Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Installing banded sight over porting?

Good morning folks,

I've been wanting to install a set of sights on my Ruger M77. It came to me re-barreled (to 375/338) and Magna-Ported. It's currently 22", so I don't think cutting it back past the porting is a reasonable option.

I've successfully installed a banded sight using LocTite Black Max before, and that's what I'd planned to use. I'm not too concerned about losing the effects of the porting, I'm more wondering if there's any precautions I should take in case any of the Loctite drips through a port and into the barrel? Or any suggestions on alternative methods of attaching it? I'm guessing that solder would be even worse for potentially getting into the ports? Would gases coming through the ports and "wearing" through the Black Max be a valid concern?
Alternatively, I could just install a ramped sight and avoid the ports all together.

Thank you for any and all advice,

Cory

Intuitively it sounds like a bad idea, for all the reasons you mentioned. I would go straight to the simple sight ramp and be done with it.

Magnaporting was quite the thing back in the day wasn't it?! Does anybody still do that? I never did, but remember reading that it was the best thing ever to come down the pike.

I don't think this rifle was built that long ago...
I'll admit, it only kicks about like a stout 30/06 load, which is a fair step down in recoil, but I don't think it outweighs the excessive noise

Cory

Bingo! Hence my dislike of any kind of muzzle brake. Jeez-uey, why subject yourself (and the people beside you) to extra decibels of of blast just for the sake of reducing recoil a couple of foot pounds?

You are asking for trouble

375s perform well out of 20” barrels. I’d chop the salt shaker off and then put the band on. I’d chop it off even if I didn’t need to to put a band on it, hate brakes and ports of any kind.

Just put a ramped sight on it and be done with it.

My front sight soldered on just fine, after porting. I'll look to see if I have a factory ramp and/or sight in my left-over parts box you can have. Screw or solder it on. My RU77 .338WM is ported, and I like it. It was a bare barrel, and when I decided I wanted some back-up sights for a never-realized potential scope failure in the field- just in case, ya know? - I soldered on the lowest front ramp and the lowest blade (somewhat modified) available, filed a v notch in the highest scope base, and it is zeroed for 100 yards with 250 gr bullets. I made sure of that before finalizing .

This is a personal tool I planned on never selling, but if I do, and he wants the rifle, he will pay for the Mag-Na-Port, but I'll throw in the other customizations (several) for free at no extra cost.....

The upside is that the sights are sleek and don't stick way up there like Ruger's originals.

The downside is I would really have to scrunch my face down on the stock to use them, but on a calculated shot, that's not much of a problem. It might be on a hurry-up incoming.... Or not if I remember to hold low if peerig over the rear sight before it is lined up. Hey, a single front bead on a Winchester 1200 with slugs worked fine on a running moose at 35 yards once....

The .338 is on on my workbench now in the process of being Dyna-bore coated, so I'll get a picture and add that to this post later today, as well as check for that original front sight and let you know.

About 30 years ago I had my rifle Mag-Na-Ported after a customer with an identical rifle had me send his in. We did a subjective field test with the two after his came back. It appeared to both of us that the porting reduced muzzle jump by about 75%, and slowed/reduced the shoulder punch just a little. I sent mine in and have never regretted it, tho cleaning those ports is a bit of a PITA, especially with this bore-coating process. Still worthwhile to me.

Question: Which makes more noise, a 20" unported barrel or a longer one with a port?

To my ear, no I don’t wear muffs or plugs when hunting, any length ported or braked seems louder. The ports redirect gas and blast to the side instead of out the front making for more sound/pressure at the ear.

I’ve installed brakes or ported barrels on hundreds of rifles and handguns. Aside from generating income I have no use for them.

I’ve shot several of my friends’ MagNaPorted rifles. 30-06, 300 Win and 338 Win. I felt that recoil was noticeably less and noise not really worse. The few muzzle braked guns I’ve shot were quite terrible. I’d take recoil over that noise anytime.

OK - no Ruger front ramp or blade- just a couple rear bases. sorry.