K, so if you hold the gun sideways like this:
http://www.freakygaming.com/gallery/game_wallpapers/the_club/thug_sideways_pistol_aim.jpg
When you fire, does it recoil up or sideways?

Recoils up. Screws up the wrist real good too.

That's why I laugh at so-called 'gangstas'. They shoot, hurt themselves, and don't really hit anything besides dirt, concrete, and perhaps a tree or two.
Edited by drillinstructor on Feb 26, 2009 at 07:22 PM

Let's think physics! When you fire a bullet, it pushes the gun towards you, away from the bullet. This is due to Newton's third law, where every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction. Now, when you hold it sideways, it'll still be pushed towards you. Of course, don't take this as actual evidence, because I never took Physics.

Gamma, unless the weapon is designed to counter upwards recoil, it's going to fly toward you - and up as well.

That's why things like this happen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgcLBc69l04

Why does it fly upwards? Just curious.

Nowhere else for that energy to go. If the weapon were larger, and was on a mounted platform (bipod, tripod, jet, helicopter, etc.) instead of being held, the recoil would only go back, not up.

In the case of small arms, if the round does not produce a lot of energy upon firing, then the recoil will only be backward and most of it will be absorbed by the body. However, with most firearms, this isn't the case. Most weapons, if they aren't overly powerful, will only produce a slight upward motion (the M16, for instance), and even this depends on how the weapon is held, as well as the weight of the weapon and the way the shooter is standing. The video I showed was an extreme example. The girl was not holding the weapon correctly, so instead of the energy travelling through her arm and body, it went all over the place.
Edited by drillinstructor on Feb 26, 2009 at 08:08 PM

Alright, thanks I was pretty sure it still recoiled up, but just wanted to be 100% certain.
Oh, and look what I found when I clicked your link drillinstructor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV59_if9vTw&NR=1

Hahaha, I saw that too.

what.... do you know why guns recoil? there is literally an explosion happening inside the shell of the gun, and the force both pushes the bullet out and pushes the gun back. the side on top of the gun goes back to eject the shell and slide another bullet into the receiver. that force makes the gun go up
if you hold the gun sideways, it makes the gun jump sideways. iv done it before.

I've never tried to hold a weapon sideways before. Generally bad form when you're trying to actually hit something.

When I've seen it done, the weapon still goes up. It goes slightly to the side because of the slide, as you said; but the upwards motion is caused by the recoil.

I just went off my own experience (and how it was taught to me when I was in boot camp) when I made the explanation up there.

EDIT: And yeah, I know why weapons recoil. I explained it in a technical fashion, assuming that those who read it already knew that there was an explosion which generated the energy I referred to.
Edited by drillinstructor on Mar 2, 2009 at 06:40 PM