Thread: The Maths of Recoil

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings Again,
I had a quick look through the formula you attached but to answer your main question Yes cartridges that produce the same velocity with less powder do produce less recoil. They do this, not due to some magic efficiency but due to less case volume. They also generate higher pressure. The rocket effect of the burning gasses is due to the mass of the powder charge and its velocity and nothing else. I see that the formula gives an approximation for powder gas velocity as 1.75 times projectile velocity. The formula should give you a raw figure for comparison assuming all else is equal which as we know seldom is.
I would ignore the section on metric units as it is outdated. Unfortunately Americans are profoundly ignorant on metrics and it often shows.
Regards Grandpamac.

Yes I had firstly reached the same conclusion, the weight of the propellant being added to the projectile as what we are accelerating.
The second conclusion being that if I am going to build a light carry rifle for the future it should be on a Kimber or small ring CZ action and chambered in 6.5 x 47 with a short barrel
It is interesting to consider the propellant and recoil impulse when comparing rifles. Some calibres just feel easier to shoot than others in the same weight of rifles with the same weight projectiles doing the same speed