<p>In this paper, a mathematical model is established to describe the motion of the recoil part taking into account the gap between the recoil cylinder and the piston. Based on this mathematical model, an investigation of the influence of this gap on the operation of the artillery during work is carried out. The dynamic characteristics of the artillery such as recoil resistance, velocity, and recoil length are determined in two cases with and without a gap between the recoil cylinder and the piston. The results show that when the gap increases, the recoiling resistance force decreases, the velocity of the recoiling part increases, and the recoiling length increases. The recoil length of the artillery also exceeded the allowable limit when the gap between the recoil cylinder and piston exceeded 0.285&#xa0;mm. The survey results allow evaluating the performance of the recoil brake mechanism when working in harsh environments and at the same time provide a warning when the recoil length exceeds the limit value for appropriate repair solutions. This research can be applied to improve the reliability and maintenance efficiency of field artillery systems under actual combat conditions.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>