Thread: Suppressors - Am I missing something

Originally Posted by timattalon

Put more briefly, A muzzle brake by itself actively provides a physical forwards push to counteract the recoil. But my understanding of a suppressor is that rather that reduce the amount of energy, is slows the energy transfer to take longer reducing the time that the impact takes place. Same amount of energy transferred (or very similar) but by taking longer the speed / force of the impact is reduced.
To use the car analogy, think of a muzzle brake as an anchor attached to a chain thrown out the back that grabs the ground and applies a pull to the rear that slows the car. Where a suppressor is the act of apply a foot brake that is part of the car. (Not quite the same but I think close enough to get my point.

For all those that are telling us that suppressors cannot reduce recoil forces, please explain why most shooters find suppressed rifles are more pleasant to shoot with what certainly feels like significantly reduced recoil.......

My 7.62x54R boots like a bastard without a suppressor and leaves bruises on my (slightly built) hunting mate after a few shots, (and has flames you can almost spotlight with) but add a suppressor and he can put a couple packets through with no problems or bruising. (And I know this to be true as I have seen it and experienced the difference myself.) If suppressors do not have any effect on recoil, please explain this for us as this is very close to what the OP asked.

@timattalon,

I do not hear many say suppressors do not reduce recoil (which by definition have to mean felt recoil). The cooling and thus contraction of muzzle gases with resultant loss of pressure will reduce recoil. The slower release of gases will reduce felt recoil, just like it is more comfortable to accelerate to 100km from standstill over 15 seconds rather than 5 seconds! But the final energy of the car is the same.

As for your little friend and your gun, if he is a seasoned shooter and has that problem, I take it he is shooting prone?

Shooting Big Guns 101. Shoot a full power battle rifle without having it firmly against your shoulder. It will fly backwards at the speed of a fast marching pace. When it thus contacts you (rams you), you will hurt, likely bruise, no matter your body size. Thus people who shoot for the first time may be put off the sport as their fears of recoil are doubly confirmed when they hold the butt too lightly against their shoulder.

A slight lady shooting standing or kneeling with her rifle pressed firmly to her shoulder will absorb the recoil into her shoulder, and her torso will give and twist, with minimal or no hurt therefore to the shoulder. No such luck if she shoots prone.

Someone like myself shooting the same rifle in the standing position will just have a bit more local shoulder hurt to contend with, as my body is simply too big to recoil back as much as hers. My rifle butt will instead dig in more locally into my shoulder region. If I change to the prone shooting position I don't really notice much extra recoil therefore, but the wee girl will experience a relatively larger increase in recoil on shooting prone.

Just watch youtube funny videos of "I lent my wee girlfriend my big manly gun" and you usually see failure to make firm shoulder contact. All it says is, "her boyfriend is an idiot and will he never get a girlfriend who enjoys shooting with him".

Your wee friend should maybe shoot standing or kneeling, with a firm shoulder contact, even though he may feel safer handling a big gun lying prone. But things are not what they seem.

Of course, especially in shooting positions that allow your body to recoil back with the gun, having a gradual power release from the suppressed gun will allow your body to absorb the recoil more widely and move back with the gun. On an accuracy point, the suppressor allows you to hold the gun less firmly against your body, and thus less heartbeat oscillation is transmitted to it.

Hope this is helpful.