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May 30, 2018, 11:20 PM | #1 |
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muzzle velocity for recoil
new to firearms, had a question on recoil. If everything else is equal, higher or lower muzzle velocity helps with less recoil?
As for the pistol, what features or what to look for on less recoil other than longer barrel size? |
May 31, 2018, 12:19 AM | #2 |
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Lower bullet weight less recoil
Lower velocity less recoil Heavier gun less recoil Greater forward weight bias less muzzle rise Lighter slide with appropriate spring less recoil Compensated less recoil and muzzle rise Porting less recoil and muzzle rise I’m sure someone is more knowledgeable than I here but I think that’s all correct. There are several factors that change recoil and “felt” recoil in different ways. I would also mention that direction of recoil is probably at least as important as the level of recoil. A gun that pushes straight back into your hand due to geometry like bore axis will feel more controllable than one that has less actual recoil but greater muzzle rise. Think single action style revolvers vs semiauto.
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May 31, 2018, 12:31 AM | #3 |
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All things being equal lower velocity will be less recoil. It's less energy and momentum.
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May 31, 2018, 12:55 AM | #4 |
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Thank you. How about 115 grain vs 147 grain ? Heavier bullet means more recoil but velocity will be higher on the less weighted round.
Who has the advantage on less recoil ? I ask cause I personally struggle on trying to figure out which one has more recoil when I’m at the rainge. How bout pistol recoil pressure ? The higher or lower number to help with recoil ? |
May 31, 2018, 01:07 AM | #5 |
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Comparing the recoil of different bullet weights can be complicated, because it might depend on which truly produces more recoil force, and this varies from one manufacturer to another because their 147 grain bullets might be going different speeds - same for 115 grain bullets.
The different bullet weights also feel different. The lighter bullets tend to feel 'snappy', compared to heavier bullets. This is often attributed to the faster acceleration of light bullets to reach their faster speed. |
May 31, 2018, 01:12 AM | #6 | ||
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Read this: http://www.shootingtimes.com/reloadi...ht-gives-edge/ Last edited by Aguila Blanca; May 31, 2018 at 11:58 PM. Reason: fix typo |
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May 31, 2018, 01:24 AM | #7 | |
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May 31, 2018, 03:43 AM | #8 | |
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Light polymer frames are amazing for soaking up recoil even though the math says they shouldn't. Low bore axis is a big plus for reducing felt recoil. Have you looked at a Glock 19 or 17? How about a Walther PPQ M2? The Beretta M9 is a soft shooter and very affordable. A very easy gun to learn with. Glocks are great, but the odd triggers can take some time to master. |
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May 31, 2018, 10:33 AM | #9 | |
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I tend to prefer snappy recoil in the interest of "getting it over with", rather than soft, which usually translates to slow.
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May 31, 2018, 10:40 AM | #10 |
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It's easy to figure out the relative recoil:
The recoil force (is about) = 1/2 * mass of the bullet* muzzle velocity squared Things that change that are weight of the rifle and a muzzle brake. (for relative analysis, you can use the weight of the bullet instead of the mass, but technically the mass is the weight divided by gravity)
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May 31, 2018, 11:16 AM | #11 | |
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Felt recoil is a subjective matter. Various factors can affect how recoil is perceived. Things like gun fit, the thickness and angle of the grip, and how the weight of the gun is distributed are some of the attributes of the gun which can influence how one perceives recoil. And how those attributes of the gun affect how the shooter perceives the recoil of the gun will be high personal to the shooter and can be affected by the shooter's unique physical attributes such as hand size, and hand and upper body strength. So, for example, comparing two theoretical gun producing the same recoil energy, the one with the longer barrel might seem to recoil less because the added weight towards the muzzle because of the longer barrel can reduce muzzle rise, and the longer barrel reduces muzzle flash. But the only way to really know how they compare to you is for you to actually shoot them. Recoil energy on the other hand is a precise, physical quantity that is a function of the weight (mass) of the bullet, the weight (mass) of the powder charge, the muzzle velocity of the bullet, the muzzle velocity of the powder gases, and the weight (mass) of the gun. If you have those quantities for a given load in a given gun, you can calculate the amount of recoil energy produced when that load is fired in that gun. And a heavy bullet will produce more recoil energy than a lighter bullet fired from the same gun at a comparable velocity. Note that --
If you're interested, you can calculate the recoil energy of a given load using the following formula1: WG = Weight of gun in pounds WB = Weight of bullet in grains WP = Weight of powder charge in grains VB = Muzzle velocity of bullet in f/s I = Interim number (Recoil Impulse in lb/sec) VG = Recoil velocity of gun (f/s) EG = Recoil energy of gun (ft lb) I = [(WB * VB) + (WP * 4000)] / 225218 VG = 32.2 * (I / WG) EG = (WG * VG * VG) / 64.4 ________________________ 1. This formula is quite similar to a formula for free recoil set out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_recoil, although I think that the formula from Wikipedia may be a little more precise based on what I've read in Hatcher's Notebook. The formula I've reproduced above, is from the Q&As at http://www.frfrogspad.com/miscella.htm (specifically the question about why some guns of the same caliber kick harder than others). John Schaefer (FrFrog) notes that, "..."4000" is the nominal velocity of the powder gases at the muzzle for commercial smokeless powder and the observed range is between 3700 and 4300 f/s. It is sometimes stated as 4700 in some sources but this is based on observations of artillery, not small arms...." The Wikipedia formula would use the actual powder gas velocity, which may not be readily available.
