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Nov 2024
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SC, USA
Posted: 6/20/2026 11:08:13 AM EDT
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Well yesterday I came across my first ported/comped 9mm. (I know, I'm sheltered) Anyways I was at an indoor range with electronic muffs on and I came across a guy shooting a Staccato XC and I was amazed at how loud it was. If you've ever been to an indoor range then you know what I'm talking about. Something that is so much louder than most that you 'What is that?' and then look. I was amazed that this was just a comped 9mm! Has me second guessing carrying one in case I ever have to use it. I've mentioned this before to others and the response is "LOL guns are loud" but this made it seem twice as loud FOR THE SHOOTER. |
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I have 8 different pistols that all have a factory port. I don't have any of the aftermarket comps like the Radian Ramjet. Of all my ported pistols, the only one that sounds louder to me is the PSA Dagger Micro C-1. I actually had a guy at an indoor range ask me what I was shooting because of the sound. |
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Yes, the extra noise is annoying. But there is this as explained by Ai. Auditory exclusion is one of the most common physiological effects during a self‑defense shooting, and understanding it helps people make sense of why real‑world shootings often don’t match what they remember afterward. Here’s the clean, technical breakdown — no tactics, no instructions, just the physiology. 🔊 What Auditory Exclusion Is Auditory exclusion is a stress‑induced narrowing of your hearing during extreme threat. Your brain literally turns down the volume of the outside world. It’s part of the body’s fight‑or‑flight response. 🧠 Why It Happens When the brain perceives a lethal threat, it floods the body with: Adrenaline Norepinephrine Cortisol These chemicals shift resources toward: Vision (especially threat‑focused vision) Gross motor movement Survival decision‑making And away from: Fine motor skills Peripheral awareness Hearing Your auditory cortex is essentially deprioritized so your brain can focus on the threat. 🔇 What It Feels Like People who experience auditory exclusion commonly report: Gunshots sounding muted or distant Hearing nothing at all during the event Hearing only their own breathing or heartbeat Not hearing commands, sirens, or shouting Not hearing their own gunfire This is why many people in real shootings say, “I didn’t even hear the shots.” 🔁 Why It Matters Afterward Auditory exclusion affects: 1. Memory People may honestly believe: Fewer shots were fired They didn’t hear someone yelling They didn’t hear their own weapon This isn’t deception — it’s physiology. 2. Perception of Time Auditory exclusion often pairs with: Time dilation (things feel slow) Tunnel vision Memory gaps All are normal fight‑or‑flight effects. 3. Post‑incident confusion Someone may think: “My gun must have malfunctioned — it didn’t sound right.” “I didn’t hear the other person fire.” “I didn’t hear the police arrive.” Again, this is normal under extreme stress. 🔬 What It Is Not It is not hearing damage It is not a psychological disorder It is not a sign of panic or incompetence It is not permanent It’s a temporary neurological filter. 🧠 Bottom Line Auditory exclusion is your brain protecting you by filtering out non‑critical sound during a lethal‑threat event. It’s one of the most common and most misunderstood physiological responses in self‑defense shootings. 🧠 Why It Happens When the brain perceives a lethal threat, it floods the body with: Adrenaline Norepinephrine Cortisol These chemicals shift resources toward: Vision (especially threat‑focused vision) Gross motor movement Survival decision‑making And away from: Fine motor skills Peripheral awareness Hearing Your auditory cortex is essentially deprioritized so your brain can focus on the threat. 🔇 What It Feels Like People who experience auditory exclusion commonly report: Gunshots sounding muted or distant Hearing nothing at all during the event Hearing only their own breathing or heartbeat Not hearing commands, sirens, or shouting Not hearing their own gunfire This is why many people in real shootings say, “I didn’t even hear the shots.” 🔁 Why It Matters Afterward Auditory exclusion affects: 1. Memory People may honestly believe: Fewer shots were fired They didn’t hear someone yelling They didn’t hear their own weapon This isn’t deception — it’s physiology. 2. Perception of Time Auditory exclusion often pairs with: Time dilation (things feel slow) Tunnel vision Memory gaps All are normal fight‑or‑flight effects. 3. Post‑incident confusion Someone may think: “My gun must have malfunctioned — it didn’t sound right.” “I didn’t hear the other person fire.” “I didn’t hear the police arrive.” Again, this is normal under extreme stress. 🔬 What It Is Not It is not hearing damage It is not a psychological disorder It is not a sign of panic or incompetence It is not permanent It’s a temporary neurological filter. 🧠 Bottom Line Auditory exclusion is your brain protecting you by filtering out non‑critical sound during a lethal‑threat event. It’s one of the most common and most misunderstood physiological responses in self‑defense shootings. |
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Until I switched to the S&W 5.7 I carried a Schumann style ported Glock 17 it REALLY reduced muzzle clime with my Duty load (Winchester 127 gr +P+)
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"When trading bullets it is better to give than to receive" _____________________
