Marlin Guide gun Ported or not ported?

[gordylew]

I've been contemplating trying to trade off my 1895 SS with standard barrel for a guide gun. "Since I can't find any one willing to trade a Browning 71 rifle for a carbine "
My question is the ported guide gun worth more, less, even then a non ported?
Is the porting help in any way? A local shop has one in 450 Marlin. Would you wait for a 45-70 to show or would you go with the .450?

Thanks
Gordon

[piller]

I have one in stainless and it is not ported. I am very satisfied with the performance of my Guide Gun.

[Blaine]

I have a GS ported Guide Gun...45-70. I'd really like to lose the ports. Seems loud to me, tho others say it's just the shorter barrel. If you can find brass, and load your own, the 450 is so close to the 45-70 it's not worth mentioning, though I'd stick with the 45-70 for no particular reason.

[Pete44ru]

While I no longer own any .45 cal rifles, I happened to have long owned .45-70 rifles & carbines including a ported .45-70 Guide Gun, an unported .45-70 Sporter, and a ported .450 Marlin shorty.

I definitely didn't like the .450 (I don't handload), and would rather have a .45-70, either port4ed or not.

Funny thing is - I went from a ported GG to an unported SS, but not because of the porting issue. I wanted the 4" of extra barrel length, since it handles better for ME - YMMV, of course.

..

[AJMD429]

I have one in stainless and it is not ported. I am very satisfied with the performance of my Guide Gun.

I was just going to say...

"I have one in stainless and it is ported. I am very satisfied with the performance of my Guide Gun."

If I had to choose, I'd probably go without the ports, but for no particular reason; I'd never fire that gun without hearing protectors on, anyway (I know too many guys who say "When you're hunting, it doesn't really matter", but can't hear worth a darn after 30 years of doing that).

I don't know for sure, but I think that if I had a .450 Marlin, I'd keep it, if I could get hold of several hundred brass. I know the 'modern' .45-70's are supposedly 'ok' for hotter loads, but somehow I like the idea of having a gun where the factory specifications for the loads ARE hot.

[Streetstar]

I really enjoy my ported Guide gun --- i think the ports really help the shot to shot recovery ability for me if i ever need a follow up shot (it happens, even with a 45/70)

Last time i used it on game involved 4 shots fired in 15 seconds (and 2 tags punched) --- my ears were not ringing.

I think the pressure of the ammo used is a factor too though, i was just using factory Hornady FTX loads .

My Guide Gun is a hunting tool and does not get a lot of recreational range use, so i have never heard any objections from other people, but it might be a bit louder, i don't know -- i always wear plugs and muffs.

the concussion of a 4" .357 Magnum pistol is a lot worse for me than my ported Guide Gun -- ouch

[Grizzly Adams]

If I had to choose, I'd probably go without the ports, but for no particular reason; I'd never fire that gun without hearing protectors on, anyway (I know too many guys who say "When you're hunting, it doesn't really matter", but can't hear worth a darn after 30 years of doing that).

If you plan to hunt with the GG, go for the unported version - which I believe is the only one currently in production (?). In any case, the ported version is decidedly unpleasant/loud to shoot, and the porting contributes nothing to the performance of the rifle - IMHO!

[BigSky56]

Gordon, porting is hard on the shooter and anybody around you when you fire and being that nobody likes wearing ear plugs while hunting your upping the chances of hearing loss. Put a good pad on the gun and/or a mercury dampener. danny

[2X22]

My $.02.

If'n you want a shorter barrel for the field when out huntin', just get your rifle whacked back to 18 1/2" rather than going with the noisy ported model.

2x22

[Old Ironsights]

No Ports.

I waited a long time to find a used one with no ports.

[Goat]

I have had them both ways and would never buy the ported model again unless I were planning on cutting the barrel behind the ports. I found the ported gun louder and had a fireball that obliterated the buck I was shooting at at dusk. I can say I loved the handling of the Guide Guns but would only consider the 45/70 since the 450 has been dropped by Marlin. My present 1895 is a 1977 model with the 22" barrel and the straight stock I love so well. It is really hard to mess up if you buying a Marlin big bore.
Goat

[futura]

I've got a 45-70 Guide Gun in stainless steel, non ported.

I bought this gun to take on the sail boat when I was up the northern coast of BC and went a'shore. In the past I would take whistles and noisemakers with me or sing songs to keep the bears and cougars away. Once and a while I could take my a skeet gun with me if I was camping over night but it was a long gun and only had a couple of rounds.

Never fired a ported one but did some research and the two things that stuck with me were in low light conditions the ported rifles blinded the shooter, and they were hard to clean.

Since I was buying the gun for the .001% chance I had to shoot charging grizzly bear I wanted to not be blinded after the first shot missed

[AJMD429]

. . . nobody likes wearing ear plugs while hunting . . .

I never shoot centerfire weapons or any handguns, whether target shooting, hunting, or just plinking, without hearing protection. I can't say whether or not I "like" wearing them, but the electronic muffs I use actually amplify ambient sounds (but lessen very loud sounds), so I hear deer footsteps or fellow hunters cautionary words better than without them. Plus, they keep my ears warm...

This extra caution has paid off - I can hear birds in the distance, or subtle parts of music, that my shooting/hunting buddies miss entirely.

If our 'gun laws' weren't so absurd, we could all have our firearms with integral suppressors if we wanted. I'm sure some of the folks who insist on shooting only historically authentic guns wouldn't go for it, but I sure would. Even the leverguns 100 years ago were often offered in a threaded-muzzle configuration for those who wanted suppressors.

