Thread: Suppressors - Am I missing something

Originally Posted by timattalon

Yes the amount of energy in each direction is the same, but the impact on the shoulder is the speed of the rifle squared x the mass of the rifle. Adding a brake reduces the velocity by directling energy in a different direction. A suppressor slows the speed with which the gas can thrust the rifle back thus spreading the same amount of energy over a longer period of time (Reduces speed of the impact on the shoulder.) As the speed is squared in E=MC2 then reducing speed has a more significant effect on the impact on the shoulder. Total force (work done) remains the same but not as sudden or as violent.

That"s one hell of an impact on your shoulder @timattalon

But yes K.E. = 1/2 m v2 indicates that like a bullet, reducing the velocity will make a big difference to force felt.