So just by pictures one can tell that a ported barrel and a barrel with a muzzle brake are not the same thing.

Let me see if I've got the differences right.

Porting: Main Goal is to reduce muzzle flip, with some help on recoil. Increases muzzle blast and cannot be taken off or reversed.

M. Brake: Goal is to reduce both muzzle flip and recoil...extreme increase in muzzle blast. Can be removed if its a "thread-on".

The questions are these: Is there as much increase on muzzle blast to the shooter from a ported barrel as there is with a muzzle brake. (I know that ported shotguns are generally torture for the buddy standing next to you.) And how much is porting a barrel usually cost? Is it a simple $75 or more?

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.