Dealing with Recoil by Mike Yardley
Are you affected by recoil? Many shooting men and women are. There is no need to suffer. Let’s consider what might be done about it. First, a bit of physics. As you may remember from school days, to every action there is an equal and oppo- site reaction (Newton’s Third Law). Recoil is the motion of a gun in the opposite direc- tion to its projectile. Various factors need to be consid- ered when thinking about the physics of recoil: muzzle velocity, gun weight, projec- tile weight.
There are two phases of re- coil, moreover. Primary recoil begins momentarily after the firing pin hits the primer. Pro- pellant rapidly creates an ex- pansion of gas that over- comes the inertia of the bullet or shot charge and wad and accelerate them down the bar- rel against the force of friction and air resis- tance. Secondary recoil – the effects of which are much smaller – starts when the ejecta (pellets, wad and burnt powder) leave the barrel and there is a sudden release of gas. The gun is pushed back much like a rocket.
Recoil is not only about rearwards move- ment, though. There is also a rotation about the axis of the shoulder. This is because the centre line of the bore/s is above the shoul- der line. When this rotation effect occurs, the muzzle/s moves up and the comb of the gun may be brought into abrupt contact with the cheekbone. At the same time the butt sole may slip from the shoulder (especially if it is poorly designed). A gun with a steeply angled cheek piece will be especially uncom- fortable.
It’s not just about primary and secondary recoil. We must distinguish felt or perceived recoil - the experience of recoil by the gun user – from observed recoil. Felt recoil is a complex subjective phenomenon involving many variables. Factors affect- ing felt recoil will include those already mentioned (weight of the gun, projectile weight etc.), the design and fit of the gun stock, the burn rate of the powder, the physique, strength and constitution of the individual, the firing posi- tion (firing from a prone posi- tion may increase felt recoil because movement is severely restricted - one cannot 'roll with the punches') and, not least, the individual's shooting technique and experience. A gun held loosely or in insuffi-
cient contact with the shoulder - a common failing of beginners - will appear to recoil far more than one held more firmly. [Experienced shots, however, do become expert at absorbing recoil through the hands]
Having noted primary and secondary recoil and felt recoil, we might move on to distin- guish between the subjective experience of recoil and the actual effects of it. They are not necessarily synonymous. For example, a situation could be conceived where an indi- vidual was being damaged by recoil without being aware of it at the time of firing. Exces- sive recoil in firearms has certainly been rec- ognised as a problem for hundreds of years. Moreover, different users may react quite differently to the same gun and cartridge combination. Some people are clearly more sensitive to recoil than others. Poor tech- nique or unsuitable equipment are usually to blame for recoil problems, but, not always.
I Shoot and Fish E-Zine December 2011
57
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