel weight tires her wrist in a hurry, and accuracy soon suffers. She can keep that little 2" on target for a long time, and shoots it quite well, even with .357 mag rounds. My hope is that Mag-na-porting would help reduce muzzle flip, and make it easier on her wrist on our range trips. She and I both understand that in a defensive situation, she won't have to keep it on target long, and wouldn't be having to worry about her wrist tiring...1-2 well placed shots with a .357 should solve any problem

I will pop on over to the michigan gun owners thread, thanks