What firearms "terminology" makes you grit your teeth?

[BigSteve57]

I'm in the "clip vs. magazine" and "bullet vs. cartidge" camp.
HOWEVER an earlier poster made mention of making a distinction between those that should know better vs. people who are just trying to talk about firearms. Most new shooters I talk to think the previous things are all the same.
I'm sure I sound like an idiot when I'm talking to my doctor doing the best I can to communicate using my best "medicaleze" to describe where/what hurts.

 

[Sovblocgunfan]

Car-bin-ay. That oughta irritate someone on the firing line for sure.

“Oy! Reach in me kit and hand me a bottle o that Car-bin-ay. I’m parched!”

 

[chicharrones]

I've been saying it both ways for years and could never figure out why. Thanks for the insight.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I've never had any problem with the term "platform", as long as it is referring to a weapon like the AR-15 or AR-7. These weapons are almost infinitely reconfigurable.
Anything like that could easily act as a platform on which almost anything can be built.

 

[milemaker13]

You old dog! That still don't settle it!

 

[Texas10mm]

To get back to the OP’s question, more votes for:

“Head” instead of bullet. As in: “what weight heads do you like for deer?” See it surprisingly often, makes me grit my teeth every time.

Could also be mistaken for case head or....?


.

Worse yet is every company that sells bulk bullets has to put that they are BULLETS ONLY, not loaded ammo. When/if I buy bullets I'm not buying loaded ammo. If I want loaded ammo I buy ammo.

Words mean things. Weak minds try to change the language to cover their lack of knowledge.

 

[rpenmanparker]

Worse yet is every company that sells bulk bullets has to put that they are BULLETS ONLY, not loaded ammo. When/if I buy bullets I'm not buying loaded ammo. If I want loaded ammo I buy ammo.

Words mean things. Weak minds try to change the language to cover their lack of knowledge.

In that vein isn't it remarkable that when corrected about this type of thing most folks take umbrage. Instead of being glad to correctly learn something they obviously didn't know the right way around, they are insulted by the instruction. Now that is just plain wrong.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Do not forget to properly glottalise those phrases.

The Americans and the English.
Two people separated by a common language...

 

[GRIZ22]

One of my daughters married a Brit and lives in the UK. Lots of things are considered part of some "kit". You get used to it if you know the source.

My pet peeve is calling cartridges calibers.

I have several guns in 45 caliber but they are different cartridges. I have 45 Colt, 45 ACP, and 460 S&W Magnum guns. All 45 calibers yet different

That doesn’t make it sensible. Method of operation makes a lot more sense if you are talking about the procedures. Operating manual makes more sense if you are talking about where it is all written down. Using the same term for both is silly.

There are many things that are called by more than one term. Cylinder stop and bolt in revolvers is one that comes to mind. This isn't unique to firearms either.

I spent over 40 years in the Army (AD, Guard, and Reserves) and over 30 years in law enforcement and more often hears the term manual of arms applied to a weapon's operating instructions.

The operator's manual is where you find the steps in operating the weapon aka the "manual of arms". All the "operating instructions" for a firearm are lumped into the term "manual of arms".

I was under the impression that manual of arms was those commands of when and where to manipulate our rifles in drill and ceremony in the military. As I remember, there were only about 5 or 6 commands, so it was pretty easy for most of us. For those having difficulty. extra attention was given. "WHAT SIDE WAS THAT, PYLE"!!! Remember that? That's what I remember as Manual of Arms. Publications about our weapons were called field manuals and technical manuals. Or maybe I'm not remembering correctly. I do remember my right from my left, so that's good.

You are correct that manual of arms is the term applied to how you carry and handle the rifle in relation to Drill and Ceremonies outlined in FM 22-5.

Manual of arms is also used to describe how to load and fire the rifle. Google Von Steuben's manual where he lists the steps to load and fire. Von Steuben didn't invent the term. You can find earlier references.

It may be an old term but is still in use.

 

[wankerjake]

To get back to the OP’s question, more votes for:

“Head” instead of bullet. As in: “what weight heads do you like for deer?” See it surprisingly often, makes me grit my teeth every time.

Could also be mistaken for case head or....?


.

That is the worst. I hear it far too often as well. Usually amongst reloaders. “I need some bullet heads.”
“What bullets heads do you use?”
“Where do you buy bullet heads?”

Took me awhile to figure out what it even meant. THEN I was irritated. And still am. Good grief, and you propose to put together a cartridge? Good luck.
Just put the bullet head on the bullet body and put the bangy thingy in the bottom hole with some fire dust inside. With your bullet maker...

Like calling a Glock slide/barrel an “upper,” but worse.

 

[John Joseph]

No bad guys ever goes on a murderous rampage with a low powered rifle, do they?

