Tips on Reducing the Recoil and/or the Explosiveness of an AR-15?

[quneur]

The OP is familiar with the 9mm caliber. So he should be somewhat comfortable with the felt recoil of the 9mm especially in a rifle. The he can compare the two calibers on the same platform. I have a suspicion the OP has a preconception on the destructiveness of the 5.56 even before he built his AR which directly effects his perceived recoil.

The OP also has shot a 12 ga which has more recoil (Chuck Hawks web search: 12ga 2 3/4" shell 1 1/8 oz using a 7.5lb gun has 23 lb.ft.) I haven't been able to find the recoil for 5.56 but the 6.5 Grendel which hold more powder shows (7.9 lb.ft 123 gr bullet 7.5 lb rifle.) less than 1/2 almost a 1/3 of the recoil.

Plus, having the same caliber in both handgun and rifle can be economical by buying ammo in bulk.

 

[spookshack]

My guess is the OP is more sensitive to the actual or perceived concussion then any felt recoil. No contest, AR-9 FTW. Or the OP can puss all the way out and buy a S&W 15-22 and enjoy no concussion or felt recoil....

I have both, he is welcomed to try.

 

[Hummer]

Basically the rule is the shorter the barrel the higher the decibel rating. Below is with MILSPEC ammo.

A 20" barrel AR delivers about 155 decibels.
A 16" barrel delivers about 167 decibels
A 12" barrel delivers about 188 decibels
The Surgeon General of the Army estimates ear drums will rupture about 190 decibels with one exposure. This is why the CAR 15 had a pipe added to the barrel as Aberdeen Proving Ground was testing it and determined it to be hazardous. There were so many CAR shorty barrels the cheapest thing to do was add the pipe/tube onto the barrel.

The moral to this story is wear the best ear protection you can get. When I was a Test Director at Aberdeen Proving Ground I wore EAR foam plugs and muffs over them.
Also note the shorter the barrel the slower the bullet leaves. The 5.56 round 55 and 62 grain bullets have the highest lethality in the first 95 yards insofar as terminal ballistics go. That is from a 20 " barrel so I suspect the range would be down in the 80 yard range now. The Army Wound Ballistic Lab closed down a good while back when Col Martin Fackler MD retired. He started the Intl Wound Ballistics Assn and lots of great info was printed.

You guys can read every one of their journals here:

Google Drive: Sign-in

Access Google Drive with a Google account (for personal use) or Google Workspace account (for business use).

drive.google.com

If you had been a member the above would have cost you 600.00 as you would have had to been a member for ten years. Suggest you download the whole thing in a thumb drive.

 

[3MTA3]

Basically the rule is the shorter the barrel the higher the decibel rating. Below is with MILSPEC ammo.

A 20" barrel AR delivers about 155 decibels.
A 16" barrel delivers about 167 decibels
A 12" barrel delivers about 188 decibels
The Surgeon General of the Army estimates ear drums will rupture about 190 decibels with one exposure. This is why the CAR 15 had a pipe added to the barrel as Aberdeen Proving Ground was testing it and determined it to be hazardous. There were so many CAR shorty barrels the cheapest thing to do was add the pipe/tube onto the barrel.

The moral to this story is wear the best ear protection you can get. When I was a Test Director at Aberdeen Proving Ground I wore EAR foam plugs and muffs over them.

Good info!

For those who are unfamiliar, decibels are not linear - a change in 3 dB is a doubling or halving of the actual power used to make the sound. The ear, however, does not perceive a 3 dB change as a doubling of sound while the ear structure does. This is why it's easy to get ear damage.

 

[daved20319]

Guys, give the OP a break. We all have differing levels of recoil tolerance, I find any rifle that recoils much more than a .223 uncomfortable, although magnum handguns and 12 ga. shotguns don't bother me, go figure. I enjoy my Grendel, but I have a brake on it, it's just a range toy, and both the ranges I shoot at are outdoors. I've tried a brake on an AR, it was surprisingly effective, but the increase in blast was also very noticeable, even shooting in the open. That said, practice makes a lot of difference, the more you shoot it, the more you become accustomed to the recoil and blast. I've found that my recoil tolerance increases the more shooting I do, something like a .308 is still not fun for me, but it's not misery, either.

