Muzzle booster
Encyclopedia
A muzzle booster or recoil booster is a device affixed to the muzzle of a firearm
, intended to harness the energy of the escaping propellant to augment the force of recoil
on portions of the firearm. Muzzle boosters are usually used to improve the reliability of a recoil operated
firearm. The muzzle booster is the antithesis of the muzzle brake
, which is designed to use the propellant gases to reduce the recoil of the firearm.
of 1912. The Vickers, like the Maxim gun
from which it was developed, uses a short recoil action. At firing the recoil from the cartridge pushes the barrel backwards within the gun. This movement provides the energy required to extract and eject the spent cartridge, and compresses the recoil spring to complete the cycle. The muzzle booster increased the recoil transmitted to the barrel by directing some of the escaping gas into pushing the barrel back rather than letting it all expand outwards at the muzzle. This increased the initial velocity of the barrel and lock, providing more energy for the operation of the mechanism.
The booster on the Vickers consists of two parts; the first is a flared "cup" on the muzzle of the barrel and the second is a perforated tube around the end of the muzzle. As the bullet exits the barrel, it passes through the close tolerance hole in the end of the perforated tube. As it does so it temporarily forms a blockage to further forward movement of the expanding gas from the barrel. The pressure inside the booster rises, as the gases are forced to reverse direction to escape the booster. The cup on the muzzle of the barrel provides a large surface for the gas to push against, and the increased pressure accelerates the barrel to the rear. The resulting action can be seen as a composite of the recoil action and a gas action — the barrel being acted upon as if it were the piston.
s. The much later German
MG42
was another such machine gun which also made use of a muzzle booster. This application has largely fallen out of use as modern machine gun design switched to delayed blowback
and gas operation in many cases. The Rheinmetall MG3
, essentially an MG42 modified to use the standard 7.62×51mm NATO
round, and currently used by the German military, still uses a boosted short recoil design.
s on Browning-pattern recoil operated pistol
s (i.e., most modern centerfire pistols). Such pistols have a barrel which recoils a short distance upon firing before unlocking from the slide. Adding the mass of a suppressor to a recoil operated pistol significantly adds to the recoiling mass, and the extra inertia of the suppressor can slow or even stop the recoil action of the barrel. By incorporating a recoil booster, often called a Nielsen device, the weight of the suppressor can be uncoupled from the barrel, allowing the pistol to function properly by boosting the recoil energy of the barrel and slide. Many suppressor boosters incorporate an indexing system which allows the suppressor to be re-oriented in a number of different rotational positions, allowing the end user to fine-tune the weapon's point of aim.
Some blank firing adapters
(BFAs) act as recoil boosters, harnessing the gases produced by the blank cartridge to compensate for the lack of recoil from the bullet.
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
, intended to harness the energy of the escaping propellant to augment the force of recoil
Recoil
Recoil is the backward momentum of a gun when it is discharged. In technical terms, the recoil caused by the gun exactly balances the forward momentum of the projectile and exhaust gasses, according to Newton's third law...
on portions of the firearm. Muzzle boosters are usually used to improve the reliability of a recoil operated
Recoil operation
Recoil operation is an operating mechanism used in locked-breech, autoloading firearms. As the name implies, these actions use the force of recoil to provide energy to cycle the action...
firearm. The muzzle booster is the antithesis of the muzzle brake
Muzzle brake
Muzzle brakes and recoil compensators are devices that are fitted to the muzzle of a firearm or cannon to redirect propellant gases with the effect of countering both recoil of the gun and unwanted rising of the barrel during rapid fire...
, which is designed to use the propellant gases to reduce the recoil of the firearm.
History
The recoil booster was first introduced in the Vickers machine gunVickers machine gun
Not to be confused with the Vickers light machine gunThe Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled .303 inch machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army...
of 1912. The Vickers, like the Maxim gun
Maxim gun
The Maxim gun was the first self-powered machine gun, invented by the American-born British inventor Sir Hiram Maxim in 1884. It has been called "the weapon most associated with [British] imperial conquest".-Functionality:...
from which it was developed, uses a short recoil action. At firing the recoil from the cartridge pushes the barrel backwards within the gun. This movement provides the energy required to extract and eject the spent cartridge, and compresses the recoil spring to complete the cycle. The muzzle booster increased the recoil transmitted to the barrel by directing some of the escaping gas into pushing the barrel back rather than letting it all expand outwards at the muzzle. This increased the initial velocity of the barrel and lock, providing more energy for the operation of the mechanism.
Construction
Historical applications
The original use of the recoil booster was to provide additional energy to move the large barrel mass on recoil operated machine gunMachine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s. The much later German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
MG42
MG42
The MG 42 is a 7.9mm universal machine gun that was developed in Nazi Germany and entered service with the Wehrmacht in 1942...
was another such machine gun which also made use of a muzzle booster. This application has largely fallen out of use as modern machine gun design switched to delayed blowback
Blowback (arms)
Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gases created by the ignition of the propellant charge....
and gas operation in many cases. The Rheinmetall MG3
Rheinmetall MG3
The MG3 is a German general-purpose machine gun chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge. The weapon's design is derived from the World War II era MG 42 universal machine gun that fired the 7.92x57mm Mauser round....
, essentially an MG42 modified to use the standard 7.62×51mm NATO
7.62×51mm NATO
The 7.62×51mm NATO is a rifle cartridge developed in the 1950s as a standard for small arms among NATO countries...
round, and currently used by the German military, still uses a boosted short recoil design.
Modern applications
Recoil boosters have found a new use in suppressorSuppressor
A suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer, is a device attached to or part of the barrel of a firearm which reduces the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon....
s on Browning-pattern recoil operated pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
s (i.e., most modern centerfire pistols). Such pistols have a barrel which recoils a short distance upon firing before unlocking from the slide. Adding the mass of a suppressor to a recoil operated pistol significantly adds to the recoiling mass, and the extra inertia of the suppressor can slow or even stop the recoil action of the barrel. By incorporating a recoil booster, often called a Nielsen device, the weight of the suppressor can be uncoupled from the barrel, allowing the pistol to function properly by boosting the recoil energy of the barrel and slide. Many suppressor boosters incorporate an indexing system which allows the suppressor to be re-oriented in a number of different rotational positions, allowing the end user to fine-tune the weapon's point of aim.
Some blank firing adapters
Blank-firing adaptor
A blank-firing adaptor or blank-firing attachment , sometimes called a blank adaptor or blank attachment, is a device used in conjunction with blank ammunition. Blank firing adapters are required for allowing blanks to cycle most automatic firearms.-Design:The design of the blank firing adapter...
(BFAs) act as recoil boosters, harnessing the gases produced by the blank cartridge to compensate for the lack of recoil from the bullet.