Glossary of Firearms Terminology

This is not intended as a definitive or all-inclusive glossary, just an informal guide for common
firearms terminology, in alphabetical order. However, it's quite a comprehensive gloassary, researched
from many different sources.

• Action
Working mechanism of a firearm. There are various types. Bolt Action, Lever Action, Single
Action, Double Action, etc.
• Automatic
A machine gun. Any repeating firearm that automatically ejects, chambers and fires rounds
repeatedly, usually at high speed, with a single, steady pull of the trigger. Also called Fully
Automatic.
• Backstrap
The back of a pistol's frame, the back of the grip.
• Ball
A type of bullet or projectile. Usually used in older firearms such as a flintlock, musket-type
weapons.
• Barrel
The strong metal tube of a firearm through which the bullet passes.
• Barrel-Cylinder Gap
The clearance between the sides of a bullet and the bore of the barrel as the bullet travels down
it when fired. In the US, the industry-standard tolerance of the Barrel-Cylinder Gap is from
0.0001 to 0.012 inches. A gap any larger will cause problems with firing and accuracy.
• Black Powder
Gunpowder. Explosive mixture consisting of charcoal, sulfur and saltpeter (nitrate). Invented
by the Chinese in ancient times.
• Blank or Blank Cartridge
A cartridge that has the explosive powder charge but no projectile.
• Blowback (Blowback-Operated)
Utilization of the force of hot, expanding gases released from firing the firearm. In modern
firearms, the strong force of the blowback is used to eject spent cartridges and a spring recoil
replaces them with new ones in the chamber. Also called "gas operated."
• Blued or Blueing
The treatment of metal on firearms that results in a black or bluish-black finish, usually done
with chemicals.
• Blunderbuss
Precursor to the shotgun. Usually a flintlock weapon, shorter than a rifle or a carbine, longer
than a pistol, that is identifiable by a large, flared funnel-like barrel. Used for short-range close-
in fighting, often used on ships as well as by mail and stagecoach drivers. Also called a naval
or pirate blunderbuss. Used from late 1600s to mid 1800s.
• Bolt
Metal bar or rod that slides and seats and/or removes a cartridge.
• Bolt-Action
Firearm's action, using a manual sliding and/or rotating bolt to operate.
• Bore
The inside of the barrel, or other part that needs to be hollowed out.
• Breech
 The rear of the barrel.
• Breech Loader
A firearm that is loaded at the rear of the barrel.
• Buckhorn Sight
An open-top sight with curved sides. Probably so-named because the shape resembles antlers
on a buck.
• Bullet
Technically, the projectile portion of a cartridge that is blown off by detonation of the powder
charge, and flies through the air toward the target, leaving the shell or casing behind to be
ejected. People often refer to the entire cartridge as a "bullet." On older black powder or
percussion firearms, the bullet was just a shaped piece of lead.
• Butt
The very rear end of a rifle stock or the bottom of a pistol grip. In the Old West, the butt of a
rifle or pistol was used as a secondary weapon by lawmen to subdue troublemakers. Very
handy for cracking skulls! Sometimes referred to as "pistol whipping."
• Buttplate
On a rifle, a covering of metal, wood, plastic or other material fitted onto the very rear end of a
rifle butt.
• Caliber
Interior diameter of the barrel, or the bore. Also corresponds to the size of ammunition that will
fit in it.
• Carbine
A rifle or musket with a short barrel, usually a military version.
• Cartridge
A modern "bullet" or metal casing, which is an entirely self-contained piece of ammunition,
with projectile, powder charge and ignition primer, all in one unit. Nowadays, there are mainly
only three kinds of cartridge: rimfire, centerfire and shotgun.
• Centerfire
A cartridge that is detonated by striking a primer button centered in its base by the firing pin. If
a cartridge has what appears to be a "button" in its base end, it's a centerfire cartridge.
• Chamber
The rear of the barrel, or part of the gun where the ammunition is placed, in position, ready to
fire.
• Checkering
The crosshatched pattern or texture on a metal, wood or plastic surface of a firearm, usually
used to improve grip, or for decoration. Especially used on hammers and slides and grips.
• Choke
The shaping or an attachment at the muzzle of a shotgun that directs the spray or pattern of shot
as it is fired out.
• Clip
A container or feeding system, usually spring-loaded, that holds cartridges in place, so that it
can be inserted into a firearm's magazine. Sometimes, the clip is called a "magazine" or a
removable magazine.
• Compensator
A variation of muzzle brake that diverts escaping high-pressure gases upwards at the muzzle,
reducing the general upward kick caused by recoil to compensate f or it, and improve accuracy.
• Crowning
 The rounded or beveled end surfacing of the barrel opening, (muzzle) used to protect the
opening an d edges.
• Cylinder
On a revolver, the rotating "wheel" that holds the cartridges, and allows them to rotate into
position with the barrel for firing.
• Damascus Barrel
On old black powder firearms, a type of barrel made usually of separate bands of twisted iron. If
you have a firearm with a Damascus barrel, it is not considered safe to shoot due to age, and the
fact that such construction will not withstand the stresses and pressures created by today's
ammunition.
• Deringer, Derringer
Originally a brand of very small pocket pistol made for easy concealment. Today, the term
Deringer or Derringer (2 R's) is used to refer to just about any brand of very small and
concealable pocket pistol.
• Double Action
A pistol or revolver that allows the hammer to be cocked and released by pulling the trigger.
• Dry Fire, Dry Firing
Pulling the trigger and sending the firing pin and other parts into their full range of motion and
impact without using ammunition. Usually considered a bad thing to do, placing undue stress
on the parts.
• Dumdum
A bullet that expands or fragments on impact, causing more damage. A modern form of a
dumdum would be a hollowpoint bullet.
• Elevation
On a firearm with adjustable sights, elevation is the vertical adjsutment, that moves your aim up
and down. With muskets, this term can refer to the clearance between the bullet and the barrel,
also called the "barrel-cylinder gap."
• Extractor
Mechanism that removes empty ammunition casings from the chamber so they can be ejected
clear of the firearm.
• Firing Pin
