Porting barrel - by hand ( gunsmith )

[nmondal]

Hi team,
another one of the noob questions. :)
I think there is a debate going on about efficacy of the ported barrel on an 10 M Air Pistol.
Now I have LP 500 Basic - and thus while I have barrel jacket which is ported - I do not have the ported barrel.
Now, what this porting supposed to be like?
Why can I NOT personally bore a hole on the barrel all by myself?
Is that even an option or I am some sort of.. crack?
All I really have to do is just put 3 holes in the barrel, right?

[David M]

You can do it.
Do you have a EDM machine at home ?
It is the only way to port the barrel without distorting the barrel or rifiling.
(Electrical discharge machining (EDM), also known as spark machining, spark eroding, die sinking, wire burning or wire erosion, is a metal fabrication process whereby a desired shape is obtained by using electrical discharges (sparks)).

[atomicgale]

Why can I NOT personally bore a hole on the barrel all by myself?
. . . or I am some sort of.. crack?

Sounds like you're sort of ON crack.

Don't drill a hole in the barrel all by yourself!

[william]

Some questions are best answered by hands-on experience. Good luck! And don't try to sell me your pistol when you're done... because it will be total rubbish.

[Rover]

"All I really have to do is just put 3 holes in the barrel, right?"

Often it is the simplest things that are the most difficult to do.

If I were going to do this (I never have), I would first remove the barrel after marking top dead center.

I would upset a lead slug in the bore to minimize the crud being pushed through by the drill.

Punch location of the holes you wish to drill, but I doubt if this is extremely critical.

Use a drill press with a v groove block to hold the barrel.

When drilled, punch out the lead and scrub the bore with a bronze brush to remove any rough edges.

This is only a two beer job, so have fun.

[spektr]

Your line of thought requires 2 things to be true.

1) that a ported barrel is always better.

2) You know the exact placement and size AND ANGLE of the holes that improve the original design.

Assuming that barrel ports work in the LP500 basic which uses its own tuned comp AND IMPROVE IT
is a stretch. The probability that you will hit on the exact location and angle of holes
that are in harmony with what's there AND that Walther missed the need is a bit naïve.
Even if you found a thing that improved it, the performance difference would probably be so small as to be unexploitable.

So go ahead and drill it.

[David M]

"All I really have to do is just put 3 holes in the barrel, right?"

Often it is the simplest things that are the most difficult to do.

If I were going to do this (I never have), I would first remove the barrel after marking top dead center.

I would upset a lead slug in the bore to minimize the crud being pushed through by the drill.

Punch location of the holes you wish to drill, but I doubt if this is extremely critical.

Use a drill press with a v groove block to hold the barrel.

When drilled, punch out the lead and scrub the bore with a bronze brush to remove any rough edges.

This is only a two beer job, so have fun.

Rover......you just buggered that barrel, it is nigh impossible to drill without distortion. EDM is the only way.

[william]

Rover......you just buggered that barrel, it is nigh impossible to drill without distortion. EDM is the only way.

He doesn't care. It isn't his barrel.

[Rover]

You guys are right on a couple of things. I have never done this, and I never would, but lots of guys on here do dumb-ass things. Let them go for it!

THEN you can sit back laughing and mock them, just like with Biden. Isn't that what this is all about?

But, but, what if I'm right?

[David M]

OK, so we put 4 port holes in the barrel top to counter the excess recoil.
Do we also put 2 holes angled at 210 deg to help counter trigger flinch ?
We could also put a bleed in the rear to counter barrel push....

[Rover]

OK, so we put 4 port holes in the barrel top to counter the excess recoil.
Do we also put 2 holes angled at 210 deg to help counter trigger flinch ?
We could also put a bleed in the rear to counter barrel push....

Hell, yeah! Who are we to deprive a guy of his well-earned 600.

[tiktock]

This is a 100% “if you have to ask...” question. Unless you’re a machinist/gunsmith the chances of ruining your gun are exponentially higher than the remote chance you’ll improve it. Leave it be or take it to someone who ports barrels the right way but be prepared to pay for their time.

[william]

This is a 100% “if you have to ask...” question. Unless you’re a machinist/gunsmith the chances of ruining your gun are exponentially higher than the remote chance you’ll improve it. Leave it be or take it to someone who ports barrels the right way but be prepared to pay for their time.

Not "exponentially." Infinitely. Not "remote chance." Zero chance.

But let the lad go ahead and try his hand. Who are we to question the odds?

[brent375hh]

I would bet if it was drilled very slowly and then brushed with a bronze brush slathered in JB for a while, it would still shoot Xs. I would also doubt that it would recoil any less to be measured.

I heard somewhere that the the Morini 162 isn't ported, but a few people still use them to put up winning scores in top competitions.

[kevinweiho]

Why can I NOT personally bore a hole on the barrel all by myself?

If you don’t have the know-how and the skill to do it, you’ll most likely mess up a perfect barrel that works just fine as is...

It would be a lot easier to buy a ported barrel from Walther:

https://carl-walther.com/sport/products/p/2827646

[JamesHH]

Either EDM it or don't bother

If you really really want to do it yourself you can make an edm machine or buy a cheap chinese broken stud remover.

I can't imagine its really worth the effort, or worth the devaluation cost.

[McMadCow]

Was the OP the one who posted the other thread a while back asking why bother spending the extra scratch on the Expert model vs the Economy? If so, then you should definitely port the barrel with your cordless Black and Decker.

[Rover]

As you can see by the post dates, I was WAAYYY ahead of you guys on this. But, nothing has changed.

http://targettalk.org/viewtopic.php?f=4 ... &hilit=edm

Fuhgedaboudit!

[nmondal]

As you can see by the post dates, I was WAAYYY ahead of you guys on this. But, nothing has changed.

http://targettalk.org/viewtopic.php?f=4 ... &hilit=edm

Fuhgedaboudit!

Yep, yep - I can see it.

[eugene]

I suggest you sell the gun and buy one with a ported barrel. It will end up cheaper (since you are clearly not set up with tools for the job yet), easier, and it won't ruin the resale value of your gun.