Definitions by Anonymous
Blow-forward
The opposite of the blowback, the blow-forward method of operation involves a fixed breech/bolt assembly, with the barrel and chamber being the components that are operated by the force of the expanding gas. Though it produces less recoil than a traditional blowback system, it is unnecessarily complex and not as reliable, and therefore, did not catch on in the world of firearms.
Blow-forward by Anonymous August 10, 2003
blowback
A method of operation that is used by most automatic firearms. More explicitly, this is the process used to the cycle the breech/bolt assembly (thereby ejecting the spent casing and chambering a fresh round), by either using the recoil force directly caused by the exploding powder charge, or by diverting the expanding gas of the exploding powder charge via a gas tube and piston.