I’ve shot comped guns before. My last one was a Glock 21 converted to shoot 45 Super with a comped/ported barrel. I really couldn’t see the benefits of it being comped. There were a lot of negatives for me though.

I used it hunting. So, when I shot it at game I rarely had ear pro on, so I could hear the game. The comp made it absolutely ear splitting to shoot. Whereas, my unported barrel directed sound and gases away from me. The recoil reduction seemed very exaggerated to me. And, cleaning the gun was a royal pain in the butt. Carbon got baked onto the front sight, slide, and on top of the barrel near the ports.

With a 9mm how much recoil reduction do you really need? It’s already a rather light recoiling round.

 

I’ll add that what I did for carry gun is, I got a p365 xl and changed the grip to the x macro. It made the perfect carry gun for me, xl slide, macro grip with 17rnd mag, and NO comp.

 

Oh man the Makarov is a sweet little singlestack. On the bigger side of "little" these days though. I haven't had one in many years (not sure why I kept a pa63 and got rid of the mak, that was not my finest choice) but if memory serves it's closer to the size of the 365xl, maybe a bit shorter in slide length? In any case, going to a lighter gun in a hotter chambering is going to effect how it shoots in comparison. I don't think you're going to port and comp the micro 9 to makarov levels of recoil.

However, a combination that seems to work well and others here have spoken about is the combination of xl grip, comp xl slide, and dpm recoil reduction system.

 

I own the P365XL Spectre Comp with the DPM recoil reduction spring and the Armory Craft 4 piece spring kit installed. This combination reduced trigger pull, recoil and muzzle flip. It's now my all time favorite carry gun. Easy to carry and very accurate.

 

I think in your question you are asking for too much of a good thing. Either one works by redirecting gasses up to counteract that muzzle flip. If you port the barrel ahead of the compensator you remove the gasses that make the compensator work. At that point it is just a fancy ornament on the end of your slide. There are a lot of naysayers around regarding ports/comps. I shoot several compensated guns including a 365 spectre comp and do enjoy the reduced muzzle flip. I also have a 38 super race gun that has so little muzzle flip that the dot never leaves the target center.
While there are some things to consider with a comp I think the negatives are blown a bit out of proportion. However a ported barrel has it's own challenges. For a semi auto pistol the barrel and slide have to be matched, if you damage one or the other the gun is toast without replacing all the parts. Ports are known for shaving the coating off bullets and perhaps throwing those shavings. Between the two options I would always choose a compensator. And while a barrel mounted compensator will always provide the most reduction I was surprised at the feeling from the slide compensator. To me it is a decent compromise as I can easily disassemble for cleaning and I can use any standard barrel.

This will obviously be a debate to the end of time but just use what you like and what works for you.

 

I think in your question you are asking for too much of a good thing. Either one works by redirecting gasses up to counteract that muzzle flip. If you port the barrel ahead of the compensator you remove the gasses that make the compensator work. At that point it is just a fancy ornament on the end of your slide. There are a lot of naysayers around regarding ports/comps. I shoot several compensated guns including a 365 spectre comp and do enjoy the reduced muzzle flip. I also have a 38 super race gun that has so little muzzle flip that the dot never leaves the target center.
While there are some things to consider with a comp I think the negatives are blown a bit out of proportion. However a ported barrel has it's own challenges. For a semi auto pistol the barrel and slide have to be matched, if you damage one or the other the gun is toast without replacing all the parts. Ports are known for shaving the coating off bullets and perhaps throwing those shavings. Between the two options I would always choose a compensator. And while a barrel mounted compensator will always provide the most reduction I was surprised at the feeling from the slide compensator. To me it is a decent compromise as I can easily disassemble for cleaning and I can use any standard barrel.

This will obviously be a debate to the end of time but just use what you like and what works for you.

“If you port the barrel ahead of the compensator you remove the gasses that make the compensator work.” I didn’t know much about ported barrels or compensators. I was thinking it would either be great or useless due to one canceling the other.

 

Why would you need either with 9mm?

 

I don’t need either, hell I don’t need another handgun. My current CC works fine and shoots super flat, ammo is a little expensive and magazine capacity could be better.
I want something better not just something different. I was curious what could be done to the P365 to get a shooting experience similar to what I currently have and enjoy, to actually consider the purchase as an upgrade. Magazine capacity and cheaper ammo are nice but it’s not the only thing. If you shoot a Makarov you’ll understand why I enjoy it and why I’m wanting for more out of a CCW.

 

If a soft shooting 9mm is too much recoil for you (and the P365 is known to be a soft shooter), you might consider going down to the P365 .380. My friend did that and it made a huge difference for her.

 

It’s not too much recoil, if I’m replacing my typical CC gun which is also one of my most enjoyably flat shooting guns I’d like to replace it with something similar and better. The only experience I have with a 9x19 that wasn’t a full frame is a Taurus G2C and it was a decent first gun many years ago I got rid of it because it just wasn’t enjoyable to shoot.

 

I don't think anyone here is saying they "need" reduced recoil. But porting and compensating does indeed work and if it offers an advantage, why not?

I have various compensated and ported guns and they all reduce the felt recoil. They are also very loud in an inclosed/indoor setting so I limit the use with out ear protection and that includes as a carry gun becuase you never know when you'll be using your carry fun. But they do indeed work and everyone should make there own decisions on when to use one.

 

Brakes generally are the anathema of fellow shooters, particularly indoors. They might help a bit but the P365 is a very easy shooter. I doubt that ports or brakes will help in any self defense situation.

 

Comps and brakes are 100% helpful in any shooting, so long as the shooter is capable enough to realize the small differences being made by the device(s). If you aren't a fast shooter well who is proficient at reacquiring sight pictures and making good use of the trigger reset, and you're not shooting subsequent shots quickly, you're unlikely to get any benefit from a recoil mitigation device. It is an objectively notable difference, but for most shooters it's not a meaningful difference. Most shooters would get more benefit from more trigger time and good training & practice.

 

As a general rule more ports and / or more comps are more better.

 

Having multiple 365's and 320's that are Ported and Comped and having multiple that are not Ported and Comped, its very evident that Porting and Comping work.

Also Ported and comped vs just Ported and or just Comped, there is a difference. Basically the more pressure relief when the Primer is lit, the less recoil felt. A stock P365 is very jumpy and when Ported and Comp'd it feels more like controlling a little explosion vs Recoil control... Also there are always those who will say there is no reason to reduce recoil on a 9mm, to that I say it greatly depends on the purpose of use.

Reduction in Recoil obviously is more important to accuracy, speed and return to target and if one doesn't understand that it simply means one has never experienced it.

Here is one of the P365 experiences I have shared on SigTalk with other accuracy enthusiasts who's goal is the flatest shooting experience possible given the platform and caliber.

Little Big Gun is all Bark and no Bite

Also this is a Range Toy, period, and not something to depend one life upon, for that I turn to the Beretta 92fs