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Gun Glossary
Being a responsible gun owner means learning as much as you can about your firearms including gun terminology. Master gun terminology with our Gun Glossary.
Click on the gun terminology to be taken to the definition.
– # –
– A –
- A2 Pistol Grip
- Accidental Discharge
- Accuracy
- Accurize
- Action
- Adjustable Objective
- Advanced Sniper Rifle – ASR
- Air Resistance
- Ambidextrous Holster
- Ammunition
- Ankle Holster
- Annealing
- Antimony
- Anvil
- Appendix Inside the Waistband – AIWB
- Assault Rifle
- Auto-loading
- Automatic
- Automatic Colt Pistol – ACP
– B –
- Backup Iron Sights – BUIS
- Ball
- Ball Powder
- Ballistic Calculator
- Ballistic Coefficient – BC
- Ballistics
- Barrel
- Barrel-Cylinder Gap
- Barrel Shroud
- Battery Cup
- Bearing Surface
- Beavertail
- Bedding
- Bell
- Belted Case
- Bench Rest
- Berdan
- Black Powder
- Blowback
- Boat Tail
- Body (of a case)
- Bolt
- Bolt Action
- Bolt Carrier
- Bolt Carrier Group – BCG
- Bolt Catch
- Bolt Throw
- Bolt Thrust
- Bore
- Boresight
- Boresighter
- Boxer
- Brass
- Brass Catcher
- Break Action
- Breech
- Breechblock (Breech Block)
- Brisance
- Buffer Tube
- Bullet
- Bullet Path
- Bullet Pull
- Bullet Puller
- Bullet Runout
- Bullseye
- Bump Fire
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – ATF
- Burning Rate
- Burst Fire
- Buttstock
– C –
- Caliber
- Canister Powder
- Cannelure
- Cant
- Carbine
- Cartridge
- Cartridge Overall Length – OAL
- Case
- Case Forming
- Case Hardening
- Case Trimming
- Cast Bullet
- Castle Nut
- Center Hold
- Centerfire
- Cerakote
- Chamber
- Chamber Cast
- Chamfer
- Charge
- Charging Handle
- Chassis
- Cheek Riser
- Chief Range Officer – CRO
- Choke
- Chronograph
- Clip
- Collector
- Collimator
- Comb
- Combination Gun
- Combustion
- Compact
- Compensator
- Components
- Compressed Charge
- Concealed Carry Weapon – CCW
- Concentricity Gauge
- Constitution of the United States
- Copper Crusher
- Cordite
- Core
- Corrosion
- Corrosive Primer
- Cowboy Action Shooting
- Crimp
- Crimped Primer
- Crosshairs
- Cupro-Nickel
– D –
- Dealer
- Deburr
- Decap
- Deprime
- Deterrent Coating
- Die
- Double Action
- Double-base Powder
- Double-Stack Magazine
- Drag
- Dram Equivalent
- Drift
- Drop
- Dry Fire
- Dueling Tree
- Duplex Load
– E –
- Ejection Port
- Elevation
- Energy
- Erosion
- Everyday Carry – EDC
- Expander Ball
- Expansion
- Expansion Ratio
- Extractor
- Extruded Primer
- Extruded Tubular Powder
- Extrusion
- Eye Protection
- Eye Relief
– F –
- Failure to Eject – FTE
- Federal Firearms License – FFL
- Feet per Second – FPS
- Field of View
- Field Strip
- Firearm
- Firearm Owner Identification Card (FOID Card)
- Fireform
- Firing Pin
- Flake Powder
- Flash Hider
- Flash Hole
- Floorplate
- Follow-up Shot
- Foot-pound
- Forcing Cone
- Forend
- Form Factor
- Forward Assist
- Freebore
- Frontal Ignition
- Full Metal Jacket – FMJ
- Fully Automatic
– G –
- Galling
- Gas
- Gas Block
- Gas Check
- Gas Operated
- Gas Ram
- Gauge
- Gilding Metal
- Glock Sport Shooting Foundation – GSSF
- Grain
- Granulation
- Grease Groove
- Grip
- Grooves
- Group
- Gun
- Gun Powder
- Gun Show
- Gunsmith
– H –
- Half-jacket
- Hammer
- Handguard
- Handgun
- Handloading
- Hangfire
- Headspace
- Headspace Gauge
- Hearing Protection
- Heavy Machine Gun – HMG
- Heel
- Holdover
- Hollow Point – HP
- Holster
- Hot-Cor
- Hydrostatic Shock
– I –
- Ignition
- Improved
- Improved Military Rifle – IMR
- Incendiary Bullet
- Ingalls’ Tables
- International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts – ICORE
- International Defensive Pistol Association – IDPA
- International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association – IHMSA
- International Practical Shooting Confederation – IPSC
- International Range Officers Association (IROA)
- International Shooting Sport Federation – ISSF
– J –
– K –
– L –
- Lands
- Lead Crusher
- Leade
- Leading
- Length of Pull
- Lever Action
- Light Machine Gun – LMG
- Limp Wristing
- Line of Departure
- Line of Sight – LOS
- Loading Block
- Loading Density
- Lock Time
- Locking Lugs
- Lubricant
- Lubricator-Sizer
- Lupara
– M –
- M1911
- Machine Gun
- Magazine
- Magazine Release
- Magnum
- Magwell
- Mean Radius – MR
- Melonite
- Meplat
- Mercuric Primer
- Metal Case – MC
- Metal Fouling
- Micrometer
- Mid-range Trajectory – MRT
- Military Specification – MIL-SPEC
- Militia
- Minute of Angle – MOA
- Misfire
- M-LOK
- Moderator
- Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment – MOLLE
- Molon Labe – ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
- Mould Blocks
- Mount
- Mozambique Drill
- Mushroom
- Muzzle
- Muzzle Blast
- Muzzle Flash
- Muzzle Brake
- Muzzle Energy – ME
- Muzzle Flip
- Muzzle Pressure
- Muzzle Rise
- Muzzle Velocity – MV
- Muzzleloader
– N –
- National Bench Rest Shooters Association – NBRSA
- National Firearms Act – NFA
- National Instant Criminal Background Check System – NICS
- National Range Officers Institute – NROI
- National Reloading Manufacturers’ Association – NRMA
- National Rifle Association – NRA
- National Rifle League – NRL
- National Shooting Sports Foundation – NSSF
- Neck
- Neck Down or Up
- Neck Expansion
- Neck Ream
- Neck Size
- Neck Turn
- Negligent Discharge
- Nitride
- Non-corrosive
- Non-mercuric
– O –
- Ogive
- Oil Dent
- Optic
- Out of Battery
- Overall Length – OAL
- Overbore Capacity
– P –
- Palm Swell
- Parallax
- Patched Bullet
- Pattern
- Personal Defense Weapon – PDW
- Picatinny Rail
- Pierced Primer
- Pistol
- Pistol Caliber Carbine – PCC
- Plinking
- Pneumatic
- Point of Aim
- Port Pressure
- Pouch Attachment Ladder System – PALS
- Powder
- Powder Bridging
- Powder Measure
- Powder Scale
- Powder Trickler
- Pressure
- Pressure Gun
- Pressure-Velocity Ratio
- Primer
- Primer Flipper
- Primer Indent
- Primer Leak
- Primer Pocket
- Primer Pocket Reaming
- Primer Pocket Swaging
- Primer Punch
- Priming Tool
- Professional Sporting Clays Association – PSCA
- Progressive Burning
- Progressive Reloading Press
- Projectile
- Proof Cartridge
- Propellant
- Protruding Primer
- Pump Action
– Q –
– R –
- Ram
- Range
- Range Conducting Officer (RCO)
- Range Master
- Range Officer (RO)
- Range Safety Officer (RSO)
- Rate of Fire
- Reactive Target
- Ream
- Rebated Rim
- Receiver
- Recoil
- Recoil Buffer
- Recoil Pad
- Reloading
- Reloading Press
- Remaining Energy
- Remaining Velocity
- Reticle
- Revolver
- Rifle
- Rifleman’s Creed
- Riflestock
- Rifling
- Rim
- Rimfire (RF)
- Rimless
- Rimmed
- Round
- Round Nose
- Rupture
– S –
- Sabot
- Safety Check
- Scattergun
- Seating Depth
- Second Amendment
- Sectional Density
- Selective Fire
- Self-loading
- Semi-automatic
- Shell Holder
- Shock Wave
- Shooting Range
- Short Barreled Rifle – SBR
- Shot
- Shotgun
- Shotshell
- Shoulder
- Side-by-Side Shotgun
- Sight Picture
- Sights
- Sighting in
- Single Action
- Single Shot
- Single-Stack Magazine
- Single-stage Reloading Press
- Six Shooter
- Sizing
- Slide
- Slug
- Small Arms
- Smoke Wagon
- Smokeless Powder
- Smooth Bore
- Snap Cap
- Sniper Rifle
- Soft Point – SP
- Spent
- Spin
- Spire Point
- Spitzer
- Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute – SAAMI
- Squib
- Stabilize
- Steel Challenge Shooting Association – SCSA
- Stock
- Stovepipe
- Striker Fired
- Straw Purchasing
- Sub-Compact
- Submachine Gun
- Subsonic
- Supersonic
- Suppressor
- Swage
- Swaging
– T –
- Target
- Target Turrets
- Terminal Ballistics
- Throat
- Thumbhole Stock
- Time of Flight – TOF
- Tracer Ammunition
- Trajectory
- Transducer
- Trigger
- Trigger Break
- Trigger Creep
- Trigger Group
- Trigger Guard
- Trigger Pull
- Trigger Reset
- Tube Magazine
- Twist Rate
– U –
– V –
- Velocity
- Vernier Caliper
- Vertical Grip
- Voluntary Appeal File – VAF
– W –
- Wad
- Wadcutter
- Weaver Rail
- Web
- Wildcat
- Winchester Center Fire – WCF
- Wind Deflection
- Windage
- Work-hardening
- Working-up
– X –
– Y –
– Z –
Be sure to also check out our Gun Acronym Guide.