Use the buttons to view all of the definitions of the words in the dictionary that start with that letter.
Cal. or Calibre
System of measurement for the internal bore diameter of a rifled-barreled firearm (rifle or pistol) based on the decimal part of an inch. For example, .25 calibre and .250 calibre both signify a bore size of 1/4 inch. American calibre designations refer to the distance from land to land, not groove to groove. Ammunition companies' marketing departments occasionally take liberties with exact measurements. For example, a .270 Winchester bullet actually measures .277 inch in diameter.
Back to top
Back to referring page
Caliber
A system of measurement for the internal bore diameter of a rifled-barreled firearm (rifle or pistol) based on the decimal part of an inch.
Back to top
Back to referring page
Carbine
A carbine is a firearm similar to a rifle or musket. Many carbines, especially modern designs, were developed from rifles, being essentially shortened versions of full rifles firing the same ammunition, although often at a lower velocity. The shorter length and lighter weight of carbines makes them easier to handle in close-quarter situations, or when deploying from vehicles. The disadvantages of carbines are generally poorer long-range accuracy and shorter effective range.
Back to top
Back to referring page
Cartridge
A small usually cylindrical packet, containing a detonating primer, a powder charge, a load -- either a single projectile for a rifle or a quantity of small pellets for a shotgun -- and possibly some attendant wadding.
Back to top
Back to referring page
Case
The envelope (container) of a cartridge. For rifles and handguns it is usually of brass or other metal; for shotguns it is usually of paper or plastic with a metal head and is more often called a "shell."
Back to top
Back to referring page
Casehardening
Mottled blue/green/brown colors on a shotgun or double rifle receiver, the by-product of a heat-treating process that incorporates carbon into the surface molecular structure of the steel, providing a hard-wearing surface without making the entire receiver brittle.
Back to top
Back to referring page
Centerfire
A cartridge, or firearm using a cartridge, with the primer in the center of the cartridge base.
Back to top
Back to referring page
Chamber
An area at the breech end of a barrel, of about the diameter of the cartridge for which the gun was intended, and into which the cartridge is inserted
Back to top
Back to referring page
Checkering
A regular pattern of fine grooves cut into the surface of a stock to aid in gripping a gun
Back to top
Back to referring page
Cheekpiece
A broad, flat, raised area on the side of a buttstock.
Back to top
Back to referring page
Choke
A carefully measured constriction of the bore of a shotgun at the muzzle, designed to control the spread of the shot as it leaves the barrel.
Back to top
Back to referring page
Choke Tube
A choke tube constricts a gun's shot charge to hold it together longer before the shot spreads, thus giving a denser shot pattern at longer range than an open choke or no choke at all.
Back to top
Back to referring page
Choke Tubes
Short, interchangeable cylinders, of subtly different internal tapers, that screw into a threaded recess at the muzzle of a shotgun.
Back to top
Back to referring page
Cocking Indicators
Small devices attached to the internal hammers of a break-open gun and visible from the exterior of the gun to show when each barrel is cocked and when it has been fired.
Back to top
Back to referring page
Colt
Colt's Manufacturing Company is a United States firearms manufacturer founded in 1847. It is best known for the engineering, production, and marketing of dozens of different firearms over the later half of the 19th and the 20th century. It has made many civilian and military designs used in the United States, as well was many other countries.
Back to top
Back to referring page
Comb
The top of a gun's stock, where a shooter rests his cheek when mounting a gun.
Back to top
Back to referring page
Compensator
A device attached to the muzzle of a firearm to reduce the upward movement of the muzzle brought about by recoil.
Back to top
Back to referring page
Cylinder
A revolver part, cylindrical in shape, with firing chambers that rotate to align with the bore.
Back to top
Back to referring page
Cylinder Choke
With no constriction, this choke distributes approximately 40 percent of a shell's total pellets in a 30-inch circle at 40 yards. It's most often used by law enforcement for service shotguns.
Back to top
Back to referring page
