Descriptionary

pistol carbine a pistol having a removable shoulder stock to allow it to be fired as a rifle.

recoil the kick of a gun after firing.

revolver any pistol with a rotating, chambered cyl­inder allowing firing in quick succession.

rimfire cartridge a cartridge with its primer rimming the base, as distinguished from a centerfire cartridge.

riot gun a short shotgun that fires nonlethal projec­tiles in riot control situations.

safety a lock or mechanism that is set to prevent the unintentional firing of a gun.

shotgun a gun that fires a number of small pellets instead of a single bullet with each shot.

sight any bead or device aligned with the eye to facilitate aiming.

silencer see suppressor.

single-action referring to a firearm that must be manually cocked before each shot.

stock the wooden part of a rifle that rests against the shoulder when firing.

submachine gun a light, handheld machine gun that fires standard pistol rounds.

suppressor a noise-suppressing, baffled tube attach­ing to the muzzle of a gun. Also known as a silencer.

tracer bullet a bullet that leaves a glowing trail, allowing its trajectory to be seen at night; used in the military.

trigger pull the pressure necessary to pull and release a trigger; descriptive terms include hair trig­ger, creeping pull, dragging pull, still pull, hard pull, smooth pull, and fine pull.

Types of Guns

antique guns blunderbuss, breechloader, Colt six- shooter, dueling pistols, flintlock, gatling gun, mus­ket, muzzle loader.

automatic and semiautomatic handguns Beretta Pistola Automatica 9mm, Beretta Pistola Automatica Brevetto 7.65mm, Charter .38, Colt Police .45, Lugar 7.65, 9mm Parabellum, Mauser C96, Remington, Singer, .357 Magnum (several makers), Walther .38.

machine guns Barrett, British Lancaster, British Ster­ling, Calico 100, AK 47, Colt AR-15, Harrison and Richards, Plainfield, Ruger Mini 14, Sten, Thompson, Universal, Uzi.

revolvers Browning, Colt, Ruger Bearcat .22, Ruger GP 100-.357, Mauser Dan Wesson .44 Magnum, Dan Wesson .22 Magnum, Dan Wesson .41 Magnum, Smith and Wesson .44 Magnum, Smith and Wesson .25, Smith and Wesson Police 86.

rifles, carbines, shotguns Browning, Calico, Enfield, Harrison and Richards, Martin, Mauser, Plainfield, Remington, Ruger, Shiloh, Winchester.

pole arms

(halberds, lances, pikes, etc.)

bardiche a Russian poleax used from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

bill a large curving or hooking blade (with the cutting edge on the inside, as a scythe) attached to a long pole.

catchpole a long pole with spring arms, used to catch a man by an arm or leg and pull him off his horse during battle. Also known as a mancatcher. See sleeve tangler.

glaive a long, broad knifelike blade attached to a long pole.

halberd a weapon head consisting of an ax blade, a sharp spike or point, and a beak, attached to a long pole; used in the 15th and 16th centuries.

half-moon a broad, two-pronged blade in the shape of a crescent moon, a Spanish weapon.

hammer a weapon head consisting of a sharp ham­mer head on a long shaft, for piercing armor or knocking an enemy out through armor.

lance a sharp metal head on a long shaft, used by soldiers on horseback.

mancatcher see catchpole.

military fork a two-pronged fork mounted on a long shaft.

partisan a weapon head consisting of a broad spear tip with a crescent base attached to a long shaft.

pike 16-foot shaft with sharp point, used to defend musketeers against attacking cavalry in the 17th century.

poleax a broad ax blade mounted on a long shaft.

quarterstaff a simple wooden staff.

ranseur a weapon head consisting of one long point and two shorter points or blades projecting from its base. Also known as a corseque or spetum.

sleeve tangler a Japanese, multitoothed pole used to catch or snag apparel in order to pull an enemy off a horse.

spontoon a short pike.

thrusting spear a long-shafted spear with a broad, sharp point meant for stabbing instead of slashing.

trident a three-pronged fork on a long shaft.

swords

baldric a tooled-leather belt worn across the chest to support a sword.

broadsword any sword with a broad blade.

claymore a large, dual-edged broadsword used by the Scottish Highlanders.

cutlass a relatively short sword with a curved blade, used by 18th-century sailors and pirates.

ensiform shaped like a sword.

epee a fencing sword having a cupped handle and a blade with no edge but a blunt point.

Excalibur King Arthur's famous sword.

falchion a short sword with a broad, curving blade.

false edge of a single-edged sword, a tip sharpened on both sides.