The breechface is the front part of the
breechblock
A breechblock (or breech block) is the part of the firearm action that closes the breech of a breech loading weapon (whether small arms or artillery) before or at the moment of firing. It seals the breech and contains the pressure generated by ...
that makes contact with the
cartridge in a
firearm. The breech block (or breechblock) in a gun is what holds a round in the
chamber, and absorbs the
recoil
Recoil (often called knockback, kickback or simply kick) is the rearward thrust generated when a gun is being discharged. In technical terms, the recoil is a result of conservation of momentum, as according to Newton's third law the force r ...
of the cartridge when the round is fired, preventing the cartridge case from moving.
Footnotes
Firearm components
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