A THR Primer on Courtesy and Basic Abbreviations, Acronyms and Terminology

Most of the following are rules and some are suggestions. Using them will not necessarily guarantee that you do not break the rules in other ways, but will help you be welcomed as a polite member of the group.

Vulgarity:
1. The quality or condition of being vulgar.
2. Something, such as an act or expression, that offends good taste or propriety
(American Heritage Dictionary).

This is in opposition to being polite, which is what you agreed to when you registered. "Creative" attempts to get around the language filter are not acceptable. They are an obvious disregard for other members and THR's mission of reaching out to the uninformed and undecided people that we have a chance to better inform on RKBA issues. Such a violation of the principles of civil discussion may subject you to disciplinary action. There are words that are not blocked out by the language filter, usage of which will demean what you have to say and that will lower the level of conversation to the "locker room". The bottom line is, "If you wouldn't say it in front of Art Eatman's sainted Grammaw, then don't say it here."

Don't insult people, but challenge arguments. Correcting factual information or discussing how your experience varies from another member's is very different from slinging personal insults. If a poster has been sufficiently challenged already, don't gang-post them and put them on the defensive .. give them a chance to respond to the first challenge.

Insults:
In the same vein, don't insult others indirectly by posting stories, articles, jokes, etc., for the sole purpose of disparaging a group, profession, state, or country. We have a wide variety of members from many professions, states, and countries; nothing is gained by attempts to belittle them, but a great deal can be lost.

Posting off topic posts: These can range from confusing to distracting to being rude so it needs to be avoided. We see frequent complaints about someone asking about experience or recommendations about an item or product and someone chiming in with something outside of their scope (e.g. get a revolver in question about a specific semi, get a semi in a question about revolvers, get a shotgun in a question about carbines, etc.). If you can't address the OP's question your post may be deleted to keep from derailing the discussion.


"Colorful" stories: Less is more. No one will be impressed at your deft comparison of any action with a firearm with any type of sexual act. You reduce the maturity of the board and firearm owners in general. Also, we are completely uninterested in your sexual exploits of any type. This equates to vulgarity and can result in deletions, warnings, or infractions that may limit your activity.


PM's: Private messages are considered just that. In general, sharing or posting the contents of a private message will be considered inappropriate, unless the message violates the law (containing a physical threat, for instance, in which case notifying staff is more appropriate).

Try to be as courteous in PM's as you would in any of the open forums.


Introductions: You are welcome but not obligated to post an introduction in the New Member thread in the General Discussion forum. You may also include an introduction if you begin a thread or reply to one.


Goodbyes: If you decide for any reason that you will no longer share your time with us here, posting a public goodbye will only make us think you are an attention-seeking drama queen. If you decide to go, do so quietly and with decorum. You may always change your mind at your leisure.


Posting links: Don't post a link to a news article and let it go at that. Please post the first paragraph or a summary of the article. That would help members decide if they want to go to the linked article for the remainder of the story.

It is also considered to be bad form to post a link to a site that requires "sign up" before the article can be read. Only post links that are accessible by all and a description of the article in your own words along with a link. Remember that copyright rules and "fair use" don't allow us to post the entire article or even parts thereof as freely as we used to so until there's a change in the fair use laws or the courts establish limits don't excerpt any part of material from anyone other than solidly pro2A sources.

Please take our low bandwidth members into consideration when posting links to a large file or a picture heavy site. A warning given along with the link will help them decide if they want to continue to the link.


Searches: The search engine exists for more than one purpose. If you have an exciting news article to report or you are looking for information on a particular subject, the chances are very good that the article has been posted or the information you seek is already available. Try a search before posting if there is any chance that the information already exists on THR. Never assume you are the first to the forum with a fast breaking story.

On the other hand, if by chance another member does post an old article or asks a question that has been answered a thousand times in the past, please don't be so rude as to simply say "Try a search". If you don't have useful information for the member such as a link to the old info, simply don't post.


Closed threads: If a Moderator closes a thread that you think should have stayed open please send a civil well reasoned PM to them explaining why you think the thread was on topic or relevant before posting a rant in Technical. This will accomplish two things: It will allow you to express your position on the thread and permit the Mod to explain theirs, and it will prevent you from suddenly having a large number of other members remind you to PM the Mod before posting in the open. If there's no indication about which Mod closed a thread, you should PM one of that forum's Mods about it.

