Hey, I bought the gun as it is. I probably would not port one either.
That said, the porting works quite well, it really took the "snap" out of the 124 grain Gold Dots. I would guess 20 to 30% reduction in recoil, just a guess. I am still curious on the velocity reduction. I was shocked at the numbers I got compared with the standard R9. Cogan says it is under 10%.
I could not tell any noise difference out side. Cogan again says it is minimal when you are porting any gun with a 3" barrel anyway.
The checkering on the front strap, back strap, and the trigger guard is really a big plus and makes the gun look better also.
I like the Dotted Sights and again, it makes the gun look more 'finished'.
The porting on this R9 did nothing to affect the functioning, it shoots great.