Posted by on 10/22/2021 to
Recoil is a necessary drawback to using firearms. It is an acceptable consequence of creating the small explosion that occurs when you fire a round. That said, it is something that some effort has been made to minimize. There are recoilless guns or rifles, but they have their own issues, including not technically being completely recoilless (and are exclusively military) and given the choice, most people accept recoil as the easier issue to deal with. The effort to minimize recoil is a worthy pursuit, and one the AR-15 has undertaken with a few of its features. Perhaps one day we will have firearms that have zero recoil, maybe when we’re all using laser guns? I bet light doesn’t have much of a kick.
Recoil relates to one of those science things you’ve probably heard before: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this case, an explosion expels a bullet at a high velocity, which then acts on the firearm and whatever is connected to it. The mass and momentum of the bullet are directly related to recoil, so it makes sense that the higher calibers will have more recoil. This recoil is then counteracted by the forces it comes into contact with, namely the gun, your body, and the ground. Imagine firing a .50 caliber while free-floating in space with no gravity.
Interestingly the shooter also returns recoil or momentum back to the gun. So shooting with a soft shoulder is recommended because it absorbs more of that momentum, allowing for less movement of the firearm. This is one way of counteracting these forces allowing for a smoother shot. Generally, moving parts are going to add to recoil. The Bolt Carrier Group gets rapidly pushed back by either gas or a piston then forward again by the Buffer System. The weight of it moves the gun back and forward adding to recoil. So a lighter BCG has been recommended to reduce recoil. Other moving parts that have been said to help are a lighter Buffer and a less stiff Buffer Spring that moves the BCG forward a bit more gently and slowly.
Recoil is created by the mass and acceleration of the bullet leaving the barrel of the gun. The gunpowder used is important, but mainly in creating velocity. If you’ve ever shot a blank then you would know that there is much less recoil involved. That has more to do with the lack of a projectile than the size of the explosion. It is the momentum of the projectile that creates most of the opposite and equal force of the recoil. That momentum is created by the expansion of hot gas from the explosion.
Dealing directly with these forces, like the expansion of hot gas is a great way to reduce recoil. A Muzzle Device redirects the gas in a specific way to reduce recoil. A Muzzle Brake redirects the gases to the sides which counteracts recoil. A Muzzle Compensator counteracts recoil by redirecting the gases to the top, significantly reducing Muzzle rise.
Buttstocks can reduce felt recoil with padding. This is like a soft shoulder being built into your rifle, not that you shouldn’t still use your own soft shoulder. They definitely make absorbing the recoil much easier. Not all buttstocks have these and they tend to be a bit pricier, but if reducing the felt recoil is important to you it will likely be worth it.
When it comes to the AR-15 in the most common 5.56 caliber, recoil is relatively mild. With the other recoil negating features it has, it makes the AR-15 one of the most enjoyable firearms to shoot. Not bad for such a bad ass looking gun.