If you're not satisfied with the answer to your PM then you may start a civil reasonable thread in Technical seeking an explanation. Be sure to note that you have already PMed the Mod to avoid having others remind you to do so.

The Grammar Police: If someone has made a spelling or keystroke error, and which of us has never done that, there's no need to point it out unless there's no way to tell what they meant. Asking for clarification isn't poking fun at another member, but making fun of them or correcting their spelling is pointless and mean spirited and is low road behavior. Consider that their contribution to the forum, regardless of spelling and grammar, may be greater than that of the "schoolmarm" that makes no other contribution than picking at spelling.


Much of the above can be summarized by our simple slogan: "Think twice, post once."

On a lighter note -


*********************************************


We have left this thread open, not for comment, but to encourage any member who has a good addition to the primer to append it. Please don't use this thread for commentary or conversation on grammar, courtesy, etc.

Please note that all additional posts will be eventually deleted. So if your contribution disappears, don't take it personally, we simply want to keep the thread simple. If your contribution is considered to be worthwhile, you will see it added to the primer above.

Thank you,
The THR Staff

 

Basic Abbreviations

Common Firearm Related Abbreviations
(Also see post 3 below)

AWB - Assault Weapons Ban
BT - Boat Tail [Ammo]
BUG - BackUp Gun
CC - Concealed Carry
CCW - Carry Concealed Weapon (carry permit)
CHP - Concealed Handgun Permit (carry permit)
CMP - Civilian Marksmanship Program
CWP - Concealed Weapons Permit (carry permit)
DA - Double Action [Firing Mechanism]
DAO - Double Action Only [Firing Mechanism]
HCP - Handgun Carry Permit (carry permit)
FFL - Federal Firearms License
FMJ - Full Metal Jacket [Ammo]
FTE - Failed To Eject [Semi-auto]
FTF - Fail To Feed [Semi-auto]
HP - Hollow Point [Ammo]
IWB - Inside Waist Band [Holster]
JHP - Jacketed Hollow Point [Ammo]
LEO - Law Enforcement Officer
NRA - National Rifle Association
OWB - Outside Waist Band [Holster]
OC - Open Carry [Carrying your firearm in open view]
POTUS - President Of The United States
RKBA- Right to Keep and Bear Arms
SCOTUS - Supreme Court Of The United States
SA - Single Action [Firing Mechanism]
SA/DA - Single Action/Double Action [Firing Mechanism]
SO - Sheriff's Office


Buying and Selling

FTF or F2F- Face To Face (Transaction)
SPF - Sold Pending Funds
WTB - Want To Buy
WTS - Want To Sell
WTT - Want To Trade


General Webspeak

AFAIK - As Far As I Know
BF - BoyFriend
BFF - Best Friends Forever
BTTT - Back To The Top
Bump - Outside of a For Sale type thread, an effort by someone that doesn't have anything to contribute to get a thread back into discussion.
DFTT - Don't Feed The Troll
DSTSS - Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
FWIW - For What It's Worth
IANAL - I Am Not A Lawyer
IBTL - In Before The Lock!
IIRC - If I Remember Correctly
IMO - In My Opinion
IMHO - In My Humble (or Honest) Opinion
KWIM - Know What I Mean?
NIMBY - Not In My Back Yard
OP - Original Post or Original Poster
ROTFL - Rolling On The Floor Laughing
ROTFLMAO - Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Ass Off
SWMBO - She Who Must Be Obeyed (wife)
WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get
YMMV - Your mileage may vary

 

