Balanced Recoil Concept - Overhyped or a Gamechanger? 

Over the years, numerous efforts have been made to improve the controllability and accuracy of firearms, notably automatic weapons. One such approach is the Balanced Action, which predates World War I. By incorporating a synchronized counter-recoiling balancer, designers aimed to reduce the recoil impulse generated by the weapon's moving parts by balancing the operating system. This system was intended to lessen the felt recoil, ultimately enhancing accuracy and controllability during bursts and automatic fire. However, this improvement also increased the firearm's design complexity.

The Soviet and later Russian approach to increasing hit probability has been centered on reducing recoil. The Balanced Automatic Recoil System (BARS), also known as balanced action or balanced recoil, is a method that has garnered praise for its potential advantages over traditional firearms. Despite decades of development efforts, substantial advancements in firearm technology have yet to be realized, but the potential of the BARS system continues to intrigue.

How it works

The idea is based on a phenomenon related to the conservation of momentum, as Newton’s third law of motion described: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Most Soviet and Russian concepts operate as follows: when the weapon fires, the expanding gases enter the annular chamber, creating internal pressure. The effect of gas pressure on the piston assembly drives the bolt carrier and the balancer in opposite directions; simultaneously, the gear transmission, using sprockets, synchronizes their movement. The return spring is compressed. While driving, the bolt carrier is directed by the gas tube and the balancer guide. The bolt carrier and the balancer have the same stroke values and, at the end of the rollback, are ready to repeat. This, in theory, eliminates the adverse effects of recoil, such as the rock of the weapon when the carrier hits its end of travel; it reduces recoil and gives the weapon the ability to stay on target and makes it easier for follow-up shots. It does achieve this goal but at the cost of complexity, cost, and added weight.

Since then, various Soviet engineers have used this concept in the following weapons: LA-4, AO-38, AO-41, TKB-072, AL-6M, AL-7, SA-006, AKB, and AKB-1. This list may not encompass all the prototypes. The latest case of the A-545 during the Ratnik trials only showed a 10% increase in targets engaged within 300 meters. Past 300 meters, traditional weapons were 10% better at engaging targets.

 “According to the results of military tests, it was found that in terms of the effectiveness of fire, both new 5.45-mm assault rifles are almost identical to each other, providing superiority over the AKM ineffectiveness in the range from 1.2 to 1.8 times in different exercises.

 The generalized test report of 1972 stated that "in terms of the effectiveness of fire, the superiority of the SA-006 and A-3 over the AKM as a whole... was 1.11 and 1.07 times", that is, according to the totality of all results, a 20-30% improvement in the accuracy of fire of the "balanced" assault rifle gave only about a 4% increase in the total effectiveness of fire against targets compared to the "classical" system.”

 Cited by Kalashnikov.RU

Abakan

The AEK-971 was developed by Stanislav Ivanovich Koksharov in 1978 at the Kovrov Mechanical Plant, now the Degtyaryov Plant ZID. It was created as part of the Abakan Project, a significant initiative to develop advanced infantry weapons for the Soviet military. This project was significant as it coincided with the U.S. conducting Advanced Combat Rifle trials, a period of intense competition and innovation in firearms technology. The Abakan Project focused on enhancing hit probability by 1.5 to 2x, particularly in burst and full-auto fire, which differed from most countries' conventional accuracy testing methods. The program's outcome was the adoption of the AN-94; however, of the two, the AEK-971 was more of an incremental improvement.

Ratnik

The Ratnik project is a research and development initiative that began in 2013. As part of this project, ZID proposed the A-545 Kord 6P67 rifle, officially announced after its development phase was completed in 2014. In 2015, the A-545 underwent extensive testing during the Ratnik trials, a series of evaluations designed to establish high weapon performance and reliability standards. During these trials, the A-545 was comparable with the AK-12. In March 2017, it was confirmed that the A-545 and the AK-12 would enter service following their successful trials.

Operational use

The AEK-971 was reportedly used in the Chechen Wars, specifically in the Second Chechen War. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, there has been no conclusive evidence, at the time of writing, suggesting that the A-545 rifle is being used in Ukraine on any significant scale. Its presence cannot be confirmed until one enters a capture pile. Some rifles were likely sent to Russia's special forces and training facilities for evaluation.

Other solutions

The concept of balanced recoil is interesting, but there are more straightforward and practical solutions for managing recoil. For example, the RM277 features a short recoil action, which helps absorb and reduce recoil. The Ultimax uses space, simply a longer receiver, which gives the carrier more space to decelerate, resulting in a reduced and constant recoil effect. Effective muzzle devices or adjustable gas systems, such as the KNS piston for AK-based weapons, can also be used to minimize the muzzle rise and recoil. The main idea was to neutralize the additional recoil impulse created by a heavy bolt group into the back of the receiver during the firing cycle.

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union closely monitored U.S. weapons development. However, it misinterpreted the significance of the U.S. conducting Advanced Combat Rifle trial results, particularly regarding adopting optics for existing weapons, which didn’t reduce recoil but increased hit probability with the aid of optical sighting systems. 

Conclusion

The concept of balanced action offers a significant advantage by reducing dispersion during fully automatic fire, making it a viable option for a light machine gun or larger caliber weapons. It would have been interesting to see if the Soviet AL-6M or AO-41 had been tested and how it might have replaced the RPK.

I had a few opportunities to test several balanced automation designs from the Kalashnikov Concern; however, my assessments were somewhat skewed because of the effectiveness of the muzzle device and the rifle's weight, which aided in recoil absorption. All this added to a very smooth shooting rifle.

Conversely, I tested RM277, which employs a different design to achieve similar results. The RM277 represents a more innovative weapon system with significantly enhanced capabilities. There is a trade-off for balanced action weapons such as the A-545: they can offer incremental improved performance but come with added costs, complexity, and weight.