Abstract: A shock-absorbing recoil mechanism for a semiautomatic firearm includes a pair of rigid plates positioned on opposite sides of a resilient sheet of energy-dissipating material. The plates and sheet are positioned in the U-shaped cavity of the firearm frame against reduced diameter shoulders formed toward the rear end thereof. The slide, when moving to its recoil position, thus contacts the forward plate instead of the shoulder in order to reduce the peak value of the recoil force applied to the frame by the slide. The shock-absorbing assembly may be combined with the recoil spring by utilizing a spring guide rod which projects through the plates and resilient material. The recoil spring surrounds the guide rod and projects forwardly against a cap mounted in the forward end of the slide.

Abstract: A boosting device including a thin, cylindrical shell of high explosive, such as PETN, which may be formed by a spiral wrap of detonating cord. The shell is formed around an inert core which is either a solid cylindrical body, a hollow cylindrical body or a web-like structure having radial spokes or a hollow center. Detonation of the shell is initiated at one point on the shell, and the detonation proceeds along opposite sides of the cylindrical shell to a point diametrically opposite the initiation point where the detonation fronts meet thereby producing a shock reinforcing effect. The shock reinforcing effect allows a relatively small amount of explosive to initiate even low sensitivity blasting agents.