ported barrell

Phil Nowack

Phil Nowack

Well-known member
How do you feel about duck hunting in a blind, with a guy that has a ported barrell? My experience is that they are loud as all get out for everyone in the blind, and the dog. A guy that I work with and was thinking would be a hunting partner has a ported gun. I always held to the statement is that I will not hunt with someone with a ported barrell in a blind, or a situation where we are in close proximity.
 
Aint no way - under no circumstances.....
They are really loud even on a skeet field, also I have been hit with stuff coming out of the ports, I don't know if it was shot or wad plastic goo, but no way I am sitting in a blind or a pit next to one and neither is my dog.
 
Where is Kodi in relation to you and the other guy? Can you get good separation between Kodi and the ported gun? Would/could Kodi be situated where he would be shielded from any blast, both ported and non ported?
 
Phil,

I agree with the others, I won't hunt with anyone with a ported barrel. Before Otto passed, he was almost deaf due to close proximity to shotgun blasts, and those were not ported. The loudest shotgun I was ever near was Lee Harkers 28 ga. with a Cutts Compensator on it. I needed ear muffs on top of ear plugs and it still hurt.
 
Had one, and dumped it...no way i would hunt with someone or ask anyone to hunt near me with one. I considered having the barrel cut down, but in the end, just traded it away.
 
Prior to my remembering that his SBE is ported... the plan was to have Kodi on the to deck in between us. Perhaps not ideal to begin with. I might be able to have Kodi between the motor and me on the top deck... or I put Kodi on the bow, and I sit at the fore end of the cockpit, and have him sit at the aft end... certainly not my preference... the cockpit in 9 1/2' BTW. I am just not thrilled with being 6-7' away from the ported barrell anyway.
 
My old partner had a ported Mossberg 835. I was glad when he got rid of it.
 
I have been hunting with a ported barrel on my sbe since 93 26 inch barrel no difference in dogs hearing they sit in motor well. Old dogs lose their hearing ,I have a female only hunted a few times with me she is 14 and can not hear a lick and my current dog hunting with me since he was 7 months old is 10 and can hear fine . Short barrels on the other hand are not allowed I my boat that's hard on everyone.
 
Does anyone buy into the sound not being loader if the porting is only on the top of the barrel? Not sure that I do....
 
Phil, have hunted and shot clays most of my life. Real short barrels, ported barrels or poly choke barrels are not for the blind, pit or boats. I have extreme hearing loss in my right ear from shooting. Now I wear custom plugs even while hunting.
Protect your ears...
 
I hunt with Rich and can say that his gun does not strike me as louder than others, but i agree with the short barrels being a real bear. I made my buddy give up his ear muffs in order to finish the day. Rich's bennelli is top ported. Maybe its just that he's more curtious than other guys i hunt with and does not stick the end of the barrel on my shoulder to get the shot.
 
Phil, Can't say about shotgun porting but having shot next to rifles that were MagnaPorted at the range I can say that I would urge your buddy to rethink the idea or build a boat of his own. I must say that having my .270 ported really cut the jump and perceived recoil down but I would not expect someone to hunt next to me with it. It comes down to being considerate of others AND other dogs. "What was that you said???" P.S. It's kinda like hunting on the right side of an autoloader only worse.
 
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If I may add two cents...

Ported or not, I have found that my hearing has been damaged enough with shotguns going boom too close to me. Fool that I am, I rarely used ear protection while hunting, and now I think I am paying for it. Come to think of it, I don't remember anyone we hunted with who used hearing protection while we were growing up.

Please, if you have kids, get them into the habit of wearing ear protection while in the blind. We spend lots of money of lots of gear for hunting. Invest in some electronic protection....30 years from now, your kids will thank you.
 
If I may add two cents...

Ported or not, I have found that my hearing has been damaged enough with shotguns going boom too close to me. Fool that I am, I rarely used ear protection while hunting, and now I think I am paying for it. Come to think of it, I don't remember anyone we hunted with who used hearing protection while we were growing up.

Please, if you have kids, get them into the habit of wearing ear protection while in the blind. We spend lots of money of lots of gear for hunting. Invest in some electronic protection....30 years from now, your kids will thank you.
Click to expand...

I love my electronic muffs. I hunted for years with the same guy and we always hunted the same, me on the left and him on the right. The dog was always to the right of the two of us. I have permanent hearing loss in my right ear from years of not wearing hearing protection. He has hearing loss in the left side. The dogs didn't seem to be damaged the same way, possibly because they were much lower.
Ported barrels are the worst in a pit blind where the sound seems to echo and magnify.
 
Paul~

I have worn ear protectors for everything but hunting since my early 20s. I do not even turn on my shop vac without wearing one of my 6 or 8 pairs I have stashed everywhere. And, the many subtle sounds afield are among the best parts of hunting/outdoors. Except for my Long Island hunts in a TDB, we seldom hunt shoulder-to-shoulder - usually 30 or more feet apart in natural blinds.

Question: Do your electronic protectors allow you to hear as well as you would unrestricted?

Thanks!

SJS
 
Even better Steve. You can adjust the level of amplification and they simply cut out when a gun is fired. I have found that I could hear things I simply couldn't hear without the muffs. I have owned several models and without getting into brand discussions I will say that I much prefer the low profile models. You hardly know you have them on.
 
I had look at the EPS hearing protection.... My father in law has no hearing in one ear and has lost 80% in the other... I see the effects and know how much hearing aids cost, yet have a hard time spending the money.... Dumb... I know
 
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