recoilless
Lacking backward thrust
Recoilless describes a weapon designed to eliminate or greatly reduce the backward kick normally produced when firing.
Conventional guns push back against the shooter; recoilless rifles and similar weapons vent propellant gases rearward to counteract this force: a recoilless antitank gun.
The term appears almost exclusively in military contexts.
cannon
Large mounted gun
- artilleryLarge-caliber battlefield weapons
- howitzerShort-barreled artillery piece
- antitankDesigned against armored vehicles
bazooka · rpg · law · spigot · projectile · launcher · ordnance · munitions · warhead · propellant
- recoilless rifleGun venting propellant rearward