A strong metal rod or pin that forcefully strikes the primer of a cartridge, firing the firearm.
• Flash Suppressor
Attachment (or integral part of the muzzle) that covers the end of the muzzle, hiding the flash
created by firing a firearm.
• Flintlock
Old form of ignition for firearms in the days before fully self-contained cartridges. A locking
mechanism with a metal part that strikes a flint, producing a spark, firing the weapon.
• Frizzen
On a flintlock firearm, a curved metal plate, usually hinged, which is struck by the hammer,
which contains a flint. When the flint strikes the frizzen, it creates a shower of sparks, while
springing open to expose them to the powder in the pan to ignite it.
• Fully Automatic or Full Automatic
A machine gun. Any repeating firearm that automatically chambers and fires rounds repeatedly
with a single, steady pull of the trigger.
• Gas-Operated
Utilization of the force of hot, expan ding gases released from firing the firearm. In modern
firearms, the strong force of the blowback is used to eject spent cartridges and a spring recoil
 replaces them with new ones in the chamber. Also called "blowback-operated."
• Gauge
The inside diameter or bore of a shotgun barrel. A shotgun's gauge is determined by a formula
of how many balls of shot taken from a pound of metal will fit in a certain bore size.
• Grain
Measurement unit of a powder charge. One pound is equivalent to 7,000 grains of powder.
437.5 grains is equivalent to one ounce.
• Grip
The handle of a revolver or pistol. Sometimes fully integrated, or mounted in pieces. Can be
wood, metal, plastic, etc.
• Grooves
Spiraled channels cut into the inside of a firearm's barrel, that cause a bullet to spin upon firing,
stabilizing its trajectory and improving accuracy.
• Half-Cock
Partially cocking a firearm's hammer so that it does not fall and set off the firearm. If you slip
and let the hammer fall while a round is chambered, you will discharge the firearm.
• Hammer
Moving part that hinges up on rear (on hammer-equipped firearms), and snaps back into place
with force, detonating the cartridge. Flint-tipped hammers are also used on flintlocks, to strike
the frizzen to ignite powder.
• Handloading (Hanloader)
Building or rebuilding your own ammunition. Usually done for reasons of economy or
increased accuracy by serious shooters or hunters. A spent centerfire casing can be reloaded
with powder, a new primer and bullet, using tools and equipment. Requires knowledge and
experience to be performed safely. Also called "Reloading."
• Hangfire
A malfunction in the primer of a cartridge that causes a delay in firing after the trigger is pulled.
Obviously, if you have a long or ongoing hangfire or misfire, DO NOT look into the barrel to
see what's going on. Some people have actually (stupidly?) died doing this!
• Hollowpoint
Bullet with a hollow area in the nose, that causes it to expand on impact, increasing its
destructive force. Sometimes called a dumdum.
• Jam
Misfire, caused by a mechanical part malfunction, or by a cartridge being stuck midway in the
magazine or chamber. Also, almost any other kind of mechanical blockage in the firearm.
• Lands
Inside the barrel of a riflled firearm, the raised areas of the metal surface, that remain above the
cut rifling grooves.
• Magazine
Spring-loaded container that feeds cartridges into the firing chamber. Detachable or non-
detachable. Sometimes called a "clip."
• Magnum
A longer version of a cartridge of the same caliber. The increased length is to accommodate
more powder for increased velocity, power and range.
• Mainspring
On a flintlock musket or rifle, a strong spring that holds the hammer back in the cocked position
until released by pulling the trigger.
• Misfire
When a cartridge fails to discharge, or to discharge properly.
• Musket
A smoothbore barrel (no rifling) firearm. Usually an old firearm with a flintlock firing system.
• Musketoon
Short barrel, smoothbore, muzzle-loading carbine. A short-barrel version of a musket. Similar
to a carbine.
• Muzzle
The end of the barrel, the opening where the bullet exits.
• Muzzle Brake
Attachment or shaping at the muzzle to dissipate or reduce gas pressure in order to reduce
recoil.
• Muzzle Energy
The force (measured in foot-pounds) of a bullet exiting the muzzle. Similar to recoil.
• Muzzle Loader
Firearm that is loaded through the muzzle, with a solid breech. Old smoothbores are muzzle
loaders.
• Muzzle Report
The loud bang or boom sound made by discharging a firearm. Also called "report."
• Pan
On a flintlock musket or rifle, a small bowl-shaped pan that holds a small charge of powder.
When ignited by the flint striking the frizzen, it flashes down a drilled hole in barrel, igniting
the main charge in the barrel.
• Parabellum
General name given to cartridges measuring 9 X 19mm. Also the popular nickname of a famou
s Germa n Luger semi-automatic pistol in that same caliber, made by Deutsche Munitions
Fabrik (DWF) beginning in the early 1900's. Parabellum is a latin term (si vis pacem, para
bellum) meaning: "If you wish for peace, prepare for war"
• Parkerizing
A dull gray or greenish finish on a firearm to prevent rust, or a verb meaning to actually do so.
• Patchbox
On a musket or flintlock rifle, a small compartment in the stock, usually with a door or lid, used
for storing patches of greased or oiled cloth, which is rammed down the barrel, and used to wad
or pack the lead ball or bullet against the powder, providing a seal for better compression upon
firing.
• Peep Sight
Rear sight with a small hole or aperture, which one peeps through to line up on the front sight
and the target.
• Percussion Cap
On older "Cap and Ball" percussion revolvers, a small brass or copper cap, that contains an
explosive such as fulminate of mercury, which is placed over a cone or "percussion nipple."
When this cap is struck by the hammer, it detonates and ignites the main powder charge through
a small hole in the cone or nipple, firing the weapon.
• Percussion Revolver
An older black powder revolver, in which the hammer strikes a percussion cap, igniting the
main powder charge.
• Pinfire
 Old, obsolete cartridge with a small pin protruding from the side, near the base, that when
struck by the firing pin, fires the cartridge. Some of the very old Deringer pistols used a pinfire
system.
• Plinking
Shooting at informal targets, such as old cans or bottles, or whatever else is around. Sloppy
target shooting. Sometimes called taking "pot shots."
• Primer
Small charge in a cartridge that ignites the powder when struck by the firing pin, discharging it.

