09-04-2013, 09:55 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-30-2016, 01:50 AM by NugginFutz.)
Jacket: A metal, usually copper, formed around a lead core of 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.
Kentucky Windage: A vintage American frontier term, meaning to hold rifle sights right or left of a target to compensate for effect of a crosswind.
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 or which fails to properly stabilize 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.
Leade: (Freebore, Throat) The smooth, unrifled gap in a rifle's bore between the chamber and the start of the rifling.
Length Of Pull (LOP): The distance between the trigger and the butt end of the stock of a rifle or shotgun.
Lever-Action: 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.
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.
Lock Time: The amount of time between the sear releasing the hammer and its striking the firing pin and, consequently, a cartridge's primer. Short lock time is desirable for a precision rifle so that there's no time for weapon movement after the shooter pulls the trigger. (Typically 0.0022 to 0.0057 of a second)
Lot or Lot Number: One batch of ammunition made up at the same time and using the same run of subcomponents. A sniper uses ammunition of the same lot number to enhance consistent performance.
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.
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.
Match-Grade Ammunition: Ammunition manufactured to much closer tolerances than regular ammunition to produce rounds that consistently perform to the highest of standards
Maximum Effective Range: The greatest distance at which a weapon can inflict casualties, based upon both the energy of a bullet and the weapon's inherent accuracy.
Meplat: From a French term for a flat surface, is the technical term for the flat or open tip on the nose of a bullet. The shape of the meplat is important in determining how the bullet moves through the air. In particular the size and shape of the meplat has a significant effect on the ballistic coefficient of a bullet.
Mil or Milliradian: An angular measurement equal to 1/6400 of a circle or 3.375 minutes of arc (in NATO countries). The mil is a handy measurement since it subtrends 1 yard at 1000 yards, 1 meter at 1000 meters, etc., and therefore facilitates range estimation. The "real" trigonometric unit of angular measurement of a circle is 1/6283 (3.438 minutes of arc), and is in use by telescopic sight manufacturers using (stadiametric) rangefinding in reticles.
Mil Dot: A tiny dot of very exact angular width in some scope reticles, such as the M3A1 Leupold, and used for range estimation.
Minute Of Angle (MOA): An angular width (1⁄21,600 of a circle) normally used to describe shooting and scope adjustments since 1 MOA is approximately 1 inch (1.047") at 100 yards, 2/200, etc.
Moderator: See suppressor
Mount: AKA "base," this is the intermediate adapter which connects a scope to a rifle. Scope rings attach the scope to the base.
Muzzle: The part of a firearm at the end of the barrel from which the projectile will exit.
Muzzle Brake: A recoil-reducing device attached to the barrel that deflects blast laterally or backwards to mitigate recoil or even 'pull' the rifle slightly forward. Reduces recoil but can also make blast more visible by disturbing ground debris at the muzzle.
Muzzle Crown: Polished, smoothly finished rifling at the muzzle done during manufacture to ensure the unimpeded, consistent exit of bullets. Some have a recessed crown to reduce the chance of 'dinging' any rifling edges during normal use.
Muzzle Energy: 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.
Muzzle Velocity: 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.
National Match: A term applied to ammunition and certain firearms to distinguish them as having been modified for higher precision shooting. Expert gunsmiths have fine-tuned them for match-type accuracy.
Necking Down / 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.
NecroPoster: A person posting in a really old topic, usually more than a year old. They look for old posts and try to start them up again. Most necroposting is caused by an unenlightened race known as the n00b.
NRA or National Rifle Association Of America: 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. The NRA is also the sanctioning body for most marksmanship competition in the USA, from the local to the Olympic level (particularly bullseye style events).
Objective Lens: The front/forward lens of an optical device
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.
Ocular Lens: The rear/back lens or eyepiece of an optical device.
Ordinate: The maximum Height above a horizontal surface that a bullet rises while in trajectory to a target. Ex: the ordinate of a federal .308 match round that impacts a target at 300 yards is 7.23 inches.
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, it is the 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 firearms locking mechanism.
Over-Bore: Small caliber bullets being used in very large cases. 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.
Parallax: The tendency for scope crosshairs to shift and change the point of impact if the shooter moves his head. Not a problem with new quality scopes of 10x or less, but can be a problem above 10x unless a side focus is provided or objective lens is adjustable.
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.
Permanent Wound Channel: The path of permanent tissue damage left by a bullet, usually an inch or 2 in diameter. When this channel passes thru vitals organs or nerve tissue, significant injury or death results.
