What Does the Recoil Feel Like When You Fire a Heavy Machine Gun Off a Polaris RZR?

The Indian Army has a neat Polaris MRZR, the military spec RZR side-by-side, and it's equipped with a massive 12.7 x 108mm heavy machine gun. But what does the recoil feel like?

Photo by: Reddit

By: Jonathon Klein

Nov 17, 2025 at 7:47am ET

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One of the coolest innovations in modern warfare is, obviously, the side-by-side. They're basically trophy trucks that've been shrunk by 30%, but that means they're perfect for going anywhere, anytime, at any speed. And Polaris, makers of one of the most well-known and beloved go-fast side-by-sides around, saw that early on and capitalized on it with its military-spec MRZR.

Now, we've covered all sorts of news on the MRZR, including how it just won an award for being so cool. But until now, I've only ever seen MRZRs used as transport means. Fast-action, quick-deploying for special operations groups that can be dropped out of V-22 Ospreys, C-130s, or hauled in via a heavy-lift Chinook. I've never seen them used as technicals, i.e., equipped with heavy machine guns.

This particular photo comes from the Indian Army, and the MRZR indeed has a heavy machine gun strapped to its roof. And that got me thinking about the gun in particular, as well as the UTV's suspension. Specifically, it made me ask a simple question: What's the recoil like on this setup?

According to the post on Reddit's r/ShittyTechnicals, the specific heavy machine gun bolted to the MRZR's roof is a 12.7 x 108mm NSV Utyos heavy machine gun built by the Soviets in the 1970s, but still in use today. In fact, it's still in production. The gun weighs 55 pounds by itself, and can send 800-ish rounds up to 2,200 yards down range. It is a beast for all intents and purposes, and a stable one at that, if you look at the videos online of it firing in rapid succession.

But that's when the machine gun is mounted to a tripod and dug into the ground. What happens when you drop it onto the back of an MRZR and start going ham on whatever's downrange?

What do you think?

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I say this as someone who's experienced the standard RZR in civilian life, with the suspension being more adept and soaking up whoops and ruts, i.e., wallowy. I have to imagine that if you start feeding rounds through the belt of this NSV, the rear of the MRZR would shake like a Polaroid picture. How could it not? I tried looking online for any MRZR with a mounted heavy machine gun actually firing, but came up empty. Polaris had to think about that, right? The company had to do something to mitigate any felt recoil due to the suspension so you could stay on target, right?

Still, I want one.