General Acronyms and Initialisms
2A 2nd Amendment
ACOG Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight
ACP Automatic Colt Pistol
AD Accidental Discharge (see also ND, negligent discharge)
AE Action Express
AF Alternative Force
AFAIK As Far As I Know
AI Ackley Improved
AOP Assault on Principal [exec protection]
AOW Any Other Weapon (zip guns, other non-standard small-bore firearms)
AWB Assault Weapons Ban (part of the 1994 Crime Bill) [legislation]
BAR Browning Automatic Rifle
BB Bull Barrel
BBL Barrel
BC Ballistic Coeffecient
BG Bad Guy, or Big Grin
BHP Browning Hi-Power
BMG Browning Machine Gun
BOB Bug-Out Bag (or "Go Bag")
BOHICA Bend Over, Here It Comes Again
BP Black Powder; Black Powder Cartridge Rifle
BUG Back-Up Gun (second or third gun carried in case the primary malfunctions)
CC Concealed carry
CCW Concealed Carry Weapon (license)
CHL Concealed Handgun License
CHP Concealed Handgun Permit
CIAO This is not an acronym. It's Italian for "bye."
COD Cash On Delivery
COM Center Of Mass
CONUS CONtinental United States
CPL Concealed Pistol License
CQB Close-Quarters Battle
CQC Close-Quarters Combat
CRISAT Cooperative Research Into Small Arms Technology
CRPA Certified Royal Pain in the A--
CUP Copper Units of Pressure; a method of measuring chamber pressure, most common with shotguns
CWP Concealed Weapons Permit
DA Double Action
DAO Double Action Only
DARFC Duck And Run For Cover
DD Destructive Device (generally bombs and large-bore weapons)
DOA Dead On Arrival [police]
DPS Department of Public Safety (most states have them)
DVC Diligentia Vis Celeritas (latin for Accuracy, Power, Speed)
EBR Evil Black Rifle
EDC Every Day Carry
EDP Emotionally Disturbed Person [NYPD]
EIN Employer Identification Number
EO Executive Order
ETA Estimated Time of Arrival
ETA Edited To Add (Internet speak)
ETS End tenure of service.
FFL Federal Firearms License or Licensee
FOF Force-On-Force
FOIA Freedom of Information Act
FPS Feet Per Second
FTE Failure to Eject
FTE Failure to Extract
FTF Face to Face (referring to non-FFL-mediated gun transfers)
FTF Failure to Feed
FTF Failure to Fire
FTLOG For The Love Of God
FUBAR F---ed Up Beyond All Recognition
FWIW For What It's Worth
FYI For Your Information
GC gas check; a copper-zinc alloy cup used as gilding to protect the base of lead bullets from hot gas obduration during internal ballistics.
GD&R Grin, Duck, & Run
GF GirlFriend
GFSZ Gun free school zone
GG Good Guy
GI Government Issue
GMT Greenwich Mean Time (timezone, equivalent to Zulu/UTC)
HAND Have A Nice Day
HBAR Heavy Barrel AR
HCP Handgun Carry Permit
HD Home Defense
HDC Home Defense Carbine
HMG Heavy Machine Gun
HSLD High Speed Low Drag
HSO Handle for a moronic Moderator on the best firearms boards around (Health & Safety Officer)
HSP Highly Sensitive Person
HTH Hope That Helps
IANAL I Am Not A Lawyer
IBTL In before the lock, or In before thread lock
IDLE International Date Line East
IDLW International Date Line West
IINM If I'm Not Mistaken
IIRC If I Remember Correctly
IMHO In My Humble Opinion
IMNSHO In My Not So Humble Opinion
IMO In My Opinion
IOW In Other Words
IRL In Real Life
IWB Inside WaistBand
JBT Jack Booted Thug
JMB John Moses Browning
JMO Just My Opinion
JSP Jacketed Soft Point
KB Kaboom
KISS Keep It Simple, Stupid
KWIM Know What I Mean
KYPD Keep Your Powder Dry
LDA Light Double Action
LE Law Enforcement
LEA Law Enforcement Agency
LEO Law Enforcement Officer/Official
LGS Local gun store