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.
Kentucky Windage: A vintage American frontier term, meaning to hold rifle sights right or left of a target to compensate for effect of a crosswind.
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 or which fails to properly stabilize 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.
Leade: (Freebore, Throat) The smooth, unrifled gap in a rifle's bore between the chamber and the start of the rifling.
Length Of Pull (LOP): The distance between the trigger and the butt end of the stock of a rifle or shotgun.
Lever-Action: 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.
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.
Lock Time: The amount of time between the sear releasing the hammer and its striking the firing pin and, consequently, a cartridge's primer. Short lock time is desirable for a precision rifle so that there's no time for weapon movement after the shooter pulls the trigger. (Typically 0.0022 to 0.0057 of a second)
Lot or Lot Number: One batch of ammunition made up at the same time and using the same run of subcomponents. A sniper uses ammunition of the same lot number to enhance consistent performance.
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.
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.
Match-Grade Ammunition: Ammunition manufactured to much closer tolerances than regular ammunition to produce rounds that consistently perform to the highest of standards
Maximum Effective Range: The greatest distance at which a weapon can inflict casualties, based upon both the energy of a bullet and the weapon's inherent accuracy.
Meplat: From a French term for a flat surface, is the technical term for the flat or open tip on the nose of a bullet. The shape of the meplat is important in determining how the bullet moves through the air. In particular the size and shape of the meplat has a significant effect on the ballistic coefficient of a bullet.
Mil or Milliradian: An angular measurement equal to 1/6400 of a circle or 3.375 minutes of arc (in NATO countries). The mil is a handy measurement since it subtrends 1 yard at 1000 yards, 1 meter at 1000 meters, etc., and therefore facilitates range estimation. The "real" trigonometric unit of angular measurement of a circle is 1/6283 (3.438 minutes of arc), and is in use by telescopic sight manufacturers using (stadiametric) rangefinding in reticles.
Mil Dot: A tiny dot of very exact angular width in some scope reticles, such as the M3A1 Leupold, and used for range estimation.
Minute Of Angle (MOA): An angular width (1⁄21,600 of a circle) normally used to describe shooting and scope adjustments since 1 MOA is approximately 1 inch (1.047") at 100 yards, 2/200, etc.
Moderator: See suppressor
Mount: AKA "base," this is the intermediate adapter which connects a scope to a rifle. Scope rings attach the scope to the base.
Muzzle: The part of a firearm at the end of the barrel from which the projectile will exit.
Muzzle Brake: A recoil-reducing device attached to the barrel that deflects blast laterally or backwards to mitigate recoil or even 'pull' the rifle slightly forward. Reduces recoil but can also make blast more visible by disturbing ground debris at the muzzle.
Muzzle Crown: Polished, smoothly finished rifling at the muzzle done during manufacture to ensure the unimpeded, consistent exit of bullets. Some have a recessed crown to reduce the chance of 'dinging' any rifling edges during normal use.
Muzzle Energy: 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.
Muzzle Velocity: 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.
National Match: A term applied to ammunition and certain firearms to distinguish them as having been modified for higher precision shooting. Expert gunsmiths have fine-tuned them for match-type accuracy.
Necking Down / 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.
NecroPoster: A person posting in a really old topic, usually more than a year old. They look for old posts and try to start them up again. Most necroposting is caused by an unenlightened race known as the n00b.
NRA or National Rifle Association Of America: 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. The NRA is also the sanctioning body for most marksmanship competition in the USA, from the local to the Olympic level (particularly bullseye style events).
Objective Lens: The front/forward lens of an optical device
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.
Ocular Lens: The rear/back lens or eyepiece of an optical device.
Ordinate: The maximum Height above a horizontal surface that a bullet rises while in trajectory to a target. Ex: the ordinate of a federal .308 match round that impacts a target at 300 yards is 7.23 inches.
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, it is the 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 firearms locking mechanism.
Over-Bore: Small caliber bullets being used in very large cases. 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.
Parallax: The tendency for scope crosshairs to shift and change the point of impact if the shooter moves his head. Not a problem with new quality scopes of 10x or less, but can be a problem above 10x unless a side focus is provided or objective lens is adjustable.
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.
Permanent Wound Channel: The path of permanent tissue damage left by a bullet, usually an inch or 2 in diameter. When this channel passes thru vitals organs or nerve tissue, significant injury or death results.