I have seen G17's and G19's with compensated barrels.
Is there any real advantage or is it just a sales gimmick ?
Is there any real advantage or is it just a sales gimmick ?
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DeraldR
Is there a real advantage in having a compensated slide ?
1 reading
In my opinion only as a competition gun. A comped gun blows gases up and in a defensive close retention situation it’s just something else to worry about. It also reduces bullet velocity and will reduce power factor of the projectile when you need it most. In competition it would reduce muzzle rise and decrease time on target.
I've considered one for a G21 and 45 Super but not for a 9mm or even my G20 10mm. I doubt it would be worth the cost and reliability issues for the 9mm. If you like playing with handloads and springs it's a great past time. For 9mm, myself, I'm thinking suppressor.
My 19C is noticeably flatter shooting then my G19. It's more effective than a lot of actual comps.
From Omaha outdoors' test:
![Image]()
https://www.omahaoutdoors.com/blog/2018-king-pistol-comps-glock-compensator-review/
From Omaha outdoors' test:
https://www.omahaoutdoors.com/blog/2018-king-pistol-comps-glock-compensator-review/
Poser bait. Theoretical, and placebo effects.
The more features (ridges, bumps, cuts) you can put on the gun, the more you can pose or brag with it. Looks good in gun pics, makes you ninja operator.
Like "compensators" put on the end of rifles-- some work, most are cosmetic. Price correlates with brand. and what it looks like...no one can prove what effect it actually has over "control".
The more features (ridges, bumps, cuts) you can put on the gun, the more you can pose or brag with it. Looks good in gun pics, makes you ninja operator.
Like "compensators" put on the end of rifles-- some work, most are cosmetic. Price correlates with brand. and what it looks like...no one can prove what effect it actually has over "control".
WOW that is mindblowing internet stuff! 50-70% reduction in muzzle rise!!
Gotta run out and get me some of that recoil reduction magic--- I'm surprised that is not standard equipment in all handguns sold--- and all Ninja spec-ops are not using "agency-mini".
Obviously the frames were different in each tsst-- were the internals different too (recoil springs, frame to slide resistance)? The comped sample would have been the lightest--- how did they compensate for gun weight differences?
What torque settings did they have on the Ransom Rest. I wonder if those results are linear, or if the deflections go to zero or infinity at the same rate? Perhaps a strain gauge attached to point on frame to measure deflection forces at given torque settings.
Was this study biased-- YES- since the observer was not blinded to the actual sample being tested. Did the study people have conflicting interests?
Only compensated pistol I have is a S&W 45 Shield. Bought it for the fiber optic sites.
Nope...from what I can tell the only good thing about the holes in the top of the barrel is to impress any stupid friends you may have.
If you are a real shooting master in competition, then maybe it makes a difference, but nothing this idjit can notice.
Nope...from what I can tell the only good thing about the holes in the top of the barrel is to impress any stupid friends you may have.
If you are a real shooting master in competition, then maybe it makes a difference, but nothing this idjit can notice.
The 34 has a compensated slide but that is to reduce the weight of the longer slide to allow the use of a 17 recoil spring. I have a 20C for which I also have an aftermarket unported barrel and don't really notice the difference between shooting the ported or unported barrels.
The OP's thread title says "compensated slides", which implies a "ported barrel". However, the OP's initial post text is contusing because it says "compensated barrels." That means either a barrel extending beyond the slide with vents in that extension or a threaded barrel with external optional compensator affixed. That's two radically different things in terms of bullet and pistol dynamics. Glock's C models are ported, not compensated when standard US handgun terminology is used.
A ported C model will be more likely to cycle unreliably compared to the unported pistol firing the same ammo, especially if reduced-load ammo is used.
PORTED - A ported pistol has justification ONLY for a range toy. Porting creates nothing but adverse effects on a recoil-operated autopistol which one does not want on a WEAPON:
1. Muzzle velocity is lowered, which increases bullet drop for any specific distance to target, and causes items 2 and 3.
2. Muzzle energy is lowered, which reduces ballistic terminal performance.
3. Muzzle momentum ("power factor") is reduced, which directly causes item 4.
4. Slide recoil velocity relative to the frame is decreased which ALWAYS makes failure to cycle properly more likely for a recoil-operated pistol, especially if the shooter fails to hold the pistol firmly during recoil or uses ammo producing reduced muzzle momentum ("power factor").
5. Aural sound blast around the shooter is increased very significantly, especially in confined areas.
COMPENSATED - A Glock may be compensated using a threaded barrel with aftermarket compensator affixed. The barrel length will be about one-half inch longer than the standard barrel.
1. Muzzle velocity is increased which decreases bullet drop for any specific distance to target, and causes items 2 and 3.
2. Muzzle energy is increased, which increases ballistic terminal performance.
3. Muzzle momentum ("power factor") is increased, which directly causes item 4.
4. Slide recoil velocity relative to the frame is increased which makes failure to cycle properly less likely for a recoil-operated pistol.
5. Aural sound blast around the shooter is increased very significantly, especially in confined areas.
Compared to a standard Glock, a ported Glock has five negative characteristics which are caused directly by the porting. A compensated Glock has four positive characteristics caused by the added length of the threaded barrel and one negative characteristic caused by the compensator.
However, that one common negative characteristic #5 should not be downplayed. It's a safe bet that no shooter will be wearing hearing protection during a real-world defensive incident. Permanent hearing injury always happens when ported or compensated Glocks are fired without very good hearing protection. Such Glocks should be used only in the World O' Games where good hearing is always employed.
I did not list increased visual flash in front of the shooter as a disadvantage. That is superficial and presents little ill effect. Oddly, that seems to be the first thing that people postulate. I also did not list the effect on clothing and skin if a pistol if fired in closed proximity. However they just add to the arguments for not using these pistols as WEAPONS.
A ported C model will be more likely to cycle unreliably compared to the unported pistol firing the same ammo, especially if reduced-load ammo is used.
PORTED - A ported pistol has justification ONLY for a range toy. Porting creates nothing but adverse effects on a recoil-operated autopistol which one does not want on a WEAPON:
1. Muzzle velocity is lowered, which increases bullet drop for any specific distance to target, and causes items 2 and 3.
2. Muzzle energy is lowered, which reduces ballistic terminal performance.
3. Muzzle momentum ("power factor") is reduced, which directly causes item 4.
4. Slide recoil velocity relative to the frame is decreased which ALWAYS makes failure to cycle properly more likely for a recoil-operated pistol, especially if the shooter fails to hold the pistol firmly during recoil or uses ammo producing reduced muzzle momentum ("power factor").
5. Aural sound blast around the shooter is increased very significantly, especially in confined areas.
COMPENSATED - A Glock may be compensated using a threaded barrel with aftermarket compensator affixed. The barrel length will be about one-half inch longer than the standard barrel.
1. Muzzle velocity is increased which decreases bullet drop for any specific distance to target, and causes items 2 and 3.
2. Muzzle energy is increased, which increases ballistic terminal performance.
3. Muzzle momentum ("power factor") is increased, which directly causes item 4.
4. Slide recoil velocity relative to the frame is increased which makes failure to cycle properly less likely for a recoil-operated pistol.
5. Aural sound blast around the shooter is increased very significantly, especially in confined areas.
Compared to a standard Glock, a ported Glock has five negative characteristics which are caused directly by the porting. A compensated Glock has four positive characteristics caused by the added length of the threaded barrel and one negative characteristic caused by the compensator.
However, that one common negative characteristic #5 should not be downplayed. It's a safe bet that no shooter will be wearing hearing protection during a real-world defensive incident. Permanent hearing injury always happens when ported or compensated Glocks are fired without very good hearing protection. Such Glocks should be used only in the World O' Games where good hearing is always employed.
I did not list increased visual flash in front of the shooter as a disadvantage. That is superficial and presents little ill effect. Oddly, that seems to be the first thing that people postulate. I also did not list the effect on clothing and skin if a pistol if fired in closed proximity. However they just add to the arguments for not using these pistols as WEAPONS.
Guns are compensated in two different ways either by porting the barrel or with a muzzle brake. Both ways have advantages and disadvantages.
I've owned and fired 7 different factory-ported Glock models, and still have 5 of them (one shot poorly, and the other was bought by a guy who wanted it more than I did, so I let him pay me a LOT for it).
Lower velocities can be a factor, but not as much as most folks would think. I published a test somewhere here on Glock Talk where I ran 4 different loads through a Glock 17 and a factory-ported Glock 17C. In each ten-shot string, the fastest rounds from the ported pistol were moving faster or very close to the slowest rounds out of the unported pistol. So the normal shot-to-shot variation in ammunition can exceed the velocity difference between the two pistol types.
