Looking to buy a guide gun in 45-70. I am wondering in a hunting situation how much loader is a ported gun vs a non-ported one. Will your ears be ringing after one or maybe two shots? I normally don't wear hearing protection while hunting and don't want to start. I guess as far as that goes how is the noise in a non-ported guide gun 45-70, I have never shot. Any help on this will be much appreciated before laying the green on the counter.

Thanks
BoomSplat

I personally would never, ever, buy the ported model. They are deafening, and the muzzle blast is unreal....

Wouldn't want to shoot one out of a gun shack(blind) without ear plugs....

I have a 444P and like it alot. The porting helps with muzzle jump. I definately wouldn't want to hunt in a shack with it but we don't hunt that way around here. Out in the open I can honestly say I don't find the blast worse than any other short barreled rifle. I would not want any one standing next to me when I shoot it though.

I personally dont wear ear protection while hunting, as sound is such a key point to being successful. As for it being to loud, it is VERY VERY loud, but when hunting/ shooting at a deer, elk, moose, bear etc. i have never even realized sound, only the shot, and watching the animal. Its not gonna shell shock you if thats what your asking!

I hate sitting next to my buddy when he shoots his ported 450......

I shot two deer with my 45-70 guide gun as they were running by in the woods. This was the first time I had shot the gun without hearing protection. 3 shots is 10 seconds or less (one needed a coup de gras). I could not hear out of my left ear for a week. That gun went down the road after that. I now have a guide gun unported. It is not the gun.

There are usually a bunch of nay sayers that it is no louder than x gun and you must be a whimp to suffer hearing loss. This is my experience. No one can deny that.

Everyone at the range notices someone shooting the guide gun, ported or not.

I'd rather the recoil, than the porting, any day......

Thanks for the imput on this. I worked as crash rescue firefighter for 30 years and was around fighter aircraft all the time. Usually most of the time doing my job it was up close and personal when most sane people were taking a double dose of haul a$$ away from the jet. I wore hearing protection at all times but still suffered some hearing loss and don't care to lose anymore, thus my concern about the noise from an unported guide gun. I am going to shoot a friends guide gun (unported) today and am planning on shooting it once without protection to see what to expect. Again thanks for help on this.

I have a ported 450 1895M and an unported 444s, as well as a BFR pistol in each caliber. I wouldn't want to shoot either of them without hearing protection, but the ported guide gun is the last ported rifle I will ever buy. It is loud even compared to the BFR when you shoot it. Standing near-by it doesn't make any difference (they all are loud). My suggestion for the field is to get one of the new muffs that only kick in when levels rise to loud. Your hearing is too important to fool with, and every shot is cumulative over the years.

I have both the ported and unported 1895G models. I honestly can't tell the difference in report when I'm shooting it. I am told by those next to me that the ported is a little louder though. Still quieter than a short barreled AR and most hi velocity centerfire bolt guns.

I also don't notice any measurable difference in recoil. Over the chronograph the loads typically are within 20 fps of each other. I wouldn't not buy one because it is ported but given the choice, I take my unported 1895GS hunting the most.

I've had both, actually perfer the ported guide gun. To each his own I guess.

"Will your ears be ringing after one or maybe two shots?"

The only time I ever shot my .45-70 ported Guide Gun without ear protection was when I popped a mulie with mine. My ears rang for an hour! I ended up trading it in for an un-ported 22" Marlin 1895 that doesn't handle as quickly as the GG, but is a lot more pleasant to shoot. I like the longer standard barrel better.

Regards, Guy

Anyone who cannot tell that the ported model is much louder already has hearing loss IMO........

2MG-I had two of them that were ported an couldn't tell the diff, but then again you gotta consider the source here...

I ran some rounds thru a fairly light SxS 416 Rigby the other day. I reckon if I can deal with that then i can deal with the non ported GG.

Dober

I had a ported one. Sold it when my friend complained he was getting peppered with muzzle blast. The truth is your gonna get kicked either way, I now have an 1895 mxlr, my local smith cuter back to 20 inches and she works just fine cannot tell any difference in the recoil, especially when your shooting an animal your adrenalin will be pumpin', it don't matter how much adrenaline with a muzzle brake your ears are gonna pay for it. To me the trade off ain't worth it.