• Receiver
The part of a firearm that contains the moving parts, or the action. In modern firearms, the
mechanical area that loads and ejects a cartridge.
• Recoil
The energy created by the explosive release of discharging a firearm, that pushes it back against
the person shooting it. It can range from a gentle bump to a smashing, bone-jarring experience,
depending on the firearm. Remember what physicist Albert Einstein said? "For every action,
there is an equal and opposite reaction."
• Report
The loud bang, boom or crack sound made by discharging a firearm. Sometimes called a
"muzzle report."
• Revolver
A firearm with a rotating cylinder that holds cartridges, and aligns them for loading, unloading
and firing.
• Rifle
Long-Barreled firearm with a rifled groove cut into the bore of the barrel.
• Rifling
The grooves cut into the bore of a barrel, to cause the bullet to rotate when fired, improving
stability and accuracy in flight.
• Rimfire
A cartridge that has its primer in the base, and is ignited by having the firing pin strik e the edge
(rim) of the casing, crushing the rim to ignite it. Modern rimfire cartridges are mainly found
only in small calibers, such as .22 caliber.
• Round
Informal way of saying "cartridge" or a shot. Example; "I fired a couple of rounds at them."
• Sabot or Sabot Bullet
In firearms, sabots are only known to be used in old black powder guns. A sabot is basically an
adaptor that fits onto the back end of a bullet, to help trap in gases for more compression,
enabling a smaller bullet to be used in a firearm with a larger bore or caliber.
• Safety
A locking catch or mechanism that prevents the trigger from being pulled, or otherwise prevents
the firearm from being discharged.
• Sear
Pivoting part of the action of a firearm connecting the trigger to the hammer and holding it in
place until released by the trigger.
• Selective Fire
Feature of a firearm that allows firing either on full-automatic, or semi-automatic mode, usually
with the use of a switch or lever.
• Semi-Automatic
A firearm that automatically extracts and ejects spent cartridges upon firing, then re-chambers a
new one to be fired, and can repeat this action, one trigger pull at a time, until the magazine or
clip is empty. This action takes place very rapidly.
• Shot
Small metal balls, grapeshot or buckshot, used in shotgun cartridges. Shot comes in different
sizes.
• Shotgun
Firearm with a smoothbore barrel, used to fire buckhot or shot. Modern shotguns use brass-
based plastic cartridges filled with shot.
• Single Action
Firearm that requires the hammer to be manually cocked before pulling the trigger. On a single-
action semi-automatic, you only need to cock the hammer before firing it for the first round,
until it's reloaded.
• Sight
Blade or protusion (usually above the muzzle) and/or a protusion with a notch or other shape to
aim with on the rear portion of the firearm, usually above the receiver. The shooter then looks
down the firearm and lines both of them up with the target. There are many different types of
sights, some adustable, some are not. Also see Elevation and Windage.
• Silencer or Silenced
Device attached to the muzzle of a firearm to muffle or reduce the sound produced (also called
the "report") from firing it. Illegal almost everywhere!
• Slide
On firearms (usually semi-automatic pistols) the top part of the action (usually the entire top of
the pistol) that ejects and loads the chamber by pulling it back, sliding it back along the frame.
• Speedloader
Any device that enables simultaneous loading of more than one round at a time. There are
many different types of speedloaders, ranging from cloth strips for old weapons to using an
extra preloaded cylinder for a revolver. With the use of modern semi-automatics, speedloaders
are unnecessary because all of the rounds are loaded at once in a clip. Having an extra loaded
clip would be considered a speedloader.
• Spitzer
A bullet with a pointed nose
• Stock
The long part of a firearm (usually a rifle or musket) held by the shooter, or braced against the
shooter's hip or shoulder, to stabilize during firing. Can be wood, polymer, metal etc.
• Submachine Gun
Automatic firearm that uses pistol ammunition. Usually a smaller version of a full-size machine
gun. Used for close-range firing.
• Take Down
Button, lever or other device that allows for quick disassembly of a firearm for cleaning, oiling
and maintenance, transportation etc. &nbs p;
• Tang
Protusions on the frame or receiver that connect it to the stock or the grip.
• Top Strap
Top part of the frame on a revolver.
• Wadcutter
 Nickname for a target shooting bullet, A bullet with a truncated, flattened nose, designed to put
neat, round holes in a paper target.
• Wildcat Cartridge
Non-sta ndard cartridge.
• Windage
On a firearm with adjustable sights, windage is the horizontal adjustment, that moves
your aim from side to side.

