Yep you pretty much got it right.

Porting is done specifically to reduce muzzle rise and gets you back on target quicker. It is done to the barrel itself and can not be undone unless you chop the barrel. It does almost nothing for recoil.

Muzzle brake is done to reduce recoil and is removeable in most cases and does reduce muzzle jump.


A ported rifle barrel is not as loud and "blasty" (is that a word?) to the shooter as a brake is but they still create excessive noise and is still loud to other shooters around you.

Of course it does depend on how many ports you have put into a barrel. Some shotguns have as many, or more, ports as a brake does but on a rifle there are usually only 4 or 6 ports.

To port a shotgun it is generally about $75 - $100 per barrel. To port a rifle barrel it generally runs about $125 - $150.