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May 31, 2018, 07:55 PM | #12 |
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thank you all for your information and help. The 2 pistols that i only own don't give me any recoil issues at all, 9mm and 45ACP 1911's but was curious on how this recoil business works.
I think i got it, what i should look for is high grain with the lowest velocity vs low grain with a very high velocity which will end up with a more snap to it. I mean there are other factors as well when looking at ammo like depth and expansion but as far as recoil goes its the weight and muzzle velocity. When i took my 45 to the range, i liked the recoil but didn't really feel much recoil on a 230 grain vs 200 or 185. Thank you all for your comments, very much appreciate it. |
May 31, 2018, 08:10 PM | #13 | |
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May 31, 2018, 08:30 PM | #14 |
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Yep, lighter bullets go faster generally so depending upon ammo type velocity likely increased. The 1911 is a heavy antique so you will get less recoil than a lighter gun in with the same ammo.
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June 1, 2018, 12:11 AM | #15 | |
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I shoot 1911s. Due to some medical issues I haven't competed for several years, but I'm thinking about giving it another try this year. When I was in competition, I hadn't gotten into reloading yet so I was shooting factory Winchester USA 230-grain ammo in .45 Auto. And I was getting run over by the guys shooting 9mms, and one guy in particular who handloaded powder-puff .38 Supers. Compared to my standard power ammo, they all had zero muzzle flip. So I decided to give myself as much help as I could if I was going to try again. I can't afford to buy a new gun just to try competing, so the goal was to find a load recipe that would allow me to use my .45 but have less muzzle flip. I had already decided to try using Berry's 185-grain bullet before I came across that article from Shooting Times, but that confirmed that I was on the right path. By a small miracle, the article featured the same bullets and the same powder that I use. The competitions at my local range are "IDPA-like," not formal, sanctioned matches. It's an indoor range, so most matches have only one stage that we run through three times. There's no rule on power factor, but I may also try a couple of sanctioned matches this year, so I wanted something that would be legal. And that load with the Berry's 185-grain bullet and 5.3 grains of Winchester 231 is perfect. It's accurate and, compared to standard power commercial ammo, it's like shooting a .22. My point (before I forget): depending on what you hope to accomplish, heavy bullet/low velocity may not the the best for reducing recoil. You can reduce it even more by going with a light bullet and low velocity. You have put forth a binary choice: heavy/slow vs. light/fast. It's not a binary situation -- you have virtually infinite options. |
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June 1, 2018, 09:36 AM | #16 |
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My experience has been the larger pistol, with the larger grip, shooting standard ammo
gives the most comfortable recoil. I have had good luck with the Beretta 92A1(also the FS), Hogue grips, and S&B 115 grain FMJ ammo. |
June 1, 2018, 11:47 AM | #17 |
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I'm not sure what you are getting at, but I'll offer this: Forget formulas, physics, and everything else when shooting except correct sight picture and trigger squeeze.
CONCENTRATE on these basics, no matter what gun you are shooting. Concentrate on putting your bullet precisely where you want it to hit. All other aspects will fall into place. Learn basics, practice often. Bob Wright
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June 1, 2018, 12:18 PM | #18 |
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Higher or lower muzzle velocity is irrelevant as the recoil has already started by the time there is MV.
"...what to look for on less recoil..." Weight and mass of the firearm. However, you'll find when you actually shoot something that recoil isn't an issue with most cartridges. Assuming the firearm fits your hand correctly, recoil in a hand gun doesn't hurt. What you need to do is go get some training and try a bunch of firearms. However, the physics of it is Newtonian. Equal and opposite reactions. Said reactions are tamed/controlled by the weight of the firearm, its springs and how well it fits your hand. Still nothing to worry about. A .45 ACP 1911A1 is a very comfortable pistol to shoot. So is its brother in 9mm. "...power factor..." That's a silly shooting game invented term that pretty much means nothing. Except to the game. It has nothing whatever to do with reality.