Wikipedia:

A
• accurize, accurizing: The process of altering a stock firearm to improve its accuracy.
• action: The physical mechanism that manipulates cartridges and/or seals the breech. The term is
also used to describe the method in which cartridges are loaded, locked, and extracted from the
mechanism. Actions are generally categorized by the type of mechanism used. A firearm action
is technically not present on muzzleloaders as all loading is done by hand. The mechanism that
fires a muzzle-loader is called the lock.
• ammunition or ammo: A generic term referring to gunpowder and artillery. Since the design of
the cartridge, the meaning has been transferred to the assembly of a projectile and its propellant
in a single package.

B
• back bore, backbored barrel: A shotgun barrel whose internal diameter is greater than
nominal for the gauge, but less than the SAAMI maximum. Done in an attempt to reduce felt
recoil, improve patterning, or change the balance of the shotgun.
• bandolier or bandoleer: A pocketed belt for holding ammunition and cartridges. It was usually
slung over the chest. Bandoliers are now rare because most military arms use magazines which
are not well-suited to being stored in such a manner. They are, however, still commonly used
with shotguns, as individual 12 gauge shells can easily be stored in traditionally-designed
bandoliers.
• barrel: A tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases
are released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at a high velocity.
• ballistic coefficient or BC: a measure of projectiles ability to overcome air resistance in flight.
It is inversely proportional to the deceleration—a high number indicates a low deceleration. BC
is a function of mass, diameter, and drag coefficient. In bullets it refers to the amount that drop
over distance and wind drift will affect the bullet.
• bayonet lug: An attachment point for a bayonet.
• belt: ammunition belt is a device used to retain and feed cartridges into a firearm.
• belted magnum or belt: Any caliber cartridge, generally rifles, using a shell casing with a
pronounced "belt" around its base that continues 2-4mm past the extractor groove.[1] This
design originated with the British gunmaker Holland & Holland for the purpose of headspace
certain of their more powerful cartridges. Especially the non-shouldered (non-"bottlenecked")
magnum rifle cartridges could be pushed too far into the chamber and thus cause catastrophic
failure of the gun when fired with excessive headspace; the addition of the belt to the casing
prevented this over-insertion.
• bipod: A support device that is similar to a tripod or monopod, but with two legs. On firearms,
bipods are commonly used on rifles to provide a forward rest and reduce motion. The bipod
permits the operator to rest the weapon on the ground, a low wall, or other object, reducing
operator fatigue and permitting increased accuracy.
• black powder also called gunpowder: a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate. It
burns rapidly, producing a volume of hot gas made up of carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen,
and a solid residue of potassium sulfide.[2] Because of its burning properties and the amount of
heat and gas volume that it generates, gunpowder has been widely used as a propellant in
firearms and as a pyrotechnic composition in fireworks. Modern firearms do not use the
traditional black powder described here, but instead use smokeless powder.
• black powder substitute: A firearm propellant that is designed to reproduce the burning rate
and propellant properties of black powder (making it safe for use in black powder firearms),
while providing advantages in one or more areas such as reduced smoke, reduced corrosion,
reduced cost, or decreased sensitivity to unintentional ignition.
• blank: A type of cartridge for a firearm that contains gunpowder but no bullet or shot. When
fired, the blank makes a flash and an explosive sound (report). Blanks are often used for
simulation (such as in historical reenactments, theatre and movie special effects), training, and
for signaling (see starting pistol). Blank cartridges differ from dummy cartridges, which are
used for training or function testing firearms; these contain no primer or gunpowder, and are
inert.
• blowback: A system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains power from the motion
of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gases created by the ignition of the
powder charge.[3]
• bluing or blueing: A passivation process in which steel is partially protected against rust, and is
named after the blue-black appearance of the resulting protective finish. True gun bluing is an
electrochemical conversion coating resulting from an oxidizing chemical reaction with iron on
the surface selectively forming magnetite (Fe3O4), the black oxide of iron, which occupies the
same volume as metallic iron. Bluing is most commonly used by gun manufacturers, gunsmiths
and gun owners to improve the cosmetic appearance of, and provide a measure of corrosion
resistance to, their firearms.
• bolt action: A type of firearm action in which the weapon's bolt is operated manually by the
opening and closing of the breech (barrel) with a small handle. As the handle is operated, the
bolt is unlocked, the breech is opened, the spent shell casing is withdrawn and ejected, the firing
pin is cocked, and finally a new round/shell (if available) is placed into the breech and the bolt
closed.
• bolt thrust or breech pressure is a term used in internal ballistics and firearms (whether small
arms or artillery) that describes the amount of rearward force exerted by the propellant gases on
 the bolt or breech of a firearm action or breech when a projectile is fired. The applied force has
both magnitude and direction, making it a vector quantity.
• bore snake: A tool used to clean the barrel of a gun.
• boresight: A term used to describe crude adjustments made to an optical firearm sight, or iron
sights, to align the firearm barrel and sights. This method is usually used to pre-align the sights,
which makes zeroing (zero drop at XX distance) much faster.
• break-action: A firearm whose barrels are hinged, and rotate perpendicular to the bore axis to
expose the breech and allow loading and unloading of ammunition.
• breech pressure or Bolt thrust is a term used in internal ballistics and firearms (whether small
arms or artillery) that describes the amount of rearward force exerted by the propellant gases on
the bolt or breech of a firearm action or breech when a projectile is fired. The applied force has
both magnitude and direction, making it a vector quantity.
• bullpup: a firearm configurations in which both the action and magazine are located behind the
trigger.
• burst mode: a firing mode enabling the shooter to fire a predetermined number of rounds.
• button rifling: Rifling that is formed by pulling a die made with reverse image of the rifling
(the 'button') down the pre-drilled bore of a firearm barrel. See also cut rifling and hammer
forging.

C
• caliber/calibre: 1. In small arms, the internal diameter of a firearm's barrel or a cartridge's
bullet, usually expressed in millimeters or hundredths of an inch; in measuring rifled barrels this
may be measured across the lands (such as .303 British or grooves, such as .308 Winchester). 2.
A specific cartridge for which a firearm is chambered, such as .44 Magnum. 3. In artillery, the
length of the barrel expressed in terms of the internal diameter; for example, a 3 inch, 30 caliber
gun would have a barrel 3 inches in internal diameter and 90 (30 times 3) inches in length.
• carbine: 1. A shortened version of a service rifle, often chambered in a less potent cartridge.
The M4 Carbine is an example which uses the same cartridge but a shorter barrel, whereas the
M1 Carbine is an example using a different cartridge. 2. A shortened version of the
infantryman's musket or rifle suited for use by cavalry.
• caseless ammunition: a type of small arms ammunition that eliminates the cartridge case that
typically holds the primer, propellant, and projectile together as a unit.
• Casket magazine: a quad stack box magazine.
• centerfire: A cartridge in which the primer is located in the center of the cartridge case head.
Unlike rimfire cartridges, the primer is a separate and replaceable component. The centerfire
cartridge has replaced the rimfire in all but the smallest cartridge sizes. Except for low-
powered .22 and .17 caliber cartridges, and a handful of antiques, all modern pistol, rifle, and
shotgun ammunition are centerfire.
• chain gun: type of machine gun or autocannon that uses an external source of power to cycle
the weapon.
• chamber: The portion of the barrel or firing cylinder in which the cartridge is inserted prior to
being fired. Rifles and pistols generally have a single chamber in their barrels, while revolvers
have multiple chambers in their cylinders and no chamber in their barrel.
• chambering: Inserting a round into the chamber, either manually or through the action of the
weapon (e.g., pump-action, lever-action, bolt-action, or automatic-action.).
• charger: A speedloader that holds several cartridges together in a single unit for easier loading
of a firearm's magazine. A stripper clip is used only for loading the magazine and is not
necessary for the firearm to function.
• charging handle: device on a firearm which, when operated, results in the hammer or striker
being cocked or moved to the ready position.
• clip: A device that is used to store multiple rounds of ammunition together as a unit, ready for
insertion into the magazine of a repeating firearm. This speeds up the process of loading and
reloading the firearm as several rounds can be loaded at once, rather than one round being
loaded at a time. The term clip is commonly used to describe a firearm magazine, though this
usage is incorrect. In the correct usage, a clip is used to feed a magazine or revolving cylinder,
while a magazine or a belt is used to load cartridges into the chamber of a firearm.[4]
• collateral damage: Damage that is unintended or incidental to the intended outcome.[5] The
term originated in the United States military, but it has since expanded into broader use
• combination gun: a shoulder-held firearm that comprises at least two barrels, a rifle barrel and
a shotgun barrel.
• cordite: A family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom
from 1889 to replace gunpowder as a military propellant. Like gunpowder, cordite is classified
as a low explosive because of its slow burning rates and consequently low brisance. The hot
gases produced by burning gunpowder or cordite generate sufficient pressure to propel a bullet
or shell to its target, but not enough to destroy the barrel of the firearm, or gun.
• CQB: Close quarters combat (CQC) or close quarters battle (CQB) is a type of fighting in
which small units engage the enemy with personal weapons at very short range, potentially to
the point of hand-to-hand combat or fighting with hand weapons such as swords or knives.
• cylindro-conoidal bullet: A hollow base bullet, shaped so that, when fired, the bullet will
expand and seal the bore. It was invented by Captain John Norton of the British 34th Regiment
in 1832, after he examined the blow pipe arrows used by the natives in India and found that
their base was formed of elastic locus pith, which by its expansion against the inner surface of
the blow pipe prevented the escape of air past it.[6]
D

A view of the break-action of a side-by-side double-barrelled shotgun.