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." - George Orwell
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." - George Orwell
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Originally Posted By bluedog82: Everything is a tradeoff, obviously. Many people find it worth it for the added control. I love the 19C -but shoot a straight 19 indoors. Since someone brought up auditory exclusion, it is a psychological phenomenon; there is no indication it would protect against hearing damage. That doesn't mean people shouldn't carry ported guns. |
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Compensated pistols are also loud outdoors. In some cases it is worth it and others it isn't. Only you can decide if it makes sense to you. For me, I've tried it, given it a fair shake, and I just don't think it is a big enough improvement to justify the unpleasantness or the added barrel length or the more complex disassembly (non-integral compensator)-- especially on a 9mm. Now on a .44 Mag revolver, I'd go with the ported version without second thought. |
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Originally Posted By dump1567: Auditory exclusion is your brain protecting you by filtering out non‑critical sound during a lethal‑threat event. You will still be physically assaulted by the pressure and sound. Your brain just filters out distractions. It's not like you get a free pass from both temporary hearing loss (and permanent but that's something to worry about later) and physical shock of muzzle blast. You could be somewhat impaired by it, say if you were shooting inside a car for example, even if you didn't consciously perceive it. Auditory exclusion can not protect you from the laws of physics. |
| The only ported pistol I own is a Performance Center S&W Shield, I bought it mainly because of the fiber optic sights. It has a bit less muzzle rise than my regular shield. Not a fan of comps due to the increased noise. I’ve been shooting 50 + years, guess I’m just used to regular old guns. |
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My opinion - I don't like them. They're loud as hell, usually require hot ammo to fully function, and eventually accumulate fouling that's very difficult to fully remove. Also, shooting them in USPSA puts you into Open division too, so IMO, you either go balls out with major power factor ammo and a really effective comp, or don't bother. |
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Originally Posted By ken_mays: My opinion - I don't like them. They're loud as hell, usually require hot ammo to fully function, and eventually accumulate fouling that's very difficult to fully remove. Also, shooting them in USPSA puts you into Open division too, so IMO, you either go balls out with major power factor ammo and a really effective comp, or don't bother. The idea that ported/comped pistols are much louder than standard has not been my experience. Of course, I say this as an indoor range shooter that wears foamies and over the ear muffs at the range. As I said above, the only ported pistol that I have that is noticeably louder is the PSA MD C-1. All the others seem "normal" to me as the shooter. I don't shoot +P ammo. Only your standard 115 and 124 FMJ and HP. These standard loads still make the port worthwhile and noticeable in my opinion. I agree with the fouling issue IF you're someone who has long intervals between cleanings. I clean my guns after every range trip and this has prevented any carbon fouling from being noticeable. To me, ports give me just that one more step towards being a better and more effective shooter given my current constraints of indoor ranges. |
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I shoot with plugs and muffs 100% of the time. ROing Open shooters even outdoors is usually still brutal. Some comps are much worse than others. Even if it only adds 1 dB of noise level, that’s still twice as loud as uncomped, and especially unpleasant indoors. Regular dips will slow the accumulation but eventually it will build to the point where you have to scrape it out. I do use a comp on a 22 pistol, it’s not bad. Still it throws a haze on the optic window after a few mags. |
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Originally Posted By ken_mays: I shoot with plugs and muffs 100% of the time. ROing Open shooters even outdoors is usually still brutal. Some comps are much worse than others. Even if it only adds 1 dB of noise level, that’s still twice as loud as uncomped, and especially unpleasant indoors. Regular dips will slow the accumulation but eventually it will build to the point where you have to scrape it out. I do use a comp on a 22 pistol, it’s not bad. Still it throws a haze on the optic window after a few mags. I double plug too. My compensated 9mm is so loud that a guy shooting a 357 Mag actually came over one time to ask what I was shooting. 
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Originally Posted By SquatchAv8:The idea that ported/comped pistols are much louder than standard has not been my experience. It's doubtful they all have the same loudness or effectiveness across the board. |
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The ramjet on my 43x is louder than a non comp'd one - but nothing drastic. That said, I shoot outside 99.8% of the time. ETA: While it works on the 43x pretty well IMO, I won't be buying any for the full-size Glocks. |
Panem et Circenses
I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.
Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it. - Churchill
I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.
Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it. - Churchill
Speaking of comped guns, I just watched this video a couple days ago. The audio has issues, but it is a very cool old gun with an interesting history. It's worth a watch just for the history lesson alone. Some may believe comped gun are a new fad and and on that point they would be mistaken. Weekend with Ken Hackathorn; Episode 1: Wilson's LE Comp |
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EE: 100% (1)
SC, USA
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As was mentioned by others above, what almost everyone gets WRONG about Auditory exclusion is that it ONLY Prioritizes other senses during high stress events. It does NOT prevent, lessen, or mitigate any HEARING DAMAGE suffered as a result of extremely loud sounds. You won't notice hearing damage during a self defense shooting because of Auditory exclusion, but the damage WILL STILL BE DONE, and you will have hearing damage. |
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Originally Posted By Sniper3142: As was mentioned by others above, what almost everyone gets WRONG about Auditory exclusion is that it ONLY Prioritizes other senses during high stress events. It does NOT prevent, lessen, or mitigate any HEARING DAMAGE suffered as a result of extremely loud sounds. You won't notice hearing damage during a self defense shooting because of Auditory exclusion, but the damage WILL STILL BE DONE, and you will have hearing damage. There’s going to be permanent hearing loss either way, but I’m going to assume less loud is better. But I’d be much more concerned about hot gas being more likely to be blown into my face by the comp depending on the nature of the self defense incident. It’s a classic trade off analysis and for a 9mm, I just personally don’t see there being enough of a benefit to outweigh all the downsides. |
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My experiences with ported/comp'd pistols... My first was a Gen 2 G17C that I had years ago as a novice shooter that "didn't know nothing about nothing". I acquired it from a LT at my agency who had no use for it and I used it as a training gun to supplement my duty Gen 3 G17. Because I was an amateur shooter and it's been over a decade since I had it (foolishly sold it to find a G43 for my wife to have a CCW), I can speak to any recoil or muzzle rise differences between it and the plain G17. I was able to fire it in low light and from retention many times in training and as I recall, there wasn't any blinding muzzle flash not did any of the gases directed upward cause any pain or disorientation. Fast forward to about a year ago when I bought a Radian Weapons Ramjet+Afterburner kit for my G45. I tested it for approximately 350 rounds of mixed ammo (Blazer Brass FMJ, Fiocchi FMJ, Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P, Speer Gold Dot 147gr, and some reloads a friend's dad made that were over 10 years old). 100% reliability! The reduction in muzzle flip was as advertised but felt recoil was no different. Muzzle blast (noise) was noticeably increased and I didn't notice any difference in accuracy from the OEM barrel despite Radian advertising their barrel as being match grade. My biggest hang up was that I noticed when I ran the gun at speed, I noticed my groups would be at least four inches lower than POA. I doubt it was my shooting because the groups were good and centered and I didn't have this effect with the OEM barrel. Also, YES, my optic was properly zeroed. Maybe the gases being diverted upward was too effective? I dunno. Anybody else have that experience? Anyway, it was enough for me to pull the Radian off and go back to the OEM barrel. I have been having the itch to give it another try though... Lastly, I recently bought a S&W Carry Comp slide kit for my polymer framed full-size M&P9 2.0 from a member here on the EE. Unlike my experiences with the Radian Ramjet+Afterburner on my G45, I had an overwhelmingly positive experience with this setup. I slapped a spare Holosun 508T on it using the plastic factory plates and went to work doing some testing without zeroing the optic due to time constraints. Compared to the standard 4.25" and 5" M&Ps...the Carry Comp shot much flatter than the 4.25" and about equally flat with the 5" ; though the 5" felt just a hair softer on recoil impulse. Despite the optic not being zeroed, all my rounds went right where I wanted and no strange effect of groups having a lower POI when shooting at speed. Printing tight groups in the head box Alpha of a USPSA target, at speed, at 15 yards was a breeze compared to the Glocks I have more trigger time on (Glock felt slower). If I carry a comp'd gun, it would have to be the M&P Carry Comp. I know there's better options out there (Monsoon Tactical) but for the money and low monetary risk investment, it's hard to beat! |
| They're not all identical. I have a 19 with a PMM duty comp and it runs everything including blazer aluminum, and isn't noticeably any louder while shooting it. Can't speak to how loud it is to bystanders vs. a regular G19. As a benefit, the comp keeps carbon off the light too. |
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G19 C owner here. I can’t stand the thing. It was my first 9mm handgun back in 2001 with the intention of being my do it all gun. It’s loud with a concussive impulse to it. It isn’t bad at first (might be even cool showing off at first), but over time it wears on me and shooting it is no longer enjoyable. I have to double up on hearing protection and that seems to not be enough on extended range sessions. It kinda gives me that jittery feeling like I’ve had to much coffee after 100 rds. PTSD? I compare it to shooting an AR with a muzzle brake like a PWS FSC. It gets really dirty to, carbon build up now is inside the slide. Yeah, one can say defensive/life or death, noise, etc, that it won’t matter, but if you can’t train with it than it does matter. I later bought a non ported barrel for it and it much much better. I’ve debated selling off the G19 C numerous times, but for whatever reason I can’t. I haven’t purchased any other comp or ported gun since. |
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I carried this setup for a couple years and shot it a good bit (8k+ rounds). Shooting from retention wasn't an issue. You could feel the blast, but only if you were looking for it. Attached File |
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