Enter the mass and velocity of the bullet and the recoil distance into the calculator to determine the gun recoil force.

Gun Recoil Force Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Gun Recoil Force.

GRF = m*V^2 / (RD/12) * 32.174049
  • Where GRF is the Gun Recoil Force (lbf)
  • m is the mass of the bullet (lbs)
  • V is the velocity of the bullet (ft/s)
  • RD is the gun recoil distance (in)

What is a Gun Recoil Force?

Definition:

A gun recoil force is the total force exerted on a person’s hand by the recoil action when firing a bullet from a gun.

How to Calculate Gun Recoil Force?

Example Problem:

The following example outlines the steps and information needed to calculate the Gun Recoil Force.

First, determine the mass of the bullet. In this example, the mass of the bullet is found to be .0125lbs.

Next, determine the velocity of the bullet. For this problem, the bullet’s velocity is found to be 3,000 fps.

Next, determine the gun recoil distance. In this case, the gun recoil distance is measured to be 3 in.

Finally, calculate the Gun Recoil Force using the formula above:

GRF = m*V^2 / (RD/12) * 32.174049

GRF =( .0125*3000^2 / (3/12) ) *32.174049

GRF = 14478322.05 lbf