Why Do Guns Recoil Up?

There are many ways guns, especially handguns, can manage recoil but usually it’s still not enough to absolve all of it so that is why you see them fly up when shot. Blowback and recoil operated handguns both rely on the handgun recoil to some degree to operate their semi-automatic action properly. Blowback action pistols uses the gases from the explosion of the bullet to push the casing back which in turn pushes the slide back to eject the case. Recoil operated handguns or Short recoil operation is where the barrel moves back with the slide when fired just enough to give the slide just enough energy to push it far enough to eject the casing.

Most modern day handgun designs incorporate short recoil operation as the more effective semi-automation function. 

With recoil being a thing, it is natural to wonder why they recoil up. It has to do where you are holding the gun. The grip of your handgun is slightly below of where the action of the handgun is. So when you fire, the recoil will push back and where you are holding the gun will naturally be the point of where the recoil would create enough movement to rotate your and or wrist upwards. If the barrel or action was right in front of your hand instead of on top, there would be no mussel rise. The recoil would only push back instead of rising upwards. If the grip happened to be on the top of the gun, the gun mussel would recoil downwards. These are just the laws of physics. 

With long guns, recoil still exists but usually its effects are much less depending upon the firearm. Generally, long guns are have a lot more mass than handguns.

Because they have more mass, they can absorb a lot more of the recoil.

The mass of the long gun is a key factor. This is one of the reasons why rifles are the preferred combat weapon. Many long guns are designed in a way so you are holding the grip more in line with the barrel so the effects of the recoil are less prominent thus limiting mussle climb. You can see this done in various shotguns and marksmen/sniper rifles.

Another way long guns minimize recoil is with a stock. Gun stocks are designed to use your body as a buffer to reduce recoil as you fire. Using a stock generally will reduce the majority of your recoil. Because long guns use a larger caliber round than most handguns, its almost a requirement to use a stock to reduce the recoil of a higher caliber bullet.