Recoilless Rifle: The Science Behind Ventilated Rifles A recoilless rifle is designed to eliminate the recoil typically generated when a projectile is fired. In standard firearms, Newton’s Third Law of Motion applies: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction - so when a bullet is fired forward, the gun experiences a backward force (recoil). A recoilless rifle counteracts this by venting propellant gases rearward at the same time the projectile is launched forward. This backward