Use the buttons to view all of the definitions of the words in the dictionary that start with that letter.
Back Action
A sidelock action where the mainspring is mounted rearward towards the butt. The back action is often used in double rifles where the need for strength requires as little steel as possible be removed from the bar of the action.
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Backstrap
Rear, metal, part of a handgun---which together with the frontstrap, provides a mounting frame for the grips
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Ballistics
The study of the action of propellant powders upon projectiles, their speeds, energies and trajectories. Ballistics can be categorized into three phases: Interior (the projectile's behavior inside the bore), Exterior (the projectile's behavior in flight), and Terminal (the projectile's behavior upon contact with the target).
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Bar
The portion of a break-open gun's action extending forward from the bottom of the standing breech, supporting the hingepin. In modern side-by-side guns, it is usually machined to accept the cocking limbs and the main locking bolts as well.
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Barrel Band
A steel band encircling the barrel and forestock of a rifle or musket, helping to secure the barrel to the stock. Almost universal on US military firearms from the Revolution through World War II. Inherent to the definition of Carbine, in Winchester terminology.
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Barrel Length
The length of a barrel as measured from the muzzle to the standing breech in a break-open gun or to the bolt face in a bolt-action rifle, including the chamber. A revolver barrel measurement does not include the cylinder, only the barrel itself.
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Barrel Length
The length of a barrel as measured from the muzzle to the standing breech in a break-open gun or to the bolt face in a bolt-action rifle, including the chamber. A revolver barrel measurement does not include the cylinder, only the barrel itself.
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Battery
The condition of a firearms breechblock in firing position.
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Bead
A round sight normally used at the muzzle of a shotgun or the front sight of some rifles, in which the sight is viewed as a round bead on a narrow post.
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Berdan
Normally a cartridge case having a primer pocket with two, off-center touchholes and an integral anvil built into the center. Commonly used in Europe. Theoretically provides more reliable ignition than Boxer primers by better distribution of the flash. Berdan primers be pierced from the outside and pried out to remove for reloading.
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Beretta
Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta is an Italian manufacturer of firearms. Its firearms are used worldwide by civilians, police, and armies. It is also known for manufacturing shooting clothes and accessories. Beretta is one of the oldest active firearms manufacturers in the world.
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Bipod
A two legged support for the front end of a rifle to stabilize the gun while shooting.
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Black Powder
The earliest type of firearms propellant that has generally been replaced by smokeless powder except for use in muzzleloaders and older breechloading guns that demand its lower pressure levels.
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Black Powder Rifle
Black Powder Rifle refers to modern shooting sports which employ black powder cartridge rifles. These firearms are single-shot firearms using a fixed metallic cartridge containing black powder, which launches heavy projectiles at relatively low velocity. These firearms are usually used to compete at relatively long-range (up to 1000 meters), and generally with iron sights rather than telescopic sights (scopes). The challenge of the sport lies in the slow loading of the individual cartridge, and the low velocity resulting in a very arched trajectory.
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Blade Sight
Generally, the front sight of a rifle or handgun, seen by the shooter as a post.
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Boattail
The shape of a bullet with a tapered base; designed to reduce air drag.
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Bolt
A breechblock, generally circular in cross-section, that moves backward and forward to open or close the action.
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Bolt Action
An action type, most frequently used on rifles, perfected by Peter Paul Mauser in 1898, whereby a cylindrical shaft, controlled by an attached lever, manually feeds a cartridge into the chamber, turns down engaging locking lugs in recesses in the front receiver ring, allows firing by the fall of an internal spring-loaded pin, opening, extraction, recocking and ejection with the same lever in preparation for the next shot.
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Bolt Action
Bolt action is a type of firearm action in which the weapon's bolt is operated manually by the opening and closing of the breech (barrel) with a small handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (for right-handed users). As the handle is operated, the bolt is unlocked, the breech is opened, the spent shell casing is withdrawn and ejected, the firing pin is cocked (this occurs either on the opening or closing of the bolt, depending on design), and finally a new round/shell (if available) is placed into the breech and the bolt closed. Bolt action firearms are most often rifles, but there are some bolt-action shotguns and a few handguns as well.
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Bore
The interior of a firearm's barrel excluding the chamber.
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BOSS
A patented device that is built onto the end of many Browning A-Bolt Centerfire rifles and BAR Mark II rifles. Special adjustments to the BOSS can make a bullet more accurate. BOSS means Ballistic Optimizing Shooting System.
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Box Magazine
A removable box-like storage device to hold cartridges and feed them.
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Boxer
A cartridge case having a primer pocket with one central touchhole at the center bottom. A tiny anvil is built into the primer to provide a surface against which the detonating compound may be sharply pinched by the action of the firing pin. Most commonly used in the USA today. It is simple to remove the spent Boxer primer for re-loading the shell casing with a single, central, pin-shaped decapping punch.
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Breech
The end of a barrel into which a cartridge is inserted.
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Breech
The end of a barrel into which a cartridge is inserted.
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Breech Plug
The plug that screws into the barrel to close the breech of a muzzle-loading firearm.
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Browning
Browning Arms Company was founded in Utah in 1927. It offers a wide variety of firearms, including shotguns, rifles, pistols, and rimfire firearms. They also offer sport bows. Browning Arms Company is best known for the Browning BPS shotgun, the A-Bolt rifle, X-Bolt rifle, the Auto-5 semi-automatic shotgun, the BAR semi-automatic rifle, and the Hi-Power 9mm pistol. Browning also manufactures a set of trap shotguns in the Cynergy series.
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Bull Barrel
A barrel which has the same outside diameter its entire length. This type of barrel has the advantage of being very stiff and hence a greater potential to be accurate. It has the disadvantage of being heavy.
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Bullet
A single projectile fired from a gun, or more commonly a rifle; either loaded from the muzzle or loaded into a cartridge which in turn is loaded into the breech of a firearm.
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Bullet
A single projectile fired from a gun, or more commonly a rifle; either loaded from the muzzle or loaded into a cartridge which in turn is loaded into the breech of a firearm.
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Butt
The end of a gun stock; the part that rests on the shoulder when the gun is mounted.
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Buttplate
A plate made of some material harder than the wood of the buttstock, fitted to the end of same to protect it.
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Buttplate
A plate made of some material harder than the wood of the buttstock, fitted to the end of same to protect it. It may be made of hardrubber, horn, plastic or steel. It may be shaped relatively flat like a Winchester "Shotgun" butt on a rifle, like a crescent, or with all manner of protruding appendages in the interest of achieving consistency of mounting position as in a Swiss or scheutzen buttplate. It may be finished smooth, checkered, striated or engraved.
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