Weapon system with short recoil impulse averaging operating group

A weapon system for firing a round, comprising:

• a receiver;
• an operating group configured to operate the weapon system through a charged condition, a firing condition, and a recoil condition, the operating group comprising
• a barrel extension at least partially housed within the receiver and arranged to axially translate relative to the receiver;
• an operating rod (op-rod) assembly at least partially housed and arranged to axially translate within the barrel extension in the charge condition, the firing condition, and the recoil condition;
• and
• a bolt assembly coupled to the op-rod assembly and at least partially housed and arranged to axially translate within the barrel extension;
• a barrel coupled to the barrel extension and defining a chamber;
• a gas accelerator with a first end coupled to the barrel and a second end coupled to the op-rod assembly;
• and
• a buffer assembly comprising a drive spring having a first end coupled to the receiver and a second end coupled to the op-rod assembly,
• wherein, in the charged condition, the op-rod assembly and the bolt assembly are retracted against the drive spring;
• wherein, in the firing condition, the op-rod assembly and bolt assembly are driven by the drive spring such that the round is guided into the chamber and the op-rod assembly and bolt assembly are locked to the barrel extension and a forward momentum of the op-rod assembly is imparted to the operating group and the round is fired, wherein a portion of an impulse of the fired round stops the forward momentum of the operating group;
• and
• wherein, in the recoil condition, the operating group is driven rearward by the remaining portion of the impulse of the fired round, the gas accelerator imparts additional rearward momentum to the op-rod assembly and bolt assembly and stops rearward momentum of the barrel and barrel extension, and the op-rod assembly and the bolt assembly are stopped by the drive spring.