[spamtown336]

I want to add a .45-70 to the collection this spring/summer in order to be ready for deer season this fall. I am hesitant to buy new, and most of the used guns I have seen have ported barrels. Aside from being louder, and having less recoil, is there any bullet performance implications I need to know about?

 

[byf43]

The ONLY issue with the ports. . . . noise. ;D (That's what earplugs are for.)

 

[Eli Chaps]

I want to add a .45-70 to the collection this spring/summer in order to be ready for deer season this fall. I am hesitant to buy new, and most of the used guns I have seen have ported barrels. Aside from being louder, and having less recoil, is there any bullet performance implications I need to know about?

Oh my the ported barrel can of worms... ;D ;D ;D

Lets take the noise first...I find no appreciable difference in the volume of a ported barrel vs. a non ported barrel. This holds true for my 1895G and my Mossberg 835 as well as a few ported handguns I've fired. You will perceive a little more pressure wave and I personally believe that this combined with the inherently louder shorter barrel leads a lot of folks to believe the ports increase volume. Quite some time ago, and I can no longer find the the info, a fella did a decibel meter test with a ported 1895 vs. a non-ported 1895 and from the SHOOTER'S position, he found next to no difference. Standing to the side of the rifle you will. I have NEVER had a single person complain about the noise of my ported 95G and it has been shot by a lot of people from all ranges of experience. Me personally, I remain completely unconvinced that the ports on a Marlin have that big of an impact on actual noise endured. Maybe it's all my time shooting M16's and M60's with flash hiders that makes me accustomed to such things. Muzzle brakes are an entirely different thing however and they DO tend to increase noise, but they have a different function as well, which leads to the next thing...

Recoil suppression...Ports do NOT lessen felt recoil.. Muzzle brakes do that. Ports are designed to facilitate faster follow-up shots by helping to reduce muzzle rise. By expelling the gas upward they help keep the muzzle down. That is their entire purpose.

I personally am of the belief that people's misunderstanding of the intent of a ported barrel combined with perceived sound issues led to Marlin discontinuing a good thing.

All that said, there are a whole bunch of folks out there who will passionately disagree with me. ;D

Oh and no, there is no detriment to performance.

 

[Time Bomb]

One of my friends has one of the early gs's with the ports and I can't tell a difference in my 02 model without ports.My brother-in-law however has adpms ar with a colt match barrel with a muzzle brake(the kind with holes all the way around and on the end)that sends a sonic boom down my arm that I can feel on my eardrum that makes my 300 weatherby seem like a 22lr.

 

[1895Gunner]

:-X :-X :-X

 

[byf43]

Erik, I guess I'll reach into that can of worms. . . . (and state right from the start, that this is NOT meant to be argumentive!)

While I don't have nearly as much time behind a .45-70 as most everyone else here, has, I've got quite a bit of time behind the trigger of a lot of rifles/pistols/shotguns/and Class III arms. (35+ years behind the trigger.)

Whether the noise is from the 'ports' or just because of the short barrel, that, to me, is the question.
My Guide Gun is LOUD.
On a hog hunt (March 31), I fired that Guide Gun one time. (Handload using 40 gr. of RL-7 and 405 gr WLNGC hardcast bullet.)
Granted, I didn't have hearing protection (neither did my hunting partners), but, that .45-70 was MUCH louder than one guy's Ruger #1 in '06, and he was standing (literally) 2 feet to the right of me when he shot!

One guy asked, "Who's got the freakin' elephant gun?" ;D

Now. . . the question is (since I was behind the trigger), was the 'extra' or 'excessive' noise from the ports, the short barrel, the cartridge (load), or all of these??

My personal thoughts are the ports and the (lack of) barrel length.

 

[lever addict]

45-70's do roar like a cannon! ;D

 

[spamtown336]

Thanks Eli and others. Didn't really consider the difference between muzzle brake and a ported barrel. I'm looking for a guide gun so barrel length will be in that 16-18 inch length and by default will be a loud one ported or not. It sounds like it is non-issue as far as I'm concerned.

