Firearm Terminology

A glossary of basic terms related to firearms and ammunition.

There is a lot of bad information being shared, as well as terms being used completely wrong, by the media. Basic knowledge on the subject of firearms is important, but an accurate use of firearm terminology is absolutely required to speak or write about guns and to be taken seriously.

If you are unfamiliar with firearms, it could sound like a foreign language when you hear people in the gun world speaking the lingo, and some of the terms most likely go over your head. We have put together a glossary of common gun terms to hopefully help clear up some of the confusion for you.

Also, check out our page on Commonly Used Acronyms!

Click a term below to get the definition

“Out of Battery”

+P Ammunition

+P+ Ammunition

Accidental Discharge

ACP – Automatic Colt Pistol

Action

Adjustable Stock

Ammunition

Antique

Arms

Automatic

Backstop

Backstrap

Barrel

Battery

Beavertail

Benchrest

Berm

Bipod

Birdshot

Blank

Bluing

Bolt

Bolt Action

Bore

Brass

Breech

Breechloader

Buckshot

Bullet

Butt

Cable Gun Lock

Caliber

Cannelure

Cant

Carbine

Cartridge

Casing

Center Mass

Centerfire

Chamber

Choke

Clay Pigeon

Clip

Co-witness

Cocking

Collapsible Stock

Concealment

Cover

Cross Dominant

Crosshairs

Cylinder

Deflection Shooting

Derringer

Double Barrel

Double Feed

Double-action

Down Range

Dry-Fire

Dummy Round

Ejection Port

Ejector

Ejector Rod

Extractor

Failure to Extract

Failure to Feed

Failure to fire

Field Shooting

Firearm

Firing Line

Firing Pin

Firing Pin Impression

Fixed Ammunition

Folding Stock

Follow Through

Forend

Frame

Front Sight

Front Strap

Full Metal Jacket

Gauge

Grain

Grip Panels

Grip Safety

Grips

Grooves

Group(ing)

Hammer

Hammer Spur

Hammerless

Handgun

Hollow Point

Holster

Hot Range

Internal Safety

Iron Sights

Isosceles Stance

Lands

Laser

Laser Grip

Lead

Leading the target

Lever Action

Loaded Chamber Indicator

Long Colt

Long Gun

Long Rifle (LR)

Machine Gun

Machine Pistol

Magazine

Magazine Holster

Magazine Release

Magazine Well

Magnum

Malfunction

Manual Safety

Minute of Angle (MOA)

Misfeed

Misfire

Musket

Muzzle

Muzzle Break

Muzzle Control

Muzzle Flash

Muzzle Loader

Muzzle Velocity

Negligent Discharge

Night Sights

Open Sights

Overshoot

Parabellum

Parallax

Patridge Sight

Pistol

Plinking

Point Blank Range

Point Shooting

Powder

Primer

Printing

Projectile

Prone

Propellant

Pump-action

Racking the Slide

Rail

Rails

Range Finder

Reactive Targets

Rear Sight

Receiver

Recoil

Recoil Spring

Red Dot Sight

Reload

Reticle

Revolver

Riding the Slide

Rifle

Rifling

Rimfire

Round

Safety

Sawed Off Shotgun

Scope

Sear

Selective Fire

Semi-automatic

Semi-Wadcutter

Separate-Loading Ammunition

Shell

Shell Casing

Short Barrel Rifle

Short-stroking

Shot Pattern

Shotgun

Shotshell

Side-by-side

Sight Alignment

Sight Picture

Sight Radius

Sights

Silhouette Shooting

Single-action

Single-shot

Skeet-shooting

Slide

Slide Lock

Slide Release

Slide Stop

Sling

Slug

Smoothbore

Snapcap

Sniper

Sniper Rifle

Snub-nosed

Soft point

Speed Loader

Speed Strip

Sporting Clays

Spotter

Spread Pattern

Squib Load

Stance

Stock

Stove Pipe

Striker

Stripper Clip

Submachine Gun

Suppressor

Tang

Telescopic Sights

Toe

Top Strap

Trace

Tracer Ammunition

Trajectory

Transfer Bar

Trapshooting

Trigger

Trigger Break

Trigger Control

Trigger guard

Trigger Jerk

Trigger Lock

Trigger Pull

Trigger Pull Weight

Trigger Reset

Trigger Safety

Trigger Scale

Wad

Wad-cutter

Weapon

Weaver Stance

Windage

Wound Trauma Incapacitation

Youth Rifle

Youth Stock

Zero

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