• damascus barrel or damascus twist: An obsolete method of manufacturing a firearm barrel
made by twisting strips of metal around a mandrel and forge welding it into shape. See also
Damascus steel.
• direct impingement: A type of gas operation for a firearm that directs gas from a fired cartridge
directly to the bolt carrier or slide assembly to cycle the action.
• doglock: The lock that preceded the 'true' flintlock in both rifles and pistols in the 17th century.
Commonly used throughout Europe in the 1600s, it gained popular favor in the British and
Dutch military. A doglock carbine was the principal weapon of the harquebusier, the most
numerous type of cavalry in the armies of Thirty Years War and the English Civil War era.
• double-barreled shotgun: a shotgun with two parallel barrels.
• double rifle: a type of sporting rifle with two barrels.
• drilling: a firearm with 3 barrels (from the german word drei for three). Typically it has two
barrels side-by-side on the top, with a third rifle barrel underneath. This provides a very
versatile firearm capable of taking winged animals as well as big-game. It also is useful in
jurisdictions where a person is only allowed to own a single firearm.
• drum magazine: a type of firearms magazine that is cylindrical in shape, similar to a drum.
• dry fire: the practice of "firing" a firearm without ammunition. That is, to pull the trigger and
allow the hammer or striker to drop on an empty chamber.
• dum-dum: A bullet designed to expand on impact, increasing in diameter to limit penetration
and/or produce a larger diameter wound. The two typical designs are the hollow point bullet and
the soft point bullet.
• dummy: A round of ammunition that is completely inert, i.e., contains no primer, propellant, or
explosive charge. It is used to check weapon function, and for crew training.[7] Unlike a blank
it contains no charge at all.
E
• electronic firing: The use of an electric current to fire a cartridge, instead of a percussion cap.
In an electronic-fired firearm an electric current is used instead to ignite the propellant, which
fires the cartridge as soon as the trigger is pulled.
• eye relief: For optics such as binoculars or a rifle scope, eye relief is the distance from the
eyepiece to the viewers eye which matches the eyepiece exit pupil to the eye's entrance pupil.
Short eye relief requires the observer to press his or her eye close to the eyepiece in order to see
an unvignetted image. For a shooter, eye relief is an important safety consideration. An optic
with too short an eye relief can cause a skin cut at the contact point between the optic and the
eyebrow of the shooter due to recoil.
• expanding bullet: An expanding bullet is a bullet designed to expand on impact, increasing in
diameter to limit penetration and/or produce a larger diameter wound. The two typical designs
are the hollow point bullet and the soft point bullet.
• extractor: A part in a firearm that serves to remove brass cases of fired ammunition after the
ammunition has been fired. When the gun's action cycles, the extractor lifts or removes the
spent brass casing from the firing chamber.

F
• falling block action (also known as a sliding-block action) is a single-shot firearm action in
which a solid metal breechblock slides vertically in grooves cut into the breech of the rifle and
actuated by a lever. When in the top position, it is locked and resists the force of recoil while
sealing the chamber. In the lower position, it leaves the chamber open to be loaded by a
cartridge from the rear.
• fire forming: the process of reshaping a metallic cartridge case to fit a new chamber by firing it
within that chamber.[8]
• forcing cone: The tapered section at the rear of the barrel of a revolver that eases the entry of
the bullet into the bore.[9]
• fouling shot: A shot fired through a clean bore, intended to leave some residue of firing and
prepare the bore for more consistent performance in subsequent shots. The first shot through a
clean bore will behave differently than subsequent shots through a bore with traces of powder
residue, resulting in a different point of impact. Also, the Fouling Shot Journal, a publication
of the Cast Bullet Association[10]
• forward assist: A button, found commonly on M16 and AR-15 styled rifles, usually located
near the bolt closure, that when hit will push the bolt carrier forward, ensuring that the bolt is
locked.
• fouling: The accumulation of unwanted material on solid surfaces. The fouling material can
consist of either powder, lubrication residue, or bullet material such as lead or copper.
• frangible: A bullet that is designed to disintegrate into tiny particles upon impact to minimize
their penetration for reasons of range safety, to limit environmental impact, or to limit the
danger behind the intended target. Examples are the Glaser Safety Slug and the breaching
 round.[11][12]
• frizzen: an "L" shaped piece of steel hinged at the rear used in flintlock firearms. The flint
scraping the steel causes a shower of sparks to be thrown into the flash pan.

G
• gas check is a device used in some types of firearms ammunition when non-jacketed bullets are
used in high pressure cartridges, to prevent the buildup of lead in the barrel and aid in accuracy.
[13]
• gas-operated reloading: a system of operation used to provide energy to operate autoloading
firearms.
• gauge: The gauge of a firearm is a unit of measurement used to express the diameter of the
barrel.
• general purpose machine gun: a machine gun intended to fill the role of either a light machine
gun or medium machine gun, while at the same time being man-portable.
• grain is a unit of measurement of mass that is based upon the mass of a single seed of a typical
cereal. Used in firearms to denote the amount of powder in a cartridge. Traditionally it was
based on the weight of a grain of wheat or barley, but since 1958, the grain (gr) measure has
been redefined using the International System of Units as precisely 64.79891 milligrams.[14]
[15] There are 7,000 grains per avoirdupois pound in the Imperial and U.S. customary units.
• grip safety: A safety mechanism, usually a lever on the rear of a pistol grip, that automatically
unlocks the trigger mechanism of a firearm as pressure is applied by the shooter's hand.[9]
• gunpowder, also called black powder, is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate. It
burns rapidly, producing a volume of hot gas made up of carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen,
and a solid residue of potassium sulfide.[2] Because of its burning properties and the amount of
heat and gas volume that it generates, gunpowder has been widely used as a propellant in
firearms and as a pyrotechnic composition in fireworks. The term gunpowder also refers
broadly to any propellant powder. Modern firearms do not use the traditional gunpowder (black
powder) described here, but instead use smokeless powder.