Potentially increased bullet drop at pistol engagement distances is nonsense.
It would be measured in a very few hundredths of an inch.
Normal ammo variations would completely cover it up.
Increased slide cycling speed of similar compensated and non-compensated pistols MAY be true, but may also be baloney, as the additional weight of an extended barrel and comp adds significant mass which can slow the initial slide recoil impulse. I'd want to see hard data before I'd make this call.
Ports/compensators do work to reduce muzzle-flip, but most non-competitive shooters just don't shoot at a high enough level to take advantage of it. Even if they do, the advantage only exists in multiple rapid shots on the same target, as swinging to a new target almost always takes longer that recoil recovery from the last shot (for us mere mortals, anyway). Heck, some folks swear they don't even notice any difference at all in flip between ported and non-ported guns. I'll just note that most competitive pistol shooting sports don't allow ported or compensated pistols to compete against non-ported pistols (except, perhaps, at the highest levels of competition), which is as good of an endorsement as you will find that ports do in fact work to reduce time-eating muzzle-flip.
Porting can also reduce recoil, but only a tiny bit, under certain circumstances.
Porting may potentially reduce the reliability under certain conditions, but my ported Glocks have always run at 100 percent reliability, just like my non-ported Glocks, so it's only a potential problem, not a real one. Multiple police agencies have issued factory-ported Glock over the decades that they've been available, and agencies wouldn't do that if they weren't just as reliable -- their users (and the users' Unions) wouldn't allow it.
Handguns are loud. Ported Glocks may be a bit louder than non-ported Glocks, but as even a non-ported pistol being fired will damage unprotected ears, the technical fact that one is slightly louder than the other is another non-real-world problem. If your ears are protected, firing either pistol type is no problem; if your ears AREN'T protected, either will cause damage. It's a wash, and certainly no reason to choose one over the other.
Powder gasses exiting from parts of a handgun other than the muzzle can definitely be a hazard, but this can be addressed by training in most cases. Revolvers have the same problem with their barrel/cylinder gap, and no one suggests that they are unsuitable for personal defense. If we can shoot revolvers safely, then ported pistols should offer no additional problems.
Lower velocities can be a factor, but not as much as most folks would think. I published a test somewhere here on Glock Talk where I ran 4 different loads through a Glock 17 and a factory-ported Glock 17C. In each ten-shot string, the fastest rounds from the ported pistol were moving faster or very close to the slowest rounds out of the unported pistol. So the normal shot-to-shot variation in ammunition can exceed the velocity difference between the two pistol types.
Potentially increased bullet drop at pistol engagement distances is nonsense.
It would be measured in a very few hundredths of an inch.
Normal ammo variations would completely cover it up.
Increased slide cycling speed of similar compensated and non-compensated pistols MAY be true, but may also be baloney, as the additional weight of an extended barrel and comp adds significant mass which can slow the initial slide recoil impulse. I'd want to see hard data before I'd make this call.
Ports/compensators do work to reduce muzzle-flip, but most non-competitive shooters just don't shoot at a high enough level to take advantage of it. Even if they do, the advantage only exists in multiple rapid shots on the same target, as swinging to a new target almost always takes longer that recoil recovery from the last shot (for us mere mortals, anyway). Heck, some folks swear they don't even notice any difference at all in flip between ported and non-ported guns. I'll just note that most competitive pistol shooting sports don't allow ported or compensated pistols to compete against non-ported pistols (except, perhaps, at the highest levels of competition), which is as good of an endorsement as you will find that ports do in fact work to reduce time-eating muzzle-flip.
Porting can also reduce recoil, but only a tiny bit, under certain circumstances.
Porting may potentially reduce the reliability under certain conditions, but my ported Glocks have always run at 100 percent reliability, just like my non-ported Glocks, so it's only a potential problem, not a real one. Multiple police agencies have issued factory-ported Glock over the decades that they've been available, and agencies wouldn't do that if they weren't just as reliable -- their users (and the users' Unions) wouldn't allow it.
