I think I've narrowed it down to 2 bits my horse does well in but I need a bit with a little bit of each quality. Hes kinda too bendy in the chain bit, in my opinion and I feel like I need more lift and shoulder control .then I have the bit I rope him in, he does 100% perfect in this one (ported) but for doing barrel work it's too stiff... way too stiff. So I'm looking for something in the middle I can try out on him. The only time he gets strong is roping but this ported bit keeps him in check and he is happy in it... no bit chomping or head tossing. I'm wondering if I can find a ported chain bit ?  Pictured are my 2 "go to" bits for him. I'm not going to change his roping bit, I'm looking for something for barrel work.

You could try the Rolux with a different mouth piece, lifesaver maybe depending on how bendy he is. Or try something with a 3 piece mouth with gag & a little shorter shank like a tender touch or one of the Josey/Mitchell gags. Or similar in whatever other brands, you can find 50 of them out there lol 

Hes a low headed horse, always has been... I can rope on him without a tie down... my hubby cant lol! I'm a lot more aware of my hands than he is and I am always making sure I'm not pulling or putting pressure unnecessarily... soft hands were drilled into my thick skull my whole life so I'm a stickler for it. I think my horse likes the port... but a solid port if that makes sense.. I've tried different ported bits with "swivel" and he is just so dull in it. I've worked tirelessly on getting this horse to be less stiff to the left and finally got him more bendy to the left but still needs just a hair more I think. I know he will probably always tend to want to shoulder to the left because of roping... it's really not that bad if you're aware of it and use inside leg and just a slight lift of your hand. So he tends to "chew" more on the chain bit but he wont do it at all in the ported bit.. any ideas why? I'm taking him Saturday to the vet for his yearly stuff and he will have his teeth checked as well. One thing I haven't done is try to run barrels on him in a tie down. I'm not even sure he needs it at this point. Hes not a "bracey" horse 

Maybe a try a Jim Edward's correctional? If you like the gag, they do have gag options as well with the same type mouthpieces . Had a mare I LOVED in a bit almost identical to this (who also was awesome in a regular shanked bit).

ETA - sorry didn't see your second post! Sounds like you've already tried something similar :)

NRS has a whole page of ported chain bits.. Google ported chain bits and alot of different brands will come up.

Have you looked into Myler bits? I know they are priced high but these are GOOD bits. I had a horse a lot like you are describing and a Myler with a port worked perfect on her. Take a look at these on Lynn McKenzie's page: http://www.lmbarrelracing.com/lynn_mckenzie_bits_1.htm  The one I used was very similaer to the "Medium Shank MMB with an 06 Mouth". When I sold the horse, I sold the bit.

I love my Petska ported chain bit. But, they are expensive - would be a costly experiment.  So, there is a cheaper bit that is pretty close. NRS carries it.  

It's a Partrade - #230200 - $44.99.  I tried to paste a live link but it didn't work. 

Ahhh yes my mind has been blown by some of these bit prices! Not that I think they arent worth it, but that's a little much for me to try and if i or he didnt like it... I've bought plenty on auction pages that I thought would be perfect but quickly realized it wasnt for him. I stopped selling everything because it seems sooner or later I'd need it! I believe we refer to that as hoarding??

https://nrsworld.com/products/floral-ported-chain-bit

I've never used them but this is kind of cool if you want to try before you buy :)

https://www.baroabit.com/shopbits