LLEA Local Law Enforcement Agency
LMAO Laughing My A-- Off
LMG Light Machine Gun
LNIB Like New In Box, usually means the item looks new but has been lightly used (see also NIB)
LOL Laughing Out Loud
LOS Line Of Sight
MG Machine Gun
MIM Metal Injection Molding
MOA Minutes Of Angle (angular measurement, 1/60 of a °, 360° in a circle)
MOB Middle Of Back
MOS Military Occupational Specialty
MV Muzzle Velocity
NAP Non-Aggression Principle (and criticism)
ND Negligent Discharge ( see also AD, accidental discharge)
NIB New In Box, usually means the item has not been used since bought, but can also mean LNIB.
NOYB None Of Your Business
NSFW Not Suitable/Safe for Work (inappropriate content for the workplace - video with profanity, for example)
OAL OverAll Length
OC Open carry
OMG Oh My God
OOTB Out Of The Box
OP Original Poster
ORM-D Other Regulated Materials - Domestic (seen on boxes of shipped ammo)
OT Off-Topic
OTOH On The Other Hand
OWB Outside the WaistBand
PASGT Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops
PBR Point Blank Range
PCS Permanent change of station
PDW Personal Defense Weapon
PHB Pointy-Haired Boss (Dilbert reference, a boss without a clue)
PITA Pain In The A--
POA Point Of Aim
POI Point Of Impact
POI Person Of Interest
POS Piece Of S---
PSI Pounds per Square Inch
PT Physical Training
PTL&PTA Praise The Lord & Pass The Ammunition
QC Quality Control
REMF Rear Eschelon Mother F---er (derogatory name for a non-combatant in a combat zone or a military occupational specialty that would keep one from seeing combat)
RSC Residential Security Container - Often sold as a "Gun Safe", an RSC doesn't meet the requirements of a safe.
RINO Republican In Name Only (usually a rightwingnut calling a moderate Republican a leftwingnut)
RKBA Right to Keep and Bear Arms
RUM Remington Ultra Mag
SA Single Action
SAA Single Action Army (famous Colt revolver design that shows up in Westerns)
SA/DA Single Action/Double Action [Firing Mechanism]
SAK Swiss Army Knife
SBR Short Barrel Rifle
SD Self Defense; Sectional Density (weight [lbs] to cross-section area [in^2])
SHTF S--- Hits The Fan
SKS Samozaryadnaya Karabina Simonova, or Self-loading carbine Simonov. Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov was one of the old Soviet Union's foremost arms designers. The rifle was adopted by the USSR in 1945, and was made both there and in China.
SLR Self-Loading Rifle
SMG Sub-Machine Gun
SNAFU Situation Normal: All F---ed Up
SO Significant Other (boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife)
SO Sherriff's Office
SOB Small Of Back (6 o'clock carry)
SOP Standard Operating Procedure
SOT Special Occupational Tax license (administered by the BATFE)
SWAT Special Weapons And Tactics
SxS Side by Side (i.e. a shotgun)
TDY Temporary duty
TEOTWAWKI The End Of The World As We Know It
TIA Thanks In Advance
TID Tax ID number
TLA Three Letter Acronym
TMI Too Much Information
TNSTAAFL There's no such thing as a free lunch
TPTB The Powers That Be
TTW Taunting The Wookie (someone known to rip arms out of sockets when inflamed)
TU Tits Up (military origin, meaning dead; often spelled phonetically as "Tango Uniform")
URL Uniform Resource Locator
UTC Universal Time Coordinate (timezone, equivalent to Zulu/GMT)
VCA Violent Criminal Assailant
WSM Winchester Short Magnum
WTSHTF When The S--- Hits The Fan
WWB Winchester White Box (ammo)
WYSIWYG What You See Is What You Get
YMMV Your Mileage/Methods May Vary