Handguns are loud. Ported Glocks may be a bit louder than non-ported Glocks, but as even a non-ported pistol being fired will damage unprotected ears, the technical fact that one is slightly louder than the other is another non-real-world problem. If your ears are protected, firing either pistol type is no problem; if your ears AREN'T protected, either will cause damage. It's a wash, and certainly no reason to choose one over the other.
Powder gasses exiting from parts of a handgun other than the muzzle can definitely be a hazard, but this can be addressed by training in most cases. Revolvers have the same problem with their barrel/cylinder gap, and no one suggests that they are unsuitable for personal defense. If we can shoot revolvers safely, then ported pistols should offer no additional problems.
I had a 19C and I really couldn’t tell the difference. Other than it was ungodly loud. I never fired it without ear protection but you could feel the concussion in your face. It was really bad when fired from the hip. The first string of fire for our state qualification is one handed from the hip. The pistol is held about waistline high and you could feel the concussion up your nose in your sinuses. Not painful, but it was pronounced.
The flash from the ports was not distracting or blinding but it got the front sight really dirty.
I was going to get a solid 19 barrel to use in it but just sold it instead.
A guy on my squad had a 17C. He loved it. I didn’t see where he was any better or faster than he was with the non C gun but he thought he was. It was obnoxious on the line. The crack was painful way back at the safe line.
The flash from the ports was not distracting or blinding but it got the front sight really dirty.
I was going to get a solid 19 barrel to use in it but just sold it instead.
A guy on my squad had a 17C. He loved it. I didn’t see where he was any better or faster than he was with the non C gun but he thought he was. It was obnoxious on the line. The crack was painful way back at the safe line.
I agree with DJ Niner a ported barrel gives up fps lower than we may think. The way around that, if anyone's concerned, is to get an extended, ported barrel. No need to cut a hole in the slide and you still get some reduced muzzle flip while keeping the fps. Bad thing is you may have to go aftermarket to get an extended, ported barrel, but LW makes some good ones. I like the idea of this, but only with a range gun.
I'd suspect the less power the cartridge has, the less reduction in muzzle flip you'll get. Also, a factory ported G19 will have more muzzle flip than a G19 with an extended, ported barrel and no cut out in the slide...in theory, anyways. I'd suspect it to be true, as well.
YcanportingbecalledcompensatedMMV
I'd suspect the less power the cartridge has, the less reduction in muzzle flip you'll get. Also, a factory ported G19 will have more muzzle flip than a G19 with an extended, ported barrel and no cut out in the slide...in theory, anyways. I'd suspect it to be true, as well.
YcanportingbecalledcompensatedMMV
I had a Glock 20c and shot different ammo out of it and then got a Lone Wolf Barrel for it so I could shoot cast bullets.This was before I learned that you could shoot cast bullets out of a polygonal barrel as long as you clean your barrel afterwards.
So I was able to compare the factory ported barrel with the aftermarket non-ported barrel and found that there was so little difference in recoil that I really couldn't see any difference.
Being new to Glocks at the time, I also didn't know that Glock made an SF frame (Short Frame) version of the larger G20 an G21's I tried a friend's G21SF and liked it so much better than my G20c that I sold the G20c and bought a G20sf.
I would have liked to have kept the compensated gun since they don't make them anymore but I didn't know at the time that they were going to stop making them.
So I was able to compare the factory ported barrel with the aftermarket non-ported barrel and found that there was so little difference in recoil that I really couldn't see any difference.
Being new to Glocks at the time, I also didn't know that Glock made an SF frame (Short Frame) version of the larger G20 an G21's I tried a friend's G21SF and liked it so much better than my G20c that I sold the G20c and bought a G20sf.
I would have liked to have kept the compensated gun since they don't make them anymore but I didn't know at the time that they were going to stop making them.
Only if you are shooting USPSA Open Division Major 9x19 (165 power floor). Otherwise, no. Most Minor loads will not cycle a comp.
https://www.glocktalk.com/threads/got-a-gen-3-19c-today.1783750/
The C models do help reduce muzzle flip. Reading/ watching Ben Stoeger and Hwansic Kim on recoil management will help even more. Doesn’t really matter how much your muzzle rises, as long as it reliably comes back to the same place every time.
