Recoilless Rifle: The Science Behind Ventilated Rifles A recoilless rifle is designed to eliminate the recoil typically generated when a projectile is fired. In standard firearms, Newton’s Third Law of Motion applies: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction - so when a bullet is fired forward, the gun experiences a backward force (recoil). A recoilless rifle counteracts this by venting propellant gases rearward at the same time the projectile is launched forward. This backward

“A 106mm M40A1 recoilless rifle mounted on an M274 Mule fires with a tremendous crack—dust blasting outward as the backblast kicks like a cannon. Light, fast, and brutally loud, the Mule gave Marines and soldiers mobile anti-armor punch in the toughest terrain of Vietnam.” #GhostsoftheBattlefield #VietnamWar #M40A1 #RecoillessRifle #M274Mule #USArmy #USMC #FireSupport #Vietnam1960s #WarHistory #MilitaryHeritage #HistoryPreserved | Ghosts of the Battlefield