A recoilless gun or recoilless rifle (RCL) is a lightweight form of weapon that allows the firing of a heavier projectile than woul be practical with a recoiling weapon. Technically, only devices that use a rifled barrel are recoilless rifles. Smoothbore variants (those devoid of rifling) are termed recoilless guns. This distinction is often lost, and both are often called recoilless rifles.