H
• hammer bite is a term used in the operation of firearms, and in particular semi-automatic
pistols. It describes the action of an external hammer pinching or poking the web of the
operator's shooting hand between the thumb and fore-finger when the gun is fired. Some
handguns prone to this are the M1911 pistol and the Browning Hi-Power.[16]
• hang fire: An unexpected delay between the triggering of a firearm and the ignition of the
propellant. This failure was common in firearm actions that relied on open primer pans, due to
the poor or inconsistent quality of the powder. Modern weapons are susceptible, particularly if
the ammunition has been stored in an environment outside of the design specifications.
 • half-cock: A technical firearms term referring to the position of the hammer where the hammer
is partially but not completely cocked. Many firearms, particularly older firearms, had a notch
cut into the hammer allowing half-cock, as this position would neither allow the gun to fire nor
permit the hammer-mounted firing pin to rest on a live percussion cap or cartridge. The purpose
of the half-cock position has variously been used either for loading a firearm, or, as a safety-
mechanism, or for both reasons.

revolver hammer
• hammer: The function of the hammer is to strike the firing pin in a firearm, which in turn
detonates the impact-sensitive cartridge primer. The hammer of a firearm was given its name
for both resemblance and functional similarity to the common tool.
• headspace: The distance measured from the part of the chamber that stops forward motion of
the cartridge (the datum reference) to the face of the bolt. Used as a verb, headspace refers to
the interference created between this part of the chamber and the feature of the cartridge that
achieves the correct positioning.[17]
• headstamp: A headstamp is the markings on the bottom of a cartridge case designed for a
firearm. It usually tells who manufactured the case. If it is a civilian case it often also tells the
caliber, if it is military, the year of manufacture is often added.
• heavy machine gun: a larger class of machine gun.
• high brass: A shotgun shell for more powerful loads with the brass extended up further along
the sides of the shell, while light loads will use "low brass" shells. The brass does not actually
provide a significant amount of strength, but the difference in appearance provides shooters
with a way to quickly differentiate between high and low powered ammunition.

.243 Winchester Ackley Improved (left) and .243 Winchester (right)

• improved cartridge: A wildcat cartridge that is created by straightening out the sides of an
existing case and making a sharper shoulder to maximize powder space. Frequently the neck
 length and shoulder position are altered as well. The caliber is NOT changed in the process.
• IMR powder or Improved Military Rifle: A series of tubular nitrocellulose smokeless
powders evolved from World War I through World War II for loading military and commercial
ammunition and sold to private citizens for reloading rifle ammunition for hunting and target
shooting.
• improvised firearm: a firearm manufactured by someone who is not a regular maker of
firearms.
• internal ballistics: A subfield of ballistics, that is the study of a projectile's behavior from the
time its propellant's igniter is initiated until it exits the gun barrel. The study of internal
ballistics is important to designers and users of firearms of all types, from small-bore Olympic
rifles and pistols, to high-tech artillery.
• iron sights are a system of aligned markers used to assist in the aiming of a device such as a
firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in a scope. Iron sights are
typically composed of two component sights, formed by metal blades: a rear sight mounted
perpendicular to the line of sight and consisting of some form of notch (open sight) or aperture
(closed sight); and a front sight that is a post, bead, or ring.

jacketed bullets
• jacket: A metal, usually copper, wrapped around a lead core to form a bullet.
• jeweling: a cosmetic process to enhance the looks of firearm parts, such as the bolt. The look is
created with an abrasive brush and compound that roughs the surface of the metal in a circular
pattern.

K
• keyhole or keyholing: Refers to the shape of the hole left in a paper target by a bullet fired
down a gun barrel which has a diameter larger than the bullet. A bullet fired in this manner
tends to wobble or tumble as it moves through the air and leaves a "keyhole" shaped hole in a
paper target instead of a round one.
• Khyber Pass copy: a firearm manufactured by cottage gunsmiths in the Khyber Pass region
between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• kick: The backward momentum of a gun when it is discharged. In technical terms, the recoil
caused by the gun exactly balances the forward momentum of the projectile, according to
Newton's third law. (often called kickback or simply recoil)
L
• length of pull: The distance between the trigger and the butt end of the stock of a rifle or
shotgun.
• lever-action is a type of firearm action which uses a lever located around the trigger guard area,
(often including the trigger guard itself) to load fresh cartridges into the chamber of the barrel
when the lever is worked.
• light machine gun: machine gun designed to be employed by an individual soldier.
• live fire exercise or LFX: Any exercise in which a realistic scenario for the use of specific
equipment is simulated. In the popular lexicon this is applied primarily to tests of weapons or
weapon systems that are associated with the various branches of a nation's armed forces,
although the term can be applied to the civilian arena as well.
• lug: any piece that projects from a firearm for the purpose of attaching something to it. For
example barrel lugs are used to attach a break-action shotgun barrel to the action itself. If the
firearm is a revolver, the term may also refer to a protrusion under the barrel that adds weight,
thereby stabilizing the gun during aiming, mitigating recoil, and reducing muzzle flip. A full lug
extends all the way to the muzzle, while a half lug extends only partially down the barrel. On a
swing-out-cylinder revolver, the lug is slotted to accommodate the ejector rod.[9]

M
• machine gun: a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm.
• machine pistol: a handgun-style fully-automatic or burst-mode firearm.
• machine revolver: an automatic revolver type firearm capable of full automatic fire.
• magazine: A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device within or attached to a
repeating firearm. Magazines may be integral to the firearm (fixed) or removable (detachable).
The magazine functions by moving the cartridges stored in the magazine into a position where
they may be loaded into the chamber by the action of the firearm.
• match grade: Firearm parts and ammunition that are suitable for a competitive match. This
refers to parts that are designed and manufactured such that they have a relatively tight-
tolerances and high level of accuracy.
• muzzle: The part of a firearm at the end of the barrel from which the projectile will exit.
• muzzle brakes and recoil compensators: devices that are fitted to the muzzle of a firearm to
redirect propellant gases with the effect of countering both recoil of the gun and unwanted
rising of the barrel during rapid fire.
• muzzle energy is the kinetic energy of a bullet as it is expelled from the muzzle of a firearm. It
is often used as a rough indication of the destructive potential of a given firearm or load. The
heavier the bullet and the faster it moves, the higher its muzzle energy and the more damage it
will do.
• muzzle velocity is the speed at which a projectile leaves the muzzle of the gun. Muzzle
 velocities range from approximately 800 ft/s (240 m/s) for some pistols and older cartridges to
more than 4,000 ft/s (1,200 m/s) in modern cartridges such as the .220 Swift and .204 Ruger. In
conventional guns, muzzle velocity is determined by the quality (burn speed, expansion) and
quantity of the propellant, the mass of the projectile, and the length of the barrel.