[earlmck]

If our 'gun laws' weren't so absurd, we could all have our firearms with integral suppressors if we wanted. I'm sure some of the folks who insist on shooting only historically authentic guns wouldn't go for it, but I sure would. Even the leverguns 100 years ago were often offered in a threaded-muzzle configuration for those who wanted suppressors.

That $200 fee to Uncle Sam isn't nearly as big a deal now as it was when they first dreamed it up. So far I haven't got there yet for the center-fires, but sure am thinking on the suppressor deal, even though it is way too late for my hearing (I couldn't hear those tweety birds by the age of 12, thanks to a colt SAA 38-40 I inherited from a granddad). Probably won't be putting one on a lever, I suppose, but I have a short-barreled .243 that I loan to young hunters that I would really like to make quieter.

[damienph]

My 444P Outfitter is ported. Same rifle as Guide Gun except for caliber. The ports don't bother me at all. If I found a Guide Gun for the right price having ports would not be a deal breaker for me. But then, I've never understood the fuss about how loud the 30 Carbine Blackhawk is either. I've fired hundreds of rounds through my Blackhawk (all with hearing protection); however, the muzzle blast when shooting at dusk is quite impressive.

Back to your original question about caliber, I would go with the 45-70 because of the probable availability of both components and loaded ammo for years to come; 450 Marlin, I'm not so sure it will be around for the long haul.

One last thought, one downside to ports is when shooting in low light the muzzle blast seems more noticeable through my 1.5-4.5x scope. (Joe Miller: I don't always shoot it with the scope, sometimes I use a Williams FP)

[AJMD429]

That $200 fee to Uncle Sam isn't nearly as big a deal now as it was when they first dreamed it up.

True - when that 'tax' was first enacted, I think a suppressor was something around ten bucks or so, maybe twenty at most. That would be like taxing a pair of ViceGrips $200...

I can see some merit to not allowing suppressors for hunting, partly from the 'sporting' standpoint (an unethical hunter could quietly shoot each of several animals in a herd), and partly from a 'safety' standpoint, because it is nice to hear if someone nearby you is shooting. On the other hand, I think if they were buyable without the hassle and fees, I'd have one for each caliber, and attach them (assuming I had most of my barrels already threaded) for most purposes, though not for when I wanted a really compact gun (CCW, doing farm chores, hiking in briarpatch or steep terrain). Better yet, if they were unregulated/inexpensive, I suppose more manufacturers would make unobtrusive 'integral' ones, which might not look bad, even on a levergun.

[BigSky56]

AJ I hunt timber riding horses when I get a shot its close comes and goes fast and being this country is full of things that can bite, scratch and stomp you I want to hear if trouble is coming, for the couple of shots I fire at game it works and if Iam around another shooter I plug my ears cides the guys I elk hunt with would want to know if the color of the earplugs matched color the panties your wearing danny

[guido4198]

Unless you load your own...wait for the 45/70. I ONLY shoot handloads and went for the 45/70, but that's just me. My Guide Gun came to me with ports. I shot it a lot both at the range working up loads...and in the field killing deer and hogs, and NEVER REALIZED how awful it is until I read these internet threads telling me all about how terrible my ported bbl is . I never noticed how loud it is. ..never realized how hard it is to clean. ..never realized I was losing my target in the FIREBALL... .
Oh well.....as I say..that's just me.
Whatever you choose....you'll find the Guide Gun to be an excellent companion for darn near anything you want to go after. I put an XS Sight system "scout mount" on mine with a 2x pistol scope and LOVE IT.

[JNG]

My wife bought me the Guide gun when they first came out. Ported. A few years later, I had heard that Marlin would switch your ported to not ported for ~100.00 to 200.00, I don't quite remember the price. Long story short, I kept the ported for one reason only. The dang thing did and still shoots like an house fire. Why spend money and fix the unbroken?
If I did it over again, maybe not ported.

The other Joe

[piller]

Seems like those with the ported guns like them, and those without the ported guns don't want ports. I have never shot one of the ported Guide Guns, so I can only judge by the answers here that you probably will not go wrong either way. I just can't see anything wrong with the .45-70. It has survived for a long time and still does exactly what it was meant to do. I have handloaded for my Guide Gun a little, but I kept the rounds within the limits set for the Marlin guns as specified by 3 manuals and feel safe with those loads against anything on this continent based on bullet weight, velocity, and accuracy. Not to misdirect the thread, but a moderate velocity on a heavy bullet in .458 caliber seems to give a lot of penetration and doesn't seem to kick so much that you follow up shot is a long time in coming.

[pdawg.shooter]

I have 2 guide guns in 45-70, one ported and one not ported. I cannot tell the difference when shooting but people beside me say they can. However, I CAN tell the difference in muzzle rise and perceived recoil. As far as I am concerned, the ports are well worth it.

[Paladin]

I have a ported 45-70 guide gun that shoots great and a Co-Pilot .457 (non-ported, that I got a few years later). Both are great but I shoot neither with out electronic muffs on.




The .35 Rem Marlin with the suppressor if one of my favorites due to not needing muffs.

[Old Ironsights]

I know purists hate it, but I never really thought a Maxim/Can looked out of place on a lever.

I'd love to have one for my .357.

[AJMD429]

I know purists hate it, but I never really thought a Maxim/Can looked out of place on a lever.

I'd love to have one for my .357.

Same here.

Too bad it is so difficult to thread a barrel yourself, and unless a gunsmith is a 'suppressor' guy, he will not likely do it right...

In my opinion ALL guns should have threaded muzzles, and just be supplied with threaded covers for those who don't want to add muzzle protectors, flash suppressors, or sound suppressors.

Aside from the 'noise' issue, I'd gladly put a 'birdcage' flash suppressor on nearly ALL my rifles, since it protects the crown FAR better than the customary "11-degree bevel".