A buffer assembly to reduce recoil in a firearm includes a main body that is hollow from an opening extending from the end of the main body to about a shoulder that engages a recoil spring. An end cap is insertable into the opening and has a central hole, with a first larger diameter through a first portion and a second smaller diameter through a second portion. An operational rod has a first portion with a larger diameter and a second portion with a smaller diameter, sized to slidingly fit in the second smaller diameter hole of the end cap. The first portion's diameter is larger than the second smaller diameter of the end cap, providing a stop for the operational rod such that the operational rod cannot slide out of the end cap, and the second portion extends out from the end cap and terminates in a bumper.