Zarvan
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We hear a lot of talk about how some firearms are “controllable”, while others are not. The word “controllable” or “manageable” is often used in gun reviews to describe the recoil characteristics of a gun, even though without additional context or clarification it tells us very little. I want to talk very briefly about what the word “controllable” means in the context of firearms, and how it actually relates to a firearm’s recoil characteristics.
Simply put, I would say that whether a firearm is controllable or not is a separate but connected issue to that of how much recoil it has. Recoil is an easily quantified element of the firearm system; the rifle can be hung in a cradle and hooked up to accelerometers to determine how fast and how far it moves when it fires, which gives you various different quantities of recoil, such as recoil energy, recoil velocity, and recoil impulse. Controllability, however, is a much more complex issue, having to do with the rifle’s ergonomic characteristics, layout, and fit to the shooter, as well as his size and skill. Let’s make clear the difference between these two elements using an example:
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“Old Sparky”, we called it.
That is a seven pound piece of Dutch-made hardware, capable of firing all twenty 7.62x51mm rounds in its magazine in less than two seconds. The lightweight construction, high rate of fire, and powerful ammunition make the original select-fire AR-10 a beast of a gun to shoot. If I had to describe it, I would say it was like riding the lightning – the experience closest in my mind to shooting that AR-10 would be when I was (voluntarily) tased during a police department equipment demonstration I attended years ago. So fierce is the torrent of recoil of that firearm, it is enough to knock a grown man backwards… Yet I would describe the AR-10 as controllable. Some of you (including some who have shot the same gun or ones of the same basic type) must be thinking I am insane; I just said the recoil was torrential, so how can the rifle be controllable at the same time?
In my experience, holding the muzzle of the original AR-10 more or less level in full auto isn’t as much of a challenge as I expected it to be. The straight line stock assists the shooter in absorbing the recoil straight back, allowing the muzzle to stay straight and level with the point of aim. I realize extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof, so here it is: