Glossary Of Terms

Front 1

Action

Back 1

The breech mechanism of a firearm which locks the cartridge in the chamber..

Front 2

Back strap

Back 2

The rear most portion of the frame comprising the grip.

Front 3

Barrel

Back 3

The metal tube of a firearm through which the projectile or shot passes.

Front 4

Bore

Back 4

The hole through the center of the barrel of a firearm.

Front 5

Breech

Back 5

The most rearward portion of the barrel.

Front 6

Bullet

Back 6

The projectile fired from a firearm.

Front 7

Caliber

Back 7

Generally the diameter of a rifled bore before the rifling grooves are cut, for the purpose of measurement of a rifled bore, caliber is the distance measured from land to land in decimal parts of an inch or millimeters across the diameter of the bore.

Front 8

Cant

Back 8

The tilting of a rifle or handgun to one side or the other as the weapon is being fired.

Front 9

Cartridge

Back 9

The complete assembly consisting of projectiles, case, primer and powder charge.

Front 10

Centerfire cartridge

Back 10

A cartridge whose primer is located in the center of the base of the case.

Front 11

Chamber

Back 11

The enlarged portion of the bore at the breech which receives the cartridge for firing. A revolver's chambers are located in it's cylinders.

Front 12

Choke

Back 12

The constriction in the muzzle end of a shotgun barrel by which the shots pattern is controlled.

Front 13

Clip

Back 13

A metal frame which holds together cartridges which can be inserted into a firearm.

Front 14

Compensator

Back 14

A device fitted to the muzzle end of any firearm whose function is to reduce the upward movement of the muzzle brought about by recoil.

Front 15

Connector

Back 15

A part in some firearm designs that prevents the weapon from being fired unless the breech is fully locked.

Front 16

Crown

Back 16

A feature found at the muzzle end of a rifled barrel which serves to protect the rifling.

Front 17

Cylinder

Back 17

A rotating cartridge container found in a revolver.

Front 18

Disconnector

Back 18

The part of any firearm design which disconnects the trigger from the sear, so as the action closes, after a shot, while the trigger is still pressed, the weapon will not fire..

Front 19

Double action

Back 19

Applying continuous rearward pressure on the trigger which mechanically cocks the hammer and allows it to fall firing the round.

Front 20

Dry firing

Back 20

The firing of an unloaded firearm as a means of practicing sight alignment and trigger control.

Front 21

Ejector

Back 21

The mechanism that throws the cartridge free of the weapon.

Front 22

Elevation

Back 22

The vertical adjustment, of any firearm sight, that alters the point of impact of the projectile on the target.

Front 23

Extractor

Back 23

The device that withdraws a cartridge or case from the chamber.

Front 24

Firearm

Back 24

A mechanical device capable of firing a projectile through the expulsion of gases.

Front 25

Firing pin

Back 25

The part of the breech mechanism which strikes the primer of the cartridge.

Front 26

Flash suppressor

Back 26

A device attached to the muzzle end of a firearm that serves to disrupt or reduce the amount of flame produced upon firing.

Front 27

Fore-end

Back 27

The part of the stock located forward of the action and below the barrel.

Front 28

Gas operated

Back 28

A system of firearm operation in which a portion of the propellant gases produced upon firing, follow the projectiles down the bore, and are vented from the bore through a small port. The venting of These gases provides the power to complete the functioning cycle.

Front 29

Gauge

Back 29

The measurement of the size of a shotgun bore. This is determined by the number of round lead balls to the pound, one of which will just fit through the bore of the shotgun. Example; twelve gauge will have twelve lead balls to the pound.

Front 30

Grain

Back 30

A unit of weight equal to 1/7000 of a pound.

Front 31

Grooves

Back 31

The spiral cuts in the bore of a firearm that gives the projectile spin as it moves down the bore.

Front 32

Hammer lock

Back 32

A small metal block which prevents the hammer nose from striking the primer of a cartridge or hammer from striking the internal firing pin, unless continuous rearward pressure is applied to the trigger, lowering the hammer block.