N
• necking down or necking up refers to shrinking or expanding the neck of an existing cartridge
to make it use a bullet of a different caliber. A typical process used in the creation of wildcat
cartridges.
• NRA or National Rifle Association of America is an American organization which lists as its
goals the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the
promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the
protection of hunting and self-defense in the United States.

O
• out-of-battery: The status of a weapon before the action has returned to the normal firing
position. The term originates from artillery, referring to a gun that fires before it has been pulled
back into its firing position in a gun battery. In firearms where there is an automatic loading
mechanism, a condition in which a live round is at least partially in the firing chamber and
capable of being fired, but is not properly secured by the usual mechanism of that particular
weapon can occur.
• over-bore: A cartridge term that refers to small caliber bullets being used in very large cases.
[18] It is the relationship between the volume of powder that can fit in a case and the diameter
of the inside of the barrel or bore.[19]
• obturate: Obturation is the process of a bullet expanding under pressure to fit the bore of the
firearm, or a cartridge case expanding under pressure to seal the chamber. See also swage.

P
• parkerizing: A method of protecting a steel surface from corrosion and increasing its resistance
to wear through the application of an electrochemical phosphate conversion coating. Also called
phosphating and phosphatizing.
• percussion cap: a small cylinder of copper or brass that was the crucial invention that enabled
muzzle-loading firearms to fire reliably in any weather. The cap has one closed end. Inside the
closed end is a small amount of a shock-sensitive explosive material such as fulminate of
mercury. The percussion cap is placed over a hollow metal "nipple" at the rear end of the gun
barrel. Pulling the trigger releases a hammer which strikes the percussion cap and ignites the
explosive primer. The flame travels through the hollow nipple to ignite the main powder charge.
• picatinny rail: a bracket used on some firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting
platform.
 • pinfire: an obsolete type of brass cartridge in which the priming compound is ignited by
striking a small pin which protrudes radially from just above the base of the cartridge.
• plinking: Informal target shooting done at non-traditional targets such as tin cans, glass bottles,
and balloons filled with water.[20]
• powerhead or bang stick: a specialized firearm used underwater that is fired when in direct
contact with the target.
• pump-action: A rifle or shotgun in which the handgrip can be pumped back and forth in order
to eject a spent round of ammunition and to chamber a fresh one. It is much faster than a bolt-
action and somewhat faster than a lever-action, as it does not require the trigger hand to be
removed from the trigger whilst reloading. When used in rifles, this action is also commonly
called a slide action.

Q
• quad-barrelled: A gun, typically artillery, with four barrels, such as the ZPU.

R
• ramrod: a device used with early firearms to push the projectile up against the propellant
(mainly gunpowder).
• rate of fire: the frequency at which a firearm can fire its projectiles.
• recoil: The backward momentum of a gun when it is discharged. In technical terms, the recoil
caused by the gun exactly balances the forward momentum of the projectile, according to
Newton's third law. (often called kickback or simply kick)
• reflex sights: Optical or computing sights that reflect a reticle image (or images) onto a
combining glass for superimposition on the target.[21] Reflex sights are most commonly
configured as non-magnifying firearm sights (such as the Aimpoint CompM2 red dot sight), but
they are also used to aid targeting on other devices, such as telescopes and point-and-shoot
digital cameras.
• revolver: a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one
barrel for firing.
• ricochet: ( /ˈrɪkəʃeɪ/ RICK-uh-shay) is a rebound, bounce or skip off a surface, particularly in
the case of a projectile.
• rifle bedding: a process of filling gaps between the action and the stock of a rifle with an epoxy
based material.
• rifling: Helical grooves in the barrel of a gun or firearm, which imparts a spin to a projectile
around its long axis. This spin serves to gyroscopically stabilize the projectile, improving its
aerodynamic stability and accuracy.
• rimfire: A type of firearm cartridge that used a firing pin which strikes the base's rim, instead of
striking the primer cap at the center of the base of the cartridge to ignite it (as in a centerfire
cartridge). The rim of the rimfire cartridge is essentially an extended and widened percussion
 cap which contains the priming compound, while the cartridge case itself contains the propellant
powder and the projectile (bullet).
• rolling block: A form of firearm action where the sealing of the breech is done with a circular
shaped breechblock able to rotate on a pin. The breechblock is locked into place by the hammer,
thus preventing the cartridge from moving backwards at the moment of firing. By cocking the
hammer, the breechblock can be rotated freely to reload the weapon.

