Recoil

Recoil is the backward motion of a gun and its carriage when the gun is fired. The force of the explosion tends to drive the gun backwards just as much as it tends to drive the projectile forwards; but the latter, being lighter and having less friction to overcome, travels a great distance, whereas the heavy gun is forced only a few feet back. The arrangements of gun and carriage are generally such that after the recoil the gun returns to its former position, but in older forms it was the gunner's work to replace the gun after each discharge. The recoil of a rifle is generally known as the "kick," and is felt as a blow on the shoulder by the person firing it. Other things remaining unchanged, the velocity of recoil of a gun is proportional to the charge of powder.