Muzzle flip and recoil are often incorrectly substituted. Depending on how a gun is designed and held will change the "muzzle flip" which is a side effect of recoil. Grip seems to be a significant factor in "felt" recoil. However, some guns are just designed in a way that makes them more inclined to punish the shooter by not directing the recoil into the hands/wrist/arms/body naturally.