Does Recoil movement amount affect muzzle velocity

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on whether the velocity of a projectile's muzzle is affected by the recoil movement of the firearm, particularly in relation to how firmly the weapon is held during firing. Participants explore various scenarios, including firm versus loose grips and the implications of recoil on projectile speed.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that recoil movement velocity may influence projectile direction more than muzzle velocity.
  • Others propose that adding resistance to the recoil equation could affect muzzle velocity, as it introduces additional "weight" in terms of action-reaction dynamics.
  • One participant questions whether muzzle velocity changes based on how firmly the weapon is held, suggesting that a hard grip may prevent recoil movement and thus affect velocity.
  • Another participant argues that muzzle velocity is largely unaffected by recoil due to the mass difference between the projectile and the firearm, citing the equal and opposite force rule.
  • Some participants discuss the implications of recoil on the time the bullet is under pressure, suggesting that a recoiling gun may reduce impulse and thus affect velocity.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the impact of recoil on muzzle velocity, with no consensus reached. While some agree that recoil affects projectile direction, the relationship between recoil and muzzle velocity remains contested.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the importance of considering the mass ratio between the projectile and the firearm, as well as the effects of grip firmness on recoil dynamics. The discussion includes assumptions about internal pressure and the timing of bullet acceleration.

Later
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I would like to know if recoil movement velocity varies within a system (such as holding firm, loose or allowing object to free recoil) then would the muzzle velocity of the projectile vary as well?

Thank you
 
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Later said:
I would like to know if recoil movement velocity varies within a system (such as holding firm, loose or allowing object to free recoil) then would the muzzle velocity of the projectile vary as well?

Thank you
Welcome to the PF. :smile:

I think it affects the projectile direction much more than the velocity. What have you found so far in your searches about this question on the Internet?
 
Good Day berkeman,

Thank you for the welcome :)

I have not been able to find much at all on the internet.
Trying to find out if adding resistance into the recoil equation would affect the projectile muzzle velocity since there would be more "weight" per say to place in terms of equal or greater action.

Thanks
 
Later said:
Good Day berkeman,

Thank you for the welcome :)

I have not been able to find much at all on the internet.
Trying to find out if adding resistance into the recoil equation would affect the projectile muzzle velocity since there would be more "weight" per say to place in terms of equal or greater action.

Thanks
I have some thoughts on it, but it would be good to see if it has been covered already elsewhere. I did a Google search on Physics of Recoil, and got what look to be some good hits. Have you seen most of these before?

https://www.google.com/search?q=physics+of+recoil&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
 
Yes Sir I have seen most of them. I am not trying to determine if recoil changes from weapon mass change and/or projectile speed but if projectile speed can vary based off of how hard or soft the weapon is held while firing.
Would projectile muzzle velocity change if weapon is held "hard" and did not let recoil move the weapons mass, in turn not moving the person holding weapon?
Would projectile muzzle velocity change if weapon is held "soft" and allowed the weapon and person holding weapon to absorb the recoil energy slower and over longer movement?

Thanks
 
Later said:
Yes Sir I have seen most of them. I am not trying to determine if recoil changes from weapon mass change and/or projectile speed but if projectile speed can vary based off of how hard or soft the weapon is held while firing.
Would projectile muzzle velocity change if weapon is held "hard" and did not let recoil move the weapons mass, in turn not moving the person holding weapon?
Would projectile muzzle velocity change if weapon is held "soft" and allowed the weapon and person holding weapon to absorb the recoil energy slower and over longer movement?

Thanks
A first cut might be to calculate the difference in the momentum of the projectile versus the momentum of the rifle. I'm not sure about time effects (time of flight down the barrel), but that might not matter.
 
BTW, do you agree that the direction of flight of the projectile depends much more on how hard the rifle or pistol is held, rather than any effects from changes in the projectile velocity? This is pretty easy to see with pistol shooting, IMO. :smile:
 
Absolutely, weak hold and projectile direction goes up; hard hold and projectile direction is more straight lined.
 
Later said:
weak hold and projectile direction goes up
Yeah, and sideways... :smile:
 
  • #10
Muzzle velocity is scarcely affected by recoil due to the huge mass difference between the slug and gun. The equal and opposite force rule applies here. Solidly locking down a gun is no different than simply making the gun much heavier and the slug only cares about the mass ratio between itself and the gun. A typical rifle has a mass of about 4400 grams whereas a typical slug has a mass around 10 grams. A good physicist would correctly assume each is imparted equal momentum from detonation of the shell. If you do the math, advantage slug in terms of velocity. Were you to detonate a shell without a gun [highly inadvisable], the casing would go screaming off into the distance while the slug would basically just lay there unimpressed. See http://www.bsharp.org/physics/recoil for the ugly details.
 
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  • #11
In both cases the internal pressure is the same so I think the force on the bullet is the same. If the gun can recoil, the barrel will move backwards, factionally so I reckon the end of the barrel moves towards the bullet. So the length of time the bullet is under pressure will be less. So the Impulse will be less with recoil.
You have to ignore the lateral effects, which could be eliminated if the suspension point is directly in line with the barrel.
 

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