Bullet Design

AP Armor Piercing
API Armor Piercing, Incendiary
APT Armor Piercing, Tracer
BBWC Bevel Base WadCutter
BT BoatTail
FMJ Full Metal Jacket
FP Flat Point
HP Hollow Point
J Jacketed
JFP Jacketed Flat Point
JHC Jacketed Hollow Cavity
JHP Jacketed Hollow Point
JSP Jacketed Soft Point
L Lead
LRN Lead Round Nose
LSWC Lead Semi-WadCutter
LWC Lead WadCutter
RN Round Nose
SJ Semi-Jacketed
SJHP Semi-Jacketed Hollow Point
SP Soft Point
SWC Semi-WadCutter
TC Truncated Cone
TMJ Total Metal Jacket
WC WadCutter

 

National Membership-type RKBA Organizations

AKTI American Knife and Tool Institute
CCRKBA Citizens' Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
GOA Gun Owners of America
JPFO Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership
Kniferights Knife Rights
NRA National Rifle Association
PP Pink Pistols
SAF Second Amendment Foundation
SAS (2AS) Second Amendment Sisters
SCCC Students for Concealed Carry on Campus

Other Organizations (both pro and anti-gun)

ACLU American Civil Liberties Union
AHSA Americah Hunters and Shooters Association (false flag gun banners pretending to be pro)
ARFCOM AR15.com
ASA Australian Shooting Association
BCPGV Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence
BF Blade Forums
CAS Cowboy Action Shooting
CLDF Civil Liberties Defense Foundation
COA Citizens of America
CPHV Center to Prevent Handgun Violence (Brady Center offshoot)
DU Democratic Underground
FOP Fraternal Order of Police
FOUP Firearm Owners Unification Project
GT GlockTalk
HCI Handgun Control Inc. (Brady Center)
IALEFI International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors
IDPA International Defensive Pistol Association
IPSC International Practical Shooting Confederation
KABA Keep And Bear Arms
LEAA Law Enforcement Alliance of America
MMM Million Mom March
NRAILA National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action
NSSF National Shooting Sports Foundation
SAAMI Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute
SASS Single Action Shooting Society
SATF Second Amendment Task Force
SDF Self Defense Forums
SHOTShow Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Travel Show
TFL The Firing Line
THR The High Road
TRT Tyranny Response Team
USPSA United States Practical Shooting Association

 

