A method and apparatus counteracts the muzzle lift of a firearm resulting from recoil, and a firearm has an integral counteracting structure. A port extends from an inner surface of the firearm barrel bore to an outer surface of the barrel, forward of the location that the propellant ignites, to an occluding structure located beneath the grip surface of the firearm. When the propellant is ignited, and the projectile passes the relief port, a portion of the propellant gas exits the bore prior to the muzzle end, travels through the propellant gas relief tube, and exerts a force on the occluding structure. The force acts downward on the firearm, counteracting the recoil-induced muzzle lift.