I’ve been using cans on AR-15s for years and from my own experience I can say that I absolutely notice increased recoil due to the increase in back pressure. An adjustable gas block helped but I feel that even an open muzzle would shoot softer.
I’ve read they’re supposed to act like a muzzle brake but… that puzzles me due to the increase in back pressure. The only way I can imagine a decrease in recoil is if the suppressors’ weight is such as to negate the affect of the back pressure.
I can see semiautomatic pistol suppressors at least not adding recoil due to their design of using a piston.
I get a felt decrease in recoil when shooting suppressed especially on pistol hosts but the latter may have more to do with the fact that the added weight hanging off of the front helps with recoil mitigation. What suppressor are you using and what firearm? (I assume AR15’s since that’s what you mentioned)
I don’t notice less “recoil” on pistols but I do notice less muzzle flip. I can shoot insanely fast suppressed and still have the rounds impacting near the original POA.
On a bolt rifle I notice a huge decrease in recoil
A suppressor reduces recoil but not as much as a brake but more than an open muzzle.
But I think when an isolated reciprocating system is in the equation… it’s a different story due to increased cycling speeds greater than the suppressors’ added weight can offset.
The brake will reduce recoil more, caliber defendant. The can also reduces recoil, but also changes the recoil to straight back into your shoulder as opposed to the muzzle rising.
Recoil is not the result of pressure in the barrel or gas system, it’s Newtonian physics: the momentum of the bullet and gas moving forward is equaled by the momentum of the firearm moving rearward. Anything that takes some of that gas that would be moving forward and either slows it down or redirects it rearward or to the sides reduces the recoil impulse of the firearm. That’s how recoilless rifles work, the momentum of the backblast equals the momentum of the projectile. Automatic and semiautomatic weapons complicate that by moving some parts of the firearm relative to each other and by using springs and other devices to spread out the perceived recoil impulse over a longer span of time, but the overall momentum is always conserved. The reason overgassing causes an increase in perceived recoil is that because the BCG and buffer are moving more rapidly the recoil impulse is concentrated over a shorter span of time.
Hi-velocity forward moving gases hit the baffles and push the gun forward, countering natural recoil.
Increased back pressure will increase rearward bolt velocity and if spring does not absorb energy, will allow bolt to bottom out and that will be felt/heard.
I thought the suppressor was increasing recoil because my most recent memory of recoil from firing unsuppressed was with a muzzle brake. All things being equal, an open muzzle would recoil more harshly than a suppressor .
I’ve always noticed a reduction in both felt recoil and muzzle flip when running the suppressor. I recently played around with a camera mounted to my SBR and really noticed how little the gun moved when firing. I’ve always known it wasn’t much when actually shooting, but the video shows just how level the gun stays. The adjustable gas block probably makes a larger difference in felt recoil since it’s basically taking the harshness out of the action of the rifle.
Specs are:
10.3" DD Barrel
GenII Syrac AGB
VLTOR A5 w/ A5H2 buffer
Sprinco Green Spring
AAC M4-2000 mounted with an AAC Brakeout
Wouldn’t basic physics dictate more mass or weight requires more energy to move? Is more energy being created with a suppressor? I guess in theory, if the ratio is the same with equal recoil but with more mass or added weight with the suppressor, then there should not be more recoil but less. Perhaps I’m way off…
Gases outrun the bullet in the can. Then all escape forward through a tiny hole. I believe this is why some perceive more recoil. With a brake, the gas escapes in all directions, or up and to the sides forcing the muzzle down. Cans do reduce recoil. It’s very evident with spin on cans that normally get shot crowned without a md. The weight does help but not to the level a brake does.
To all the people posting that their cans reduce muzzle flip - it should be obvious that when adding weight to the end of your weapon that muzzle flip will be reduced.