I like my ported Guide Gun in .45-70 that I bought new 10 yrs ago and I wouldn't trade it. If it wasn't ported, I still wouldn't trade it. Huh, what did you say?

George

Noisy vs Beaucoup Noisy...I'll take the standard noisy version thanks. I have a real hate on for brakes since I hunted with a guy with a ported 300 WM.

It's not the noise that gets you, it's the concussion from the redirection of the gases/muzzle blast from the porting that does the damage.

I used to have a rifle with a factory muzzle brake. I wound up rupturing my left ear drum.......out in the wide open.

My friend just picked up a ported 44 mag. I took one with his and all I felt was instant pain in my ear. I was rattled.

Give me the regular version. I'll deal with the recoil.

Quote: I am going to shoot a friends guide gun (unported) today and am planning on shooting it once without protection to see what to expect

Would you stick a needle in your eye to see if you'll go blind? Every shot without hearing protection damages your hearing. You will not notice at first, but it is cumulative, and permanent. Why on earth would you deliberately damage your hearing just to see how bad it is?

I have pemanent hearing damage from shooting, my dad was nearly deaf. I don't recommend it!

The only way I'd own a ported rifle is if they gave it to me and I could trade it for something better. Well, you get the point.

I've had more than a handful of bad experiences. I've seen people get up and leave the range when guys start shooting them.

The latest.. I was standing in the lane next to a yayhoo shooting a ported GG and a piece of debris caught me in the left cheek and left a nice cut. I thought he had a bad handload and burst a case. No, it was the blast from the ports.

Thanks to all that replied to my post. I did buy an unported, blued guide gun and am pretty pleased with it. It was about six months old and came with XS ghost ring sights for $450.00 shipped, I think I got a good deal. I worked up a load for it using Hornady 350 FP at 1970 fps which goup about 1.25" at 100 yds. with a Leupy 1X4X20. Now I just need to let some blood with it. Thanks again!

.

I could not deal with the concussion and noise so I bought the unported 1895SS. Not as handy as the GG but more comfortable.


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It�s certainly none of my business but if I could comment on this, if I could live my life over I would even hunt with some type of hearing protection. I am just shy of 59 and I have tinnitus, a constant and tormenting ringing in my ears. When I was young, I hunted and even plinked with no ear protection because I didn�t know any better. I would advise anyone to take preventative action against hearing loss and tinnitus. Nothing is worth going through problems with your hearing. Thanks�Bill.

Model 70 man;
I agree with you wholeheartedly. When I was young an invincible, I never gave a thought to whatever loud sounds I was exposed to, and now, well, lets just say I know what you talk of.
I probably lost most hearing to 30-06s and .357s. It never mattered a darn how long or short the barrel. Even a full 2' in 30-06 will box you right fine in a narrow canyon, and the .357 is rightfully notorious as a stealer of the ear.
It seems to me that muzzle blast/concusion has way more to do with pressure than porting, or barrel length. Having had ported guns, I'd say that they seem to help hold barrel rise down, but they only work well when the pressure goes up.
It is the pressure that makes a cartridge go from pop to kaboom, and even long, unported tubes report smartly when the pressure is up. Barrel porting may or may not make a gun significantly louder, some of that depends on where you, the bystander is in relation to the gun.
Regardless, everyone should use hearing protection. If you have a set of plugs that dangle from a lanyard, it only takes a short time to stuff em in. You'll be glad you did once your youthful excesses become the stuff of memory.

I've had my Marlin GG in 45-70 for about 6 or 7 years now, and have really enjoyed it. It's been my favorite rifle & calliber. I even got into handloading for it.
But until a good friend of mine sent it to Marlin for me to replace the barrel for a non-ported one,(Christmas present)i couldn't handle hunting with it without using ear foams. It would ring my ears out pretty good, when i'd shoot deer without them.

I still use hearing protection when range shooting, but i can now hunt with it without getting my ears blown out.

Killed this little fella a few days ago, with the GG.