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June 1, 2018, 09:16 PM | #19 |
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IMO a quick *close* way to determine which load has the most recoil, multiply velocity in feet per second by bullet weight in grains. This is assuming out of the same gun. The one thing this won't account for is muzzle flip which I feel is worse with heavier bullets because of the slower velocity and thus a longer time in the barrel. Heavier bullets also tend to shoot to a higher point of impact because of the time in barrel.
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June 1, 2018, 11:37 PM | #20 |
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for the users asking what is my intent and what i am looking for? Just trying to understand which areas effect recoil.
As for round itself, Muzzle Velocity (fps) vs Muzzle Energy (ft lbs) ? i guess the higher number will have more of a kick or snap correct? Here is the part i am confused. most of the time a lighter round for instance 115 grain on 9mm would have a higher veolocity than lets say a 147 grain but i have seen where that same round doesn't have a higher muzzle energy than a 147 grain. Isn't usuall the higher velocity would have the higher energy? which section out of these two ( muzzle velocity or muzzle energy )would have more recoil or less recoil. I guess what im trying to say which feature out of these two determine recoil? |
June 2, 2018, 12:00 AM | #21 |
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Here's some light reading for you:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recoil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muzzle_energy calculators: recoil: http://kwk.us/recoil.html muzzle energy: https://billstclair.com/energy.html |
June 2, 2018, 01:23 AM | #22 | |
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Take another look at that article I linked to, from Shooting Times. It's for .45 ACP rather than 9mm, but the principles are the same. Look at Table 1. Three bullet weights, all loaded to 5.0 grains of powder, yield identical recoil energy. How is that possible? Simple -- for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. If the initiating action is the same in all three cases (i.e. the energy released by burning 5.0 grains of gunpowder), then the reaction must also be the same. However, they won't all feel the same to the shooter. And they won't all have the same muzzle velocity. But, again, your original question was "if everything else is the same." That means the same gun, the same brass, the same bullet, the same primer, the same powder ... everything is the same except the velocity. But wait -- if everything is the same, how can we change the muzzle velocity? The ONLY way to do that with the same bullet and the same powder is to use less powder. Velocity = mass x acceleration. The barrel length is the same, the mass (bullet weight) is the same, so the only way for the same mass to be accelerated to a lower velocity in the same distance is to hit it with less energy. That means using less powder. Less powder ==> less energy ==> less recoil. Later in that article (Table 3 and Figure 3) they compare the recoil from three different bullet weights all producing the same power factor. But now all things are not equal, because not only are the velocities different, Table 3 shows that it takes different powder charges to get the three different bullets to the same power factor. Surprise, surprise, the one producing the most recoil was the one using the most powder (action <==> reaction). But, although the amount of measured recoil (actually, barrel flip in a Ransom rest) varied, it didn't vary all that much. Note, by the way, that they didn't start the graph at zero -- the lowest number on the Y axis is 30. This distorts the visual representation of the data (which happens to be a pet peeve of mine). If you extend the bottom of the graph all the way to zero, in proportion, the variations across the top won't appear very significant. In fact, the variation from the 185-grain to the 230-grain is 7.8 percent. That's a difference, but it's not huge. |
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June 2, 2018, 01:46 AM | #23 | |
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5 grains of powder was arbitrarily used in Table 1 for the calculations, but the data is theoretical and not from live ammo. If different bullets are loaded with the same amount of powder, heavier bullets go faster than light bullets and produce a much larger power factor. That data is shown in Table 2. |
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June 2, 2018, 11:29 AM | #24 |
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I'll tell you this: I've fired 500 gr. bullets loaded to around 1250 f.p.s. in the .45-70 out of a Thompson Contender, and a .44 Magnum load built around the 180 fr. JHP bullet at over 1700 f.p.s. fired from a Ruger Blackhawk.
The .45-70 load had a vicious recoil, the .44 Magnum not so much. Another factor attributed to recoil is muzzle blast. Sharp recoil that produces an impressive fireball seems more severe than one with less muzzle blast. My own observation is that, using all high performance loads, increasing bullet weight seems to increase recoil moreso than increasing velocity. And, I've shot .30-40 Krag rifles that had a punch against the shoulder, but were fairly mild fired out of a handgun. Further grips affect recoil. The rubber grips favored by many seem to geive the gun a running start before impacting my hand, and abrade the skin much more than smooth wood grips. My observations. Bob Wright
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June 2, 2018, 11:31 AM | #25 | |
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