Compensated vs Ported Barrels
Ported barrels have the "slots" or "ports" at the tip of the barrel and they are parallel to the muzzle. The barrel itself is 1/4-1/2" longer than normal to accommodate these ports.
Compensated barrels have the "slots" in the middle of the barrel and they are perpendicular to the muzzle of the gun. These slots match up with the slots that are in the slide of the compensated guns....designated Glock 17C or Glock 22C where the "C" stands for compensated. You must have the slots in the slide in order to take advantage of the compensated barrel.
Both work great, effectively reducing muzzle flip and felt recoil and both have their place....the ported barrel is for individuals who don't have the compensated version of the gun.
Many competition shooters use these to help them shoot faster double taps as the gun will stay on target better due to the gases escaping from the ports and keeping the gun down or on line.
also have a large downside you see police officers and the military don't use them because they will blind you in low light or night settings because of the more spread out flash caused by the ports making them a useless self defense weapon they also cause a large carbon buildup on your firearm near the ports which may tarnish the finish
Well, both were found to be untrue. I used a camera flash meter and held it at eye level and fired a Glock 22 and a Glock 22C in low light conditions, the readings were the same. What seemed to differ is the type of ammo used. I also tried to set a piece of computer paper on fire by holding it up to the ports and firing the 22C and could not get the paper to ignite. We wear nomex flight suits which are flame retardant, so I considered this a non issue also.
We also tested the Glock 22 and 22C models to see if there were any differences speed when firing multiple rounds on target. The test consisted of firing 5 rounds into a 9 inch paper plate at 7 yards as fast as possible. We used a PACT timer. We would let the shooter fire a 22C and then immediately fire a 22 and record each time. Every officer fired a faster group with the 22C than with a 22.
I guess this is why the 22C is disqualified in some competitions.
GaCop