Very preliminary thoughts on a recoil reducing gun

[ISAZI]

TL;DR Summary

Inspired to go to school because of the revolving barrel on the Barretta px4

I'm a second-year student and I'm trying to increase my knowledge of physics and engineering by designing a gun capable of loading and shooting very hot loads and at the same time converting the recoil energy into something more useful and or more manageable.

as we all know the recoil and recoil velocity are part of the felt effects of Newton's third law. I've prepared a few preliminary solutions to the felt recoil problem and am asking for feedback.

1. Transfering the kinetic energy would be felt by the firearm into a rotating disk or gyroscope.

• Let's say for example the recoil of the gun triggered a lever to push a fidget spinner similar design transferring the kinetic energy into rotational energy. This might in some way in a trial help level the gun.

Problem: centralizing that force to a certain piece of the firearm and not the whole firearm would need a totally new design or may not be possible at all. Would the system as a whole feel the recoil? I would think so. When you turn on a car the whole system feels the vibrational energy from the engine. Though I believe as an inertia observer you can cancel out the effects of force if you carefully counteract the force with an opposite force.

secondly, I'm not sure at what speed kinetic energy propagates through an object but I think it's at the speed of sound. If we have an object which is supersonic the speed of the reaction would still propagate at the speed of sound. Meaning the recoil effect would be felt before the leveler could hit the fidget spinner or gyroscope. If I were to use a pole to transfer the energy maybe the recoil would be transferred to the user's hands at the same time as it would hit the rotating body making the system useless.
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2. Converting kinetic Energy into electrical energy.

The problem with this is simple I don't know a way to do this and the process would have to be efficient enough to reduce the felt recoil so an extremely efficient system.Please I would like to hear your thoughts and thank you again.

 

[Baluncore]

The pressure inside the cartridge is contained and canceled by the cylindrical chamber in the radial direction. It is the axial forces that are important. The pressure forcing the projectile along the barrel is equal and opposite to the pressure applied to the internal end of the cartridge, which rests hard against the bolt. It is the dynamics of the bolt immediately after the explosion of gas that decides the recoil characteristic.

If the mass of the bolt is great then it can be caught over some distance by a soft spring. If the bolt mass is low, it must be anchored to the chamber. That is the trade-off between muzzle velocity and recoil.

Later, the muzzle brake has a significant effect.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muzzle_brake

 

[jrmichler]

Before inventing new technology, study existing technology:
1) Muzzle brake
2) Recoilless rifle
3) Recoil pads
4) Shock absorbers in the stock
5) Heavier gun
6) Reducing rocket effect from gunpowder

Do some calculations for recoil velocity and momentum. Then look at the effect on the shooter - how far does the gun move? Do this for a rifle, look at the distance from the scope eyepiece to the shooter's forehead, then search rifle scope cut. Consider that anything that converts recoil energy into any other form of energy requires increased motion of the gun.

Search perceived gun recoil to learn how perceived recoil is not always proportional to gun momentum or kinetic energy. Note that this refers to the kinetic energy and momentum of the recoiling gun, not the bullet.

 

[berkeman]

Summary:: Inspired to go to school because of the revolving barrel on the Barretta px4

Can you explain the "rotating" part? I did a Google search and found a video, but I'm not seeing any rotations...



To reduce recoil, you want to do two things -- you want to absorb and dissipate the impulse from the firearm, and you want to do it in a way that does not adversely affect the accuracy of the shots.

When you absorb the recoil of a large caliber handgun with your hand and wrist, the tension in your hand and wrist muscles dictates how quickly the barrel rises. That affects the point on the target where the bullet hits.

 

[Tom.G]

Can you explain the "rotating" part? I did a Google search and found a video, but I'm not seeing any rotations...

The barrel rotates during recoil, as shown in this video:

How To Clean & Lubricate A Beretta PX4 Storm Handgun​

time: 2:32 and 11:40 thru 13:22


No reason given.

Cheers,
Tom

p.s. Just found an explanation:
https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/rotary-action-autopistol-need-one/

 

[mfb]

Recoil is not a problem of energy, it's a problem of momentum. Total momentum is conserved. If the bullet is fired in one direction the gun will recoil in the other. No mechanism internal to the gun can prevent that. A balanced spinning object inside the gun will have no total momentum at all, and producing electricity won't change the momentum either. You need an outside force on the gun, and there are just three options:

* eject something backwards (e.g. some of the gas produced in the explosion)
* something that connects the gun to the ground or other objects
* body parts

While you cannot change the total momentum transfer, you can reduce the peak force at the cost of increased duration. That can be done internal to the gun (e.g. by compressing some of its parts, or moving parts of it backwards for a while) or outside (wheels for cannons, ...).