Front 33

Hang fire

Back 33

The delayed ignition of a cartridge.

Front 34

Hull

Back 34

The empty casing of a shot shell.

Front 35

Land

Back 35

In a rifled bore, one of the uncut portions of the surfaces left after the grooves have been cut.

Front 36

Magazine

Back 36

A cartridge container in whatever form, where the follower under spring pressure, forces the cartridge into position to be fed into the chamber of a firearm.

Front 37

Malfunction

Back 37

A mechanical or physical problem with a weapon which prevents it from operating.

Front 38

Maximum effective range

Back 38

The distance at which the average trained shooter should be able to shoot and disable his/her opponent each and every time.

Front 39

Maximum range

Back 39

The approximate distance that a Projectile will travel when fired from a weapon at a 45 degree angle, unchecked.

Front 40

Muzzle

Back 40

The most forward end of the barrel.

Front 41

Muzzle velocity

Back 41

The speed of the projectile in flight at the muzzle.

Front 42

Pistol

Back 42

A single shot or multi-barreled or semi-automatic handgun.

Front 43

Primer

Back 43

A small metal cup held friction tight in the primer pocket of a centerfire cartridge case or shot shell hull, which contains the priming compound.

Front 44

Projectile

Back 44

Any object propelled through a firearm bore by a power source.

Front 45

Recoil

Back 45

The rearward thrust or movement of a firearm resulting from firing.

Front 46

Revolver

Back 46

A hand held firearm which as a revolving cylinder containing chambers that index to the barrel bringing a round in line with the bore for each shot.

Front 47

Round

Back 47

A synonym for a cartridge or shot shell.

Front 48

Rifling

Back 48

A series of spiral lands and grooves in the bore of a firearm which imparts spin or rotation on the projectile which gives the projectile stability and accuracy in flight. The lands are the uncut portions and the grooves are the cut portions.

Front 49

Safety

Back 49

A device that blocks the firing mechanism of a weapon so that it cannot be fired accidentally.

Front 50

Sear

Back 50

A mechanical link between the trigger and the hammer. Pressure on the trigger causes a disconnection of this link, allowing the spring loaded hammer to fall.

Front 51

Semi-automatic

Back 51

The method of operation of a repeating firearm in which the loaded and cocked firearm, fires the cartridge, unlocks the action,extracts the spent cartridge, ejects the empty case, re-cocks the hammer, feeds a live cartridge into position, chambers the cartridge, and locks the action all in one pull of the trigger. To fire another round, the trigger must be released and pulled again.

Front 52

Sight adjustment

Back 52

The manual adjustment of sights to change the point of impact of the projectile.

Front 53

Sight picture

Back 53

The appearance of a firearm's sights to The shooter's eye as aligned against a target.

Front 54

Sight radius

Back 54

The distance between the front sight and the rear sight.

Front 55

Single action

Back 55

Manually cocking the hammer with the non-controlling thumb, and then applying continuous rearward pressure on the trigger, allowing the hammer to fall firing the round.

Front 56

Squib load

Back 56

A cartridge characterized by a reduced recoil and sound, usually caused by an insufficient powder charge.

Front 57

Stoppage

Back 57

A shooter induced error which prevents the weapon from firing.

Front 58

Top strap

Back 58

The upper most part of a revolver frame.

Front 59

Trajectory

Back 59

The curved path of a projectile in flight from the time it leaves the muzzle until the point of impact.

Front 60

Trigger

Back 60

The mechanical device that activates a firearm when moved.

Front 61

Velocity

Back 61

The speed of the projectile in flight.

Front 62

Windage

Back 62

The lateral adjustment of the rear sight of a firearm.

Front 63

Zero

Back 63

The sight setting of a rifle or handgun that will place the projectile into the center of a target.

Front 64

Butt

Back 64

The rear most end of a rifle or shot gun stock, or the bottom most of the frame of a handgun comprising the grip.