My understanding is that Bolters are "machine rocket launchers" and rocket launchers don't have recoil because the propellant is ejected straight out of the back of the tube. "Machine rocket launcher" might refer more to the large explosive round though. In which case, Bolters are just really big guns.
My understanding is that Bolters are "machine rocket launchers" and rocket launchers don't have recoil because the propellant is ejected straight out of the back of the tube. "Machine rocket launcher" might refer more to the large explosive round though. In which case, Bolters are just really big guns.
Bolter shells have a two-stage firing sequence. They get launched out of the barrel by a conventional propellant charge and then the shell's rocket portion activates once the shell is in flight so that the gun's barrel doesn't get warped by gas pressure. Sauce!
I believe Bolters are recoilless, similarly to Lasguns.
from what I remember from Dark Heresy, Bolters come in a variety of sizes and really the bolter shell is going to what sets how the gun reacts. Astartes bolters I think don't have less recoil per se so much as their user has better systems to manage it along with good quality ammo and anointment.
Bolters made for Astartes would dislocate your arms on the first shot, and if you somehow managed to hold down the trigger long enough to get off more than one, it would literally rip your arms off.
Then there's the bolters made for regular people, so you should be just fine. The only difference is that it's just a little less powerful, but a 20mm bullet is still a 20mm bullet for the most part.