Torque Reaction from a .45 Colt ACP
This picture illustrates the torque reaction from firing a large calibre pistol. See how the gun has both jumped (due to the recoil) and rotated anti-clockwise due to the torque generated by firing the 230 grain .45 calibre bullet. This effect is very pronounced in pistols, rather less so in rifles (due to their greater bulk), but is present to some degree in all rifled weapons. As can be seen, the rifling in this pistol is clockwise because the gun has rotated in the opposite direction. Naturally the sights have to be set to allow for this phenomenon and it is vital that the shooter holds the gun at the same angle to the vertical for each shot. Note the ejected cartridge case, just to the right at the top of the view. See also the video of torque reaction when firing a Pennsylvanian muzzle loading rifle.
