Gun terminology and the meaning or history behind it.

[CLT65]

The earliest repeating firearms (other than revolvers) typically had tube magazines, either in the butt stock or under the barrel. Early bolt actions of the 1880's and 1890's had blind magazines that were fed with a clip, either a charger or en-bloc. The "clip" was the thing that held the rounds together, to be inserted into the firearm.

Along comes the box magazine that serves the same function. It seems logical to me that people would call it the same thing, since it does the same thing, even if it's quite different.

My grandfather, a WWII vet, called his 1911 magazines "clips". I don't believe I ever heard him utter the word "magazine" unless it was reading material. He wasn't a weekend warrior, ignorant noob, or useless Hollywood producer.

I was told once that the real problem with this came about in WWII. We had M1 rifles that used en-bloc clips, and M1 carbines that used box magazines. Incorrect terminology- "Hey, send us some M1 clips!" -could result in a logistical nightmare, and dead GIs in foxholes with the wrong ammo.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

"Smokewagon"....is a Hollywood term...I am guