Tell me about Recoil.

[deadkenny]

Yes, those other 'forces' act to reduce the velocity of the bullet, and therefore the recoil. Also there are forces operating in all directions, however, the only directions that allow motion (hopefully!) are in the direction of the bullet and the reaction in the opposite direction to that of the bullet (i.e. the 'recoil').

Most of the recoil is due to the bullet. Of course the gas itself has mass, but a 'blank' has much much less recoil than a 'live round', even with the same powder charge.

 

[esmith]

The cartridge has little effect on recoil compared to what the effect of the rifle is. Gun weight, barrel length, and the way you are shooting effect it the most. If the gun has a short barrel then the gases have a higher pressure upon exiting the barrel, therefore the firearm will shoot back harder and faster. Also if the gun is light in weight it will punch harder. Position of shooting also goes into effect.

30'06>30-30>7.62x39
^based on the guns i have fired.

 

[hobbeeman]

I have to second what has been said about the action of the rifle. I have an M1 garand 30.06 that feels lighter in recoil than any of my bolt action or lever action rifles, excluding the .22's. The M1 feels like my SKS's, comparitively. I also have 3 x .308's that all feel completely different from one another...they are this way due to the different stock configurations. My FR8 is the least offensive in recoil of my .308's

 

[igorts]

Anyone uses Limbsaver? it reduces a lot of recoil. good for my injured shoulder..And allows my kid to shot 30-06 without a big kick, he refused to shoot it before...

 

[wdlsguy]

Anyone uses Limbsaver?

I have an R3 (a Remington-branded Limbsaver) on my 870 Express. A much better pad than the one it came with.

 

[deadkenny]

"The cartridge has little effect on recoil compared to what the effect of the rifle is. Gun weight, barrel length, and the way you are shooting effect it the most. If the gun has a short barrel then the gases have a higher pressure upon exiting the barrel, therefore the firearm will shoot back harder and faster. Also if the gun is light in weight it will punch harder. Position of shooting also goes into effect."

Actually the the cartridge has a great deal to do with recoil. Recoil depends on the bullet weight, muzzle velocity and powder charge, as well as the rifle weight. Essentially the same rifle (e.g. Ruger M77II) can be had in .223 or .338 Win Mag. There will be a huge difference in recoil between those 2 cartridges, from basically the same type of rifle (8 or 9 times the recoil from the Win Mag). A shorter barrel will result in lower muzzle velocity, which will result in less recoil (although if the rifle is lighter that would mean more recoil). However, a shorter barrel will result in a larger muzzle flash and noise, which would add to the 'unpleasantness' of firing it, although it's not actually 'recoil'. Position also wouldn't affect the recoil itself, but certainly will affect how it is felt.