 

[Deus Machina]

After taking a little time to breath, I let things slide if someone's inexperienced. They get most of their information from games and movies. I just make a point to use the correct terms and correct them if it leads to them searching for information, since obviously it's easier to get good leads when using the correct phrases.
A 'Glock upper' I can understand, in certain cases. It's a carryover from the crop of AR builders, and I just take it to mean the entire assembled barrel-slide assembly. If they only want the slide, they should specify.
I've corrected plenty of 'bullet head' comments with coworkers. Most actually got it right after a little education. After all, once they understand how it actually works, it makes sense that forensics wouldn't pull an entire cartridge out of someone, casing and all.
If it's someone here with 3000 messages to their name, then it irritates me.

 

[foxmeadow]

"Tragic Boating Accident", even though I've had a couple......

 

[.308 Norma]

No bad guys ever goes on a murderous rampage with a low powered rifle, do they?

They do, but the news media, for whatever reason(s) doesn’t report it that way. I wonder what the news media would call the gun if a bad guy went on a shooting rampage with a Browning Hi-Power…a high powered, hi-power handgun with a high capacity clip, perhaps?

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

I wonder what the news media would call the gun if a bad guy went on a shooting rampage with a Browning Hi-Power…a high powered, hi-power handgun with a high capacity clip, perhaps?

They would say just that, and emphasize the above with adjectives as in " super duper" high powered gun or whatever clip ( I think you meant magazine) , because they do not know the difference.

I am kinda sorry as the media has really upset me since the last election.

Rant over! (With regards to the moderaters!)

 

[.308 Norma]

( I think you meant magazine)

I did. I used "clip" due to my own sarcasm towards the media.

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

I did. I used "clip" due to my own sarcasm towards the media.

THAT is a big 10-4!!!

 

[DoubleMag]

It's a take down pin, and a pivot pin.

Calling every scoped rifle a “sniper rifle”.

Ok. Yes! A forgotten ^^ one 'manufactured' by das newz mediankampf (LoL) .

To that I add, if you own 2 such deer rifles, a pistol, 2 shotguns and a lowly 22LR bolt gun...you have a.... wait for it.....gasp....ARSENAL

Ok. Now that it has been determined you have an arsenal, are those weapons REGISTERED ? hehe

 

[Hokkmike]

assault rifle - high powered gun - gun violence - "cop killer" bullets - fully semi-automatic - gun nuts

 

[GEM]

Stand your ground
If it's a good shoot
--- when the user doesn't have a clue about the issues involved.

 

[rpenmanparker]

I've been saying it both ways for years and could never figure out why. Thanks for the insight.

To expand on the video a bit, Brits habitually change the pronunciations of foreign language words adopted into their language to match their standards while Americans don’t nearly as much. That is especially true of French words which began entering the English language at the time of the Norman conquest.

A good example is the French place name Beaulieu which the Brits pronounce as Bewley. In America we may butcher it, but at least we try to say Bow-luh.

Same with carbine which came from the French. Brits try to make it into an English word with the long i, while most Americans respect the French origin. Also we have the example of Natty Bumppo, the Deerslayer or La Longue Carabine from the Leatherstocking stories in our literary history. That alone makes me believe the one true pronunciation is car-BEAN. YMMV.

 

[JohnBiltz]

I dunno. That would make “shootist” okay after the John Wayne movie of that name. That is just not right.

Shootist is the historically accurate term. Gunslinger is a term essentially created by Hollywood. It may have gone out of common modern use but for the time of the movie it was accurate.

 

[JohnBiltz]

That doesn’t make it sensible. Method of operation makes a lot more sense if you are talking about the procedures. Operating manual makes more sense if you are talking about where it is all written down. Using the same term for both is silly.

Its a term that has been around for a long time. Its also a term of art for the military and not just ours. But I am sure if you bring it up to the military they will be glad to change it to something more modern because it bothers you.

 

[rpenmanparker]

Its a term that has been around for a long time. Its also a term of art for the military and not just ours. But I am sure if you bring it up to the military they will be glad to change it to something more modern because it bothers you.

While I am at it, I will mention to them the similarly absurd “Meals Ready to Eat”. Surely they will agree to change that to the much more sensible “Ready to Eat Meals”. Or maybe not, eh! Don’t try telling me that because something has long standing in the military that it is sensible. Just because pig-headed bureaucrats refuse to do what is right, that doesn’t make it wrong.

 

[rpenmanparker]

Shootist is the historically accurate term. Gunslinger is a term essentially created by Hollywood. It may have gone out of common modern use but for the time of the movie it was accurate.

The simple gunfighter would have done nicely, been perfectly descriptive, and not sounded nearly as pretentious as shootist.