That stored energy is used during counter-recoil to prepare the gun for the next round.

Gun models included both older fixed carriage guns and more modern weapons with counter-recoil systems.

The role of the small spring was to ensure the return of the piston's head into position on the counter-recoil.

During recoil, some of the recoil energy is stored in the counter-recoil system.

(See Picture) They also buffer the end of counter-recoil for a soft return to battery.

Extraction, ejection, feeding and loading were accomplished during counter-recoil.

During counter-recoil, the breechblock was automatically lowered and the spent powder case was ejected from the chamber.

The compressed gas inside the buffer is then used to impart a considerable forward velocity to the actuating slide to start counter-recoil.

During Counter-recoil:

Unlike the 10 inch guns, the 6 inch guns had a modern counter-recoil system and achieved a rate of fire of five shots per minute.

Operating via the long-recoil principle, the Y3 fires from an open breech (minimising the opportunity for grenade cook-off within the magazine) when in counter-recoil.

This weapon lacked a counter-recoil brake, as the force of the counter-recoil was checked by the explosion of the next round of ammunition.

At the end of recoil, the Counter-Recoil System moves the housing forward again until it is back "In-Battery" - and holds it there at any gun elevation.

The KeyMod specifications call out a "recoil lug" on the accessories which is intended to interface with the larger through hole portion and resist slippage of accessories during counter-recoil.

The 152 mm ordnance is fitted with a muzzle brake and a semi-automatic breech mechanism, spring-operated ramming system, hydraulic counter-recoil device and a liquid-cooled recoil brake.

When the plates return to their original shape they release a pulse of strain energy which propels the reciprocating parts forward in counter-recoil with a speed only slightly below that of the original recoil velocity.

Recoil and counter-recoil were controlled hydraulically by means of a piston and spring combination connected to the recoiling mechanism and operating in an oil-filled recuperator cylinder mounted to the stationary trunnion block assembly.

There are two special cases of counter recoil force: Free-recoil, in which the time duration of the counter-recoil force is very much larger than the duration of the recoil force, and zero-recoil, in which the counter-recoil force matches the recoil force in magnitude and duration.