Final answer:
To ensure firearm safety, essential steps include engaging safeties, pointing the muzzle in a safe direction, unloading, and rechecking the firearm. Ordinary rifles recoil due to Newton's third law of motion, while recoilless rifles allow gases to escape out the back to balance forces. However, standing behind a recoilless rifle is still dangerous.
Step-by-step explanation:
Firearm Safety and Recoil Explanation
To ensure firearm safety, a series of steps should be taken to minimize risks of accidental discharge and injury. These steps include:
- Ensuring the safety is on to prevent the firearm from being fired accidentally.
- Keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, which means it should be pointed away from people or any potential area where it may cause harm.
- Opening the action to check if the firearm is loaded, which helps in preventing unintended firing.
- Removing any shotgun shells or cartridges in the case of rifles and handguns.
- Emptying the magazine if it is loaded which is critical in making sure no rounds are left that could be chambered and fired.
- Checking the firearm again to be sure it's unloaded, as a double-check to ensure all ammunition has been removed.
Regarding recoil, an ordinary rifle recoils or 'kicks backward' when fired due to Newton's third law of motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When a bullet is propelled out of the barrel, the force of the bullet moving forward causes a backward force on the rifle.
Meanwhile, a recoilless rifle has a design that allows some of the explosive gases to escape out of the rear, which compensates for the forward thrust of the projectile. The barrel being open at both ends allows for the backward force to be neutralized. It is extremely dangerous to stand close behind a recoilless rifle when it's fired, because despite its name, it releases high-speed gases and debris from the rear.