Ulfberht .338 Lapua Magnum

[MKo]

I don't think you loose anything on inertia driven systems. There recoil energy (impulse) is conserved and stored into a spring which then recycles the bolt. So energy produced by firing a round has certain amount of energy (1/2 times mass times velocity). It'll then create inertia which is either fully felt by shooters shoulder or divided between recoil spring and shoulder. And in "closed system" all energies when added together equal zero. Every action has equal and opposite reaction (newton III)

Somebody with better understanding the physics maybe can explain this better.