What Would Happen If You Shot a Gun In Space?
Newton’s third law dictates that the force exerted on the bullet will impart an equal and opposite force on the gun, and, because you’re holding the gun, you. With very few intergalactic atoms against which to brace yourself, you’ll start moving backward (not that you’d have any way of knowing). If the bullet leaves the gun barrel at 1,000 meters per second, you — because you’re much more massive than it is — will head the other way at only a few centimeters per second.
If the gun was not lined up with your center-of-mass, you would also feel a torque and begin rotating.
In the first paragraph it is said “Fires can’t burn in the oxygen-free vacuum of space, but guns can shoot.”
What about metal fires like magnesium? or is this explained in the second sentence and am I to assume that Magnesium is also it’s own oxidiser?
Nevermind, just realised this is due to a reaction between the Hydrogen/Oxygen bonds in water and there’s clearly neither of those in space…
Question answered.
Much of gun recoil is gas venting. Add a good muzzle brake or use a recoilless rifle venting on both ends. Barrett M82 to M107A1 – nice evolution.
1000 m/s = 3281 fps. An M16 shooting 5.56×45mm NATO (0.223 caliber) is 3110 fps. As there is no air resistance and minimal gravity fall, you would be better off with a heavier bullet with lower muzzle velocity for the same ft-lbs delivered, reducing bore erosion in vacuum (chromed bore; micronized WS2 dry lube). No air means ballistics ignore nose geometry and the Magnus effect.
Then again, just use a heavier bullet. GAU-8/A ‘Avenger’ 30mm cannon – Warthogs In Space! PGU-14/B Armor Piercing Incendiary: 290 mm long, 6560 grains projectile, 990 m/s = 3250 fps. GAU-8/A recoil is 45 kN/shell -an interesting defensive thruster for tailgating botheration.