S
• sabot : a device used in a firearm to fire a projectile, such as a bullet, that is smaller than the
bore diameter.
• safety: A mechanism used to help prevent the accidental discharge of a firearm, helping to
ensure safer handling. Safeties can generally be divided into subtypes such as internal safeties
(which typically do not receive input from the user) and external safeties (which typically allow
the user to give input, for example, toggling a lever from "on" to "off" or something similar).
Sometimes these are called "passive" and "active" safeties (or "automatic" and "manual"),
respectively.
• sawed-off shotgun/short-barreled shotgun (SBS): a type of shotgun with a shorter gun barrel
and often a shorter or deleted stock.
• selective fire: A firearm that fires semi–automatically and at least one automatic mode by
means of a selector depending on the weapon's design. Some selective fire weapons utilize burst
fire mechanisms to limit the maximum or total number of shots fired automatically in this mode.
The most common limits are two or three rounds per pull of the trigger.
• semi-wadcutter or SWC: A type of all-purpose bullet commonly used in revolvers which
combines features of the wadcutter target bullet and traditional round nosed revolver bullets,
and is used in both revolver and pistol cartridges for hunting, target shooting, and plinking. The
basic SWC design consists of a roughly conical nose, truncated with a flat point, sitting on a
cylinder. The flat nose punches a clean hole in the target, rather than tearing it like a round nose
bullet would, and the sharp shoulder enlarges the hole neatly, allowing easy and accurate
scoring of the target. The SWC design offers better external ballistics than the wadcutter, as its
conical nose produces less drag than the flat cylinder.
• shooting range: a specialized facility designed for firearms practice.
• shooting sticks: are portable weapon mounts.
• short barreled rifle (SBR): a legal designation in the United States, referring to a shoulder-
fired, rifled firearm with a barrel length of less than 16" (40.6 cm) or overall length of less than
26" (66.0 cm).
• slamfire: a premature, unintended discharge of a firearm that occurs as a round is being loaded
into the chamber.
• snubnosed revolver: a revolver with a short barrel length.
• spitzer bullet: an aerodynamic bullet design.
• silencer, suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, or "hush puppy": A device attached
 to or part of the barrel of a firearm to reduce the amount of noise and flash generated by firing
the weapon.
• single-shot: A firearm that holds only a single round of ammunition, and must be reloaded after
each shot.
• sleeving: A method of using new tubes to replace a worn-out gun barrel.[22]
• slide bite: A phenomenon which is often grouped with hammer bite. In this case the web of the
shooting hand is cut or abraded by the rearward motion of the semi-automatic pistol's slide, not
by the gun's hammer. This most often occurs with small pistols like the Walther PPK and
Walther TPH that have an abbreviated grip tang. This problem is exacerbated by the sharp
machining found on many firearms.
• sling: is a type of strap or harness designed to allow an operator carry a firearm (usually a long
gun such as a rifle, carbine, shotgun, or submachine gun) on his/her person and/or aid in greater
hit probability with that firearm.
• speedloader: A device used for loading a firearm or firearm magazine with loose ammunition
very quickly. Generally, speedloaders are used for loading all chambers of a revolver
simultaneously, although speedloaders of different designs are also used for the loading of fixed
tubular magazines of shotguns and rifles, or the loading of box or drum magazines. Revolver
speedloaders are used for revolvers having either swing-out cylinders or top-break cylinders.
• sporterising, sporterisation, or sporterization: The practice of modifying military-type
firearms either to make them suitable for civilian sporting use or to make them legal under the
law.
• squib load, also known as squib round, pop and no kick, or just squib: A firearms
malfunction in which a fired projectile does not have enough force behind it to exit the barrel,
and thus becomes stuck.
• stock: The part of a rifle or other firearm, to which the barrel and firing mechanism are
attached, that is held against one's shoulder when firing the gun. The stock provides a means for
the shooter to firmly support the device and easily aim it.
• stopping power: A colloquial term used to describe the ability of a firearm or other weapon to
cause a penetrating ballistic injury to a target, human or animal, sufficient to incapacitate the
target where it stands.
• stripper clip: A speedloader that holds several cartridges together in a single unit for easier
loading of a firearm's magazine. A stripper clip is used only for loading the magazine and is not
necessary for the firearm to function.
• suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, "hush puppy",or silencer: A device attached
to or part of the barrel of a firearm to reduce the amount of noise and flash generated by firing
the weapon.
• swage: To reduce an item in size by forcing through a die. In internal ballistics, swaging refers
to the process where bullets are swaged into the rifling of the barrel.
• swaged bullet: A bullet that is formed by forcing the bullet into a die to assume its final form.
• swaged choke: A constriction or choke in a shotgun barrel formed by a swaging process that
compresses the outside of the barrel.
 • swaged rifling: Rifling in a firearm barrel formed by a swaging process, such as button rifling.

T
• Taylor KO Factor: mathematical approach for evaluating the stopping power of hunting
cartridges.
• telescoping stock or collapsing stock: A stock on a firearm that telescopes or folds in on itself
in order to become more compact. Telescoping stocks are useful for storing a rifle or weapon in
a space that it would not normally fit in.
• terminal ballistics: A sub-field of ballistics, is the study of the behavior of a projectile when it
hits its target.[23]
• trigger: A mechanism that actuates the firing sequence of a firearm. Triggers almost universally
consist of levers or buttons actuated by the index finger.
• trunnion: a cylindrical protrusion used as a mounting and/or pivoting point. On firearms, the
barrel is sometimes mounted in a trunnion, which in turn is mounted to the receiver.

U
• upset forging: A process that increases the diameter of a workpiece by compressing its length.
• underlug: The locking lugs on a break-action firearm that extend from the bottom of the barrels
under the chamber(s) and connect into the receiver bottom.[24]
• underwater firearm: a firearm specially designed for use underwater.

varmint rifle
• varmint: A USA colloquial term for vermin, though it refers more specifically to mammal or
bird pests, includingpredators, such as coyotes, wolves, foxes, or feral dogs, which can kill farm
animals. It also includes rodents, such as rats, prairie dogs, squirrels, rabbits, and groundhogs,
that can damage cropland or pastures or carry disease, and invasive species, such as starlings,
that are displacing desirable native species.
• varmint rifle: A small-caliber firearm or high-powered air gun primarily used for varmint
hunting — killing non-native or non-game animals such as rats, house sparrows, starling, crows,
ground squirrels, gophers, jackrabbits, marmots, groundhogs, porcupine, opossum, coyote,
 skunks, weasels,[25] or feral cats, dogs, goats, pigs and other animals considered to be nuisance
vermin destructive to native or domestic plants and animals.[26]

W
• wadcutter: A special-purpose bullet specially designed for shooting paper targets, usually at
close range and at subsonic velocities typically under 800 ft/s (240 m/s). They are often used in
handgun and airgun competitions. A wadcutter has a flat or nearly flat front that cuts a very
clean hole through the paper target, making it easier to score and ideally reducing errors in
scoring the target to the favor of the shooter.
• WCF: An acronym for a family of cartridges designed by Winchester Repeating Arms
Company, called Winchester Center Fire, as in the .30-30 WCF or .32 WCF.[27]
• wheellock: an obsolete mechanism for firing a firearm.
• wildcat cartridge or wildcat: A custom cartridge for which ammunition and firearms are not
mass produced. These cartridges are often created in order to optimize a certain performance
characteristic (such as the power, size or efficiency) of an existing commercial cartridge. See
improved cartridge.
• windage: The side-to-side adjustment of a sight, used to change the horizontal component of
the aiming point. See also Kentucky windage.

X
• x-ring: a circle in the middle of a shooting target bullseye used to determine winners in event of
a tie.

Y
• yaw: The heading of a bullet, used in external ballistics that refers to how the Magnus effect
causes bullets to move out of a straight line based on their spin.

Z
• zero-in or zeroing: The act of setting up a telescopic sight so that the point of impact of a bullet
matches the cross-hairs in the scope.