Recoil

A firearm’s recoil is the rearward force of a firearm that is the direct result of firing a round. Essentially it is the “equal and opposite reaction” to the force generated to fire a round forward through the barrel. Recoil often expresses itself on rifle shooters by pushing back against their shoulder through the butt stock. With handguns, recoil typically expresses itself through the so-called “muzzle flip,” where the barrel pitches upward after a shot.  Recoil can be controlled through proper firearm training and is a factor of ammunition, the mass and material type of the firearm, muzzle devices, barrel length, and more.