 

[lever addict]

A friend of mine and I have been shooting non-ported guide guns for a while now. Both of us just picked up ported guides at a gun show. We both agree we really see no difference.

 

[1895Gunner]

Okay, okay, I can't stand it..... I have to add my two cents worth. AINT NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PORTED AND NON-PORTED IN HOW LOUD THEY ARE....... Ooops, sorry about shouting, I can't hear anymore since all I have is ported Marlins.

Buy a guide gun. You can’t go wrong with it ported or not. If you hunt in brush or close cover the 18.5” barrel handles great. You are correct, anything that big and that short is gunna make an awful loud noise. Let’s just say that if there are any other hunters in close proximity when you fire it they won’t have to guess where you are. It’ll prolly make em fall out of their tree stand. ;D ;D ;D

 

[Socom_16]

Pros:
1) Made between 1999 and 2002 and I feel the quality was way better back then than what Remlin puts out today
2) Kicks straight back without any vertical barrell movement
3) I doubt Remlin will ever make another ported version of the guide gun so the value increases

Cons:
1) Once you buy one, you will want a set of ported marlins (guilty) ;D ;D ;D ;D

Myths:
1) They are louder than non-ported

 

[lever addict]

:-X :-X :-X

It took ya long enough! ;D I knew you would break sooner or later!

 

[1895Gunner]

It took ya long enough! ;D I knew you would break sooner or later!

Thought I would give others a chance to express their opinion. Thing is, I just couldn't hold off any longer... ;D

 

[Rowdy]

Oh my the ported barrel can of worms... ;D ;D ;D

Oh man, all this talk of ports being noisy is making my thumb hurt again... :
Those ports hurt almost as much as getting my thumb pinched by the loading gate spring…ouch…what can I do??? :

 

[Eli Chaps]

Oh man, all this talk of ports being noisy is making my thumb hurt again... :
Those ports hurt almost as much as getting my thumb pinched by the loading gate spring…ouch…what can I do??? :

;D ;D ;D

 

[lever addict]

I heard all the bad rap about the ports before I bought one. Me and Dalgo bought ours at the same time. When we went to the range together I was waiting for loud and nasty which is what I was hoping for! ;D I like that kinda stuff and recoil too! Well we both fired our guns I looked at him and he at me and I said...I don't see any difference! Dalgo shook his head...nope. I was upset to say the least! I was hoping to get people at the local range to pick up and move away from me! ;D Now if you stand along side the gun by the ports while someone is shooting it...well lets just say you deserve it!

 

[spamtown336]

I was waiting for loud and nasty which is what I was hoping for!

Thats why I'm transitioning to .45-70 and bringing back the .300 Win Mag to deer camp this fall. I know I'm over gunned but who cares!? Also I don't like tracking deer in thick heavy cover that is Northern Minnesota.

 

[Dalgo]

Like Lever Addict, I had read bad things about ported barrelled Guide Guns. There was some bad press about it. Don't know what made me buy it. Lever Addict showed me just how weak I actually am when it comes to cool guns! I had to buy it. Especially since he put it in my hands. I think I actually heard it say, "take me home." And he's right. It wasn't louder, it wasn't a fire breathing monster. Didn't kick any softer or harder. No different from my SDG. And..... I'm really lovin it! According to my friend, it was made in 1999. I think it was made better than the later guns. Just as accurate, certainly (1/2" groups, if I do my part). Those ports just look cool. The gun just balances and handles beautifully. I think that's the charm of the GG, ported or not. And, man, does it take care of business! Lever Addict, you done good. (fellow Marlinites, LA really does love heavy recoil, the nastier a gun kicks, the better he loves it, lol).

 

[Belt Fed]

I have noticed that some .45-70 Guide Guns have four ports on each side of the barrel and others have five. Does anyone know why that is?

 

[Doc Holliday]

I have never seen a ported Marlin, does anyone have a pic of one? I am the same as LA, I love a gun that kicks... Give me a DB 10 gauge and I would pull off both barrels at once. If I had to pick myself up off the floor I would be screaming with excitement like a kid going to Disneyland. If any of you have seen the youtube video about the 577 T-Rex... I would love to try shooting that one ;D ;D