Second Amendment Armory Dictionary

Welcome to the Second Amendment Armory's dictionary. You can use this page to find the definition of words or abbreviations related to firearms. You can search the dictionary by entering a word, partial word, a word or combinations of words. Or, you can view all the words in the dictionary realted to a specificc letter. If you have suggestions for new terms, abbreviations, or deifnitions, please contact us at questions@saarmory.com.

Use the buttons to view all of the definitions of the words in the dictionary that start with that letter.

Falling Block

A type of action used primarily for single shot rifles whereby some kind of lever actuates a breechblock, moving it downwards in a vertical recess to expose the chamber.

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Federal Firearms License (FFL)

A Federal Firearms License (FFL) is a license that enables an individual or a company to engage in a business pertaining to the manufacture of firearms and ammunition or the interstate and intrastate sale of firearms. Holding an FFL to engage in certain such activities has been a legal requirement within the United States of America since the enactment of the Gun Control Act in 1968.

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Fiber-optic Sights

Sight that gathers ambient light.

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Field of View (FOV)

Field of view (FOV) is the amount of area seen through your scope from right to left at 100 yards.

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Firing Pin

The narrowly rounded, pointed component of a cartridge firearm that impacts and causes detonation of the primer.

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Fixed 3 Dot Sight

On semi-automatic handguns, the most common type of enhancement is a bright white dot painted on the front sight near the top of the blade, and a dot on each side of the rear sight notch. In low lighting conditions the front sight dot is centered horizontally between the rear sight dots, with the target placed above the middle (front) dot. Some sight vendors offer differently colored dots for the front and rear sights.

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Flash Suppressor

A device affixed to the muzzle of a firearm barrel, designed to minimize the bright flash caused by escaping hot gases and burning powder residue upon firing.

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Fluted Barrel

A rifle or pistol barrel, often of octagonal cross-section, into which longitudinal grooves have been milled

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Follower

A spring-loaded part of a firearm's magazine that controls the cartridges in the magazine and presents them in the proper orientation to be fed into the chamber.

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Forearm

The front part of a rifle or shotgun stock, when the stock is of two-piece design.

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Fouling

Metal or powder residue left in the bore of a firearm as a result of firing.

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Front Strap

Front, metal, part of a handgun's grip---which together with the backstrap, provides a mounting frame for the grip panels.

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Full Choke

This choke has tight constriction and a dense pattern, delivering approximately 70 percent of a shell's total pellets in a 30-inch circle at 40 yards. It's often used for trap shooting, waterfowl pass shooting, turkey hunting and buckshot loads.

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Full Metal Jacket

A type of bullet in which the lead core is encased in a copper jacket on the front and sides. The copper jacket may also include the base, but this is rarer.

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