OP, if it's mostly noise/blast that's the issue, invest in some good hearing protection, and avoid shooting indoors, if possible. If it IS the recoil, the only ways to reduce it is to add weight to the rifle, use a soft(er) recoil pad, and/or add a brake, bearing in mind all the caveats noted above. You could also stick to ammo that uses bullets on the lighter end of the scale, less bullet weight means less recoil (usually). A different rifle design can make a difference, but not much you can do to change an AR in that department. If nothing helps, just accept that you're not a rifle guy and send it on down the road. Good luck.

 

[Mikej]

Guys, give the OP a break. We all have differing levels of recoil tolerance, I find any rifle that recoils much more than a .223 uncomfortable, although magnum handguns and 12 ga. shotguns don't bother me, go figure. I enjoy my Grendel, but I have a brake on it, it's just a range toy, and both the ranges I shoot at are outdoors. I've tried a brake on an AR, it was surprisingly effective, but the increase in blast was also very noticeable, even shooting in the open. That said, practice makes a lot of difference, the more you shoot it, the more you become accustomed to the recoil and blast. I've found that my recoil tolerance increases the more shooting I do, something like a .308 is still not fun for me, but it's not misery, either.

OP, if it's mostly noise/blast that's the issue, invest in some good hearing protection, and avoid shooting indoors, if possible. If it IS the recoil, the only ways to reduce it is to add weight to the rifle, use a soft(er) recoil pad, and/or add a brake, bearing in mind all the caveats noted above. You could also stick to ammo that uses bullets on the lighter end of the scale, less bullet weight means less recoil (usually). A different rifle design can make a difference, but not much you can do to change an AR in that department. If nothing helps, just accept that you're not a rifle guy and send it on down the road. Good luck.

Yeah......

Okay...My name is Mike, and I wear a puthy pad when I shoot anything other than the AK and AR. E.G. 6.5 Swede, Enfield, Garand.....



There, I said it!

I've got some bony shoulders, and very little natural padding where the stock goes.

 

[Caveman Jim]

If you complain about recoil and the noise from an AR15, well I got nuffin for ya....

 

[MannyGlocks]

Or downsize to something like my Smith&Wesson 15-22 AR.

Very much fun to shoot with almost zero recoil and a gentle muzzle blast.

 

[bbbass]

Convert your AR into an AR-9. Then you can make a comparison between a pistol and the rifle in the same caliber.

I've heard AR9s are brutal compared to AR15 due to the blowback action vs gas operated.

 

[Capn Jack]

I can sympathize with the Op. and his/her problem, but I think what they perceive as recoil is really noise and concussion.

I shoot the AR platform in several different calibers, from a .177 pellet gun to .458S and 12 GA.. Of them all, the 5.56 can
be the most unpleasant. Not from, "Recoil", but from the sharp crack it makes when firing. I've had to double up on my ear
protection. I've even had to leave my local indoor range on occasion, due to the muzzle blast, (shock wave) from an AR
shooting alongside me.

 

[Caveman Jim]

If it's just the noise that bothers the OP then he should double up on HP, problem solved...

 

[Duge]

I have a PSA 10.5 pistol on an Aero lower. Also chambered in 556. Recoil is very minimal. I do wear plugs under my earmuffs though because it is very loud.

 

[3MTA3]

Here is a thought - if the OP is mostly a pistol guy, could it be his shooting stance, like leaning away from instead of into the stock?

 

[Kruel J]

I've heard AR9s are brutal compared to AR15 due to the blowback action vs gas operated.

They have more felt recoil due to it. Brutal? Not even close. But noticeable.

 

[titsonritz]

I've heard AR9s are brutal compared to AR15 due to the blowback action vs gas operated.

Blowback and launching more mass (typically 55-77gr vs 115-147gr), still not sure I'd call it brutal.

 

[DirectDrive]

OP
Shoot a big magnum like a 300 Ultra Mag or a 460 Weatherby Mag.
Then shoot your AR.

 

[bbbass]

They have more felt recoil due to it. Brutal? Not even close. But noticeable.

Mmmmkay, you caught me exaggerating. The Keltec 2000 I shot was merely unpleasant compared to an AR15.

 

[bbbass]

Blowback and launching more mass (typically 55-77gr vs 115-147gr), still not sure I'd call it brutal.

Yah yah yah... see above...

 

[Kruel J]

Mmmmkay, you caught me exaggerating. The Keltec 2000 I shot was merely unpleasant compared to an AR15.

Pussy.

J/K

 

[3MTA3]

Pussy.

J/K

At least you didn't call him a Kuntzman