.....if the bullet lifted a person off their feet or knocked them over the shooter would also go down because for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction......
The reason this statement isn't true, is because the rifle has so very much more mass than the bullet, thus the 'equal' reaction has a way way more energy going to the bullet.......and.......actually the shooter isn't much a part of the reaction between the bullet, and the victim.
The equal, and opposite reaction is between the shooter/rifle, and the bullet/burnt powder.
This is why there is recoil. Luckily for us shooters, the bullet gets a way more energy than the shooter, or we would suffer too much damage to get off a second shot, maybe ever.
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