Recoilless rifle

The first effective recoilless rifles (RCL) were developed during World War II as a lightweight form of anti-tank weaponry. They are capable of firing artillery-type shells at a range and velocity comparable to that of a normal light cannon, although they are typically used to fire larger shells at lower velocities and ranges. The near complete lack of recoil allows some versions to be shoulder-fired, but the majority are mounted on light tripods, and are easily man portable.

Related Topics:
World War II - Anti-tank - Weapon - Artillery - Velocity - Cannon - Recoil

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The recoilless rifle functions very much like a conventional gun. The projectile and propellant are supplied as a single round and loaded into the breech. However at firing instead of all the propellant blast driving the projectile forward a large portion is directed backwards in the opposite direction. See classical mechanics for an overview of the physics of this. Since recoil has been mostly removed, a lot of the weighty and complex gun carriage and recoil dampening mechanism can be dispensed with. It is rare for the momentum to completely balance, and real world recoilless rifles do recoil noticeably.

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Unlike a rocket launcher, which fires fin-stabilized rockets from a smooth bore, recoilless rifle rounds resemble conventional artillery shells. They generally have a rifling band preformed to engage the rifled launch tube, spin-stabilizing the projectile, hence the term "rifle". The "case" area of the shell can be perforated to vent the propellant gases which are then directed to the rear, or the base of the shell disintegrates.

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