Any perceived advantage from less muzzle rise is (IMO) erased by the added noise, blast and flash. The flash is real, as I showed in multiple video frames. To my naked eye in daylight it appears like more like a heavy wave of mirage. If you’re keeping your eyes open, you should be seeing something. I suggest folks videotape their faces while shooting. If you’re blinking as the shot breaks, your performance stands to gain far more from overcoming that tendency than from a comped/ported gun. Personally I’ve struggled with blinking off and on, and it has taken lots of practice to overcome it.
So while, in my anecdotal experience, the C models do reduce muzzle rise... the trade-offs are not worth it for any application I can think of.
![Image]()
The C models do help reduce muzzle flip. Reading/ watching Ben Stoeger and Hwansic Kim on recoil management will help even more. Doesn’t really matter how much your muzzle rises, as long as it reliably comes back to the same place every time.
Any perceived advantage from less muzzle rise is (IMO) erased by the added noise, blast and flash. The flash is real, as I showed in multiple video frames. To my naked eye in daylight it appears like more like a heavy wave of mirage. If you’re keeping your eyes open, you should be seeing something. I suggest folks videotape their faces while shooting. If you’re blinking as the shot breaks, your performance stands to gain far more from overcoming that tendency than from a comped/ported gun. Personally I’ve struggled with blinking off and on, and it has taken lots of practice to overcome it.
So while, in my anecdotal experience, the C models do reduce muzzle rise... the trade-offs are not worth it for any application I can think of.
Flash is managed by selecting high-quality defensive ammo that uses low-flash powder, as most do. Cheap range/target loads do not, and they are the loads that produce flashes like the above photo.
Good ammo has very little flash whether or not the pistol is ported. I tried to catch the flash from high-quality defensive loads on video at an indoor range, and I couldn't. It was just a small dull-orange glow.
However, even with flashy ammo, ported Glocks offer a better chance to see and "shoot through" the flash. Here is a comparison photo of the flash with cheap ammo through ported and non-ported Glocks:
![Image]()
You see the flash "blooms" above the sight line with the ported Glock, while it blocks the sight picture in the non-ported Glock. Muzzle/port flash is so brief that it rarely affects the shooter, even in the darkest conditions, but if you are worried about it and can't or won't pick ammo to avoid it, a ported Glock still handles it better than a non-ported model.
Good ammo has very little flash whether or not the pistol is ported. I tried to catch the flash from high-quality defensive loads on video at an indoor range, and I couldn't. It was just a small dull-orange glow.
However, even with flashy ammo, ported Glocks offer a better chance to see and "shoot through" the flash. Here is a comparison photo of the flash with cheap ammo through ported and non-ported Glocks:
You see the flash "blooms" above the sight line with the ported Glock, while it blocks the sight picture in the non-ported Glock. Muzzle/port flash is so brief that it rarely affects the shooter, even in the darkest conditions, but if you are worried about it and can't or won't pick ammo to avoid it, a ported Glock still handles it better than a non-ported model.
Talking about "shooting thru the flash" of a Glock ported gun - here's my experience (YMMV).
I got my 17C in 1999. I was still playing the IPSC/USPSA game at our local club here in Kingston, Jamaica. At best I was rated "B" class in USPSA.
Sometime around 2000 the club organized two EDC Night Shoot matches out at the Police Training College (we weren't allowed to shoot after 6pm at our local club due to its proximity to a residential area).
I placed 2nd and 3rd at the respective night matches, ahead of most of the Master Class and "A" Class shooters.
Yes! I was able to see the targets continually and "shoot thru the flash". Everyone else lost sight of their targets as the 'bloom of flash" exited their non-ported guns.
I've confirmed this "shooting thru the flash" over and over again in numerous night training exercises. Glock "C" ported guns give you a distinct advantage when shooting at night!
I got my 17C in 1999. I was still playing the IPSC/USPSA game at our local club here in Kingston, Jamaica. At best I was rated "B" class in USPSA.
Sometime around 2000 the club organized two EDC Night Shoot matches out at the Police Training College (we weren't allowed to shoot after 6pm at our local club due to its proximity to a residential area).
I placed 2nd and 3rd at the respective night matches, ahead of most of the Master Class and "A" Class shooters.
Yes! I was able to see the targets continually and "shoot thru the flash". Everyone else lost sight of their targets as the 'bloom of flash" exited their non-ported guns.
I've confirmed this "shooting thru the flash" over and over again in numerous night training exercises. Glock "C" ported guns give you a distinct advantage when shooting at night!
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