Government/Military/International

AG Attorney General
ANL Argonne National Laboratory
ATF bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (see BATFE)
BATF Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (see BATFE)
BATFE Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (new name)
BIA Bureau of Indian Affairs
BLM Bureau of Land Management
BNL Brookhaven National Laboratory
BOP - Bureau of Prisons
BXA Bureau of Export Administration
CBP u.s. dhs bureau of Customs and Border Protection
CDC Center for Disease Control
CENTCOM Central Command
CERT Computer Emergency Response Team (part of SEI)
CIA Central Intelligence Agency
CIC CounterIntelligence Center
CIFA CounterIntelligence Field Activity (military)
CIO Central Imagery Office (see NIMA)
CMP Civilian Marksmanship Program (formerly DCM)
CNC dci Crime and Narcotics Center
CONUS CONtinental United States
CSE dci Center for Security Evaluation
CTC dci CounterTerrorist Center
DARO Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office
DARPA Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration
DASD Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
DCID Director of the Central Intelligence Directive
DCM Department of Civilian Marksmanship (now defunct, see CMP)
DEA Drug Enforcement Agency
DHS Department of Homeland Security
DIA Defense Intelligence Agency
DISA Defense Information Systems Agency
DISN Defense Information Systems Network
DLA Defense Logistics Agency
DM Designated Marksman
DMR Designated Marksman's Rifle
DOC Department of Commerce
DOD Department of Defense
DOE Department of Energy
DOE Department of Education (DOEdu)
DOI Department of the Interior
DOJ Department of Justice
DOL Department of Labor
DOT Department of Transportation
DPS Defense Protective Service - see PFPA
DSS Defense Security Service
DSS Diplomatic Security Service
DTIC Defense Technical Information Center
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
FAA Federal Aviation Administration
FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation
FCC Federal Communications Commission
FDA Food and Drug Administration
FEC Federal Elections Commission
FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency
FFA Federal Firearms Act of 1938 - set up the FFL licensing scheme [legislation]
FIFRA Federal Insecticide Fungicide Rodecicide (sp?) Act
FinCEN Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
FISA Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
FNAL Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
FOPA Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 - banned AP ammo and closed the MG registry [legislation]
GAO General Accounting Office
GCA Gun Control Act of 1968 - restricted firearms purchasing and transfer [legislation]
GPO Government Printing Office
GSA General Services Administration
HHS Department of Health and Human Services
HPSCI House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
HUD Department of Housing and Urban Development
IC Intelligence Community
IC/EXCOM Intelligence Community/EXecutive COMmittee
ICC Interstate Commerce Commission
ICC Interstate Commerce Clause (Article 1, Section 8)
ICE Immigration and Customs Enforcement
IDA Institute for Defense Analyses
INEEL Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory
INR Department of State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research
INS Immigration and Naturalization Service, now the BCIS
Interpol Interpol (see OIPC, ICPO)
IOB President's Intelligence Oversight Board
IRS Internal Revenue Service
JAG Judge Advocate General
JCCC Joint Communications Control Center
JPL Jet Propulsion Laboratory
LANL Los Alamos National Laboratory
LBNL Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
LL Lincoln Laboratory
LLNL Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
NAIC National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center
NARA National Archives and Records Administration
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NCBI National Center for Biotechnology Information
NCGR National Center for Genome Resources
NCI National Cancer Institute
NCI-FCRDC NCI - Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center
NCIX National CounterIntelligence eXecutive
NDIC National Drug Intelligence Center
NEPA National Environmental Policy Act
NFA National Firearms Act of 1934 - taxed certain firearms and firearm components [legislation]
NFIB National Foreign Intelligence Board
NIC National Intelligence Council
NIH National Institute for Health
NIMA National Imagery and Mapping Agency
NIPC National Infrastructure Protection Agency
NLM National Library of Medicine
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NPC dci NonProliferation Center
NREL National Renewable Energy Laboratory
NRO National Reconnaissance Office
NSA National Security Agency
NSC National Security Council
NTIC National Threat Integration Center
OASD Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (C3I)
OCONUS Outside the CONtinental United State
ODCI Office of the Director of Central Intelligence (CIA)
OFAC Office of Foreign Asset Control
OIG Office of the Inspector General
OIP Department of justice's Office of Information and Privacy (FOIA)
OIPR Office of Intelligence Policy and Review (under DOJ)
OMB Office of Management and Budget
OPM Office of Personnel Management
ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory
OSD Office of the Secretary of Defense
OSHA Occupational Safety Hazards Association
OSS Office of Strategic Services (predecessor of the CIA)
PFIAB President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
PFPA Pentagon Force Protection Agency
PNL Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
POTUS President Of The United States
PPPL Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
RCRA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
SBA Small Business Administration
SCOTUS Supreme Court Of The United States
SDM Squad Designated Marksman
SEC Securities and Exchange Commission
SEI Software Engineering Institute
SIPRNET Secret Internet Protocol Router Network
SLAC Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
SNL Sandia National Laboratory
SRS Savannah River Site
SSA Social Security Administration
SSCI Senate Select Committe on Intelligence
STRATCOM Strategic Command
TIGR The Institute for Genetic Research
TJNAF Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility
TSA Transportation Security Administration
TTIC Terrorist Threat Integration Center (housed in the CIA)
UI/MRL U. Ill. Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory
UN United Nations
UNSC United Nations Security Council
USAF U.S. Air Force
USCG U.S. Coast Guard
USCIS U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (INS)
USD UnderSecretary of Defense for policy
USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture
USGS U.S. Geological Survey
USMC U.S. Marine Corps
USN U.S. Navy
USNBC U.S. National Central Bureau
USNO U.S. Naval Observatory
USPHS U.S. Public Health Service
USPTO U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
USSC U.S. Strategic Command
USSC U.S. Sentencing Commission (often meant to refer to the SCOTUS)
USSS U.S. Secret Service
VA Dept. of Veterans Affairs
WPA War Powers Act

 

Terminology

Anneal To soften metal by heating. Used to extend the useful reloading life of brass cartridge case necks by softening them and permitting more reloading operations to be performed before the work hardening effect of the cold, forced reshaping of the resizing op

Anti an individual who opposes the RKBA for private citizens

Bearing Surface That portion of a bullet that contacts the bore of the barrel as it travels from chamber to muzzle. Sufficient bearing surface is required for good accuracy.

Bedding material and/or methods used to fit rifle action to a stock.

Bore the inside of a firearm's barrel.

Bore sight to align the sights of a firearm by sighting through the barrel bore

Brisance the "shattering" effect of explosives; the burn rate, in terms of acceleration, i.e., how quickly is the maximum burn rate of an explosive mass reached?

Bullet - the projectile which is expelled from a firearm's barrel at firing

Burn rate the relative speed at which gun powders burn (explode) This is determined by the size and shape of granules, amount and nature of any coatings and, in some cases, specific physical design of the granules, such as perforations, tubes, rods, ball (beads) or

Cal. Caliber (inches or millimeters); projectile (bullet) diameter or diameter of some specifically defined point in the bore of a barrel; the nominal or approximate diameter of a bore expressed similarly. NOT the same as a cartridge chambering! Caliber is dia

Cartridge completed assembly, comprised of a case (the central component), primer (for ignition), powder (primary energy source) and bullet (projectile). The cartridge is placed into the chamber and confined by a breech device for firing.

