Interesting read ....
http://rangehot.com/recoil-1911/
Sorry Lorimor ..... Curious to hear opinions from SFG and/or jthapkido.. the resident Engineer and Physics gurus .....
At a quick read (will need to check it more carefully later) the author seems to make the error of equating "recoil" to "momentum" when in general, the recoil we feel is a function of the rate of
change of the momentum. (Simple definition of that is force, but the recoil we feel is a function of the force over time, throughout the cycling of the gun.)
While that indeed depends on the overall momentum given to the slide, that is not in any way the only important part. The spring itself (along with the weight of the slide) means different velocities at different times, and the amount of force transferred to the hands/wrists/arms of the shooter is NOT constant, and that recoil impulse (the shape of the recoil impulse---think of the difference between the "push" of a .45 versus the "snap" of a 9mm in feel as an example) can change depending on the spring and the mass of the slide.
If it only depended on the momentum, the author would be correct. However, we don't feel momentum---we feel changes in momentum. And the minute the recoil spring attempts to retard the rearward movement of the slide, we start to feel the resulting change in momentum of the slide.
So----yeah, I think he's very wrong in his understanding. I'll read it in more detail later, and maybe make a comment about shock buffs, if it seems necessary.
(I also note that given our increased understanding of metallurgy, our increased ammunition technology, and the fact that we are working with materials that didn't even exist back when JMB was designing firearms---anyone who says something that sounds like "no one can ever improve on JMB's design!" is probably full of it. This is not to take away anything from JMB's genius---and I mean that sincerely. The man had a serious critical thinking ability, and creative genius---however we have also had a hundred years of technology increase. I wonder what he could have created with the tech of today? I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have stuck with the 1911 as the end of all handguns.)