Chamber the portion of a firearm which contains the cartridge at firing.

Chambering i.e., "This rifle is available in the following chamberings: "; Specific machined dimensions to the interior rearmost portion of a barrel which results in a chamber that will accept and safely fire one cartridge design only, i.e., .30-'06 Springfield, .27

Charge quantity of powder; usually in grains. One avoirdupois pound equals 7,000 grains.

Choke in a shotgun, the taper in the last few inches of the barrel. This is usually a tightening of the bore to a slightly smaller diameter from the actual gauge measurement of the barrel. Some typical choke names, from least to most taper, are: cylinder (no ta

Class III Refers to the Class III FFL required to deal in NFA items (full-auto, suppressors, etc.)

Clip A strip of metal that is used to hold cartridges together to facilitate the loading into (usually) an internal rifle magazine.

Condition 1 Pistol: Full magazine, cartridge in chamber, hammer cocked, safety on. AKA "cocked and locked."
Condition 2 Pistol: Full magazine, cartridge in chamber, hammer down, safety off.
Condition 3 Pistol: Full magazine, chamber empty.
Condition 4 Pistol: Full magazine separate from gun, chamber empty.

Condition Red Under attack.
Condition Orange Heightened awareness; alert to potential threats.
Condition Yellow Normal awareness of the environment.
Condition White Unawareness of the environment.

Components (reloading) individual components that make up the "recipe" for a hand loaded cartridge. The four components are: primer, case, bullet and powder.

Cruiser Ready Shotgun: Full magazine, chamber empty, hammer down, safety off.

Cylinder Gap the distance between the front of the cylinder and the rear of the barrel in a revolver.

GA gauge (also: ga.)

Headspace measurement between two points in a chamber which are the confining boundaries of cartridge movement during chambering and firing. Insufficient headspace hinders complete chambering of the cartridge.
Excessive headspace permits case stretching and can per

Mag. magazine; magnum; also: mag.

Magazine ammunition holders that are equipped with a spring to move the ammo, these are not clips.
mm MilliMeters

Ogive a measure of the curvature forward portion of the bullet. The radius of the ogive is usually expressed in multiples or fractions of the caliber.

Throat leade, freebore. That portion of the barrel bore immediately forward of the chamber. In some rifle chamber designs, the throat may be long and may transition into a relatively slow taper to full depth of lands and grooves (rifling). In other rifle designs

Tin Foil Hat These provide excellent protection against mind control rays which may or may not be transmitted by aliens, the CIA, or the military.

Weapons Free Military weapons control policy that allows engagement of anything not positively identified as friendly

Weapons Tight Military weapons control policy that allows engagement of anything positively identified as hostile

Weapons Hold Military weapons control policy that allows engagement only in self defense.

 

License/Permit Abbreviations

CCW Concealed Carry of Weapons (MO)
CDWL Concealed Deadly Weapons License (KY)
CFP Concealed Firearm Permit (UT, NV)
CHL Concealed Handgun License (AR, NM, OR)
CHP Concealed Handgun Permit (AK, LA, NC, VA)
CPL Concealed Pistol License (MI, WA)
CWL Concealed Weapon License (FL, ID, OK)
CWP Concealed Weapon Permit (AZ, CO, MT, ND)
FCCL Firearms concealed carry license (IL)
FL Firearms License (GA)
FOID - Firearm Owner Identification Card (IL)
FP Firearms Permit (MS)
LTC License to Carry (CA, IN, MA, NY, TX)
LTCCH License to Carry a Concealed Handgun (OH)
LTCF License to Carry Firearms (PA)
PL Pistol License (AL, NH)
PTC Permit to Carry (CT, IA, ME, MD, MN, NJ)

 

A reminder about this particular sticky thread. It is meant to be a reference thread, not a discussion thread. We are leaving it open for additions and corrections to the list, but not for discussions on using acronyms, abbreviations, and the various other terms.

 

barbeque (BBQ) gun - fancy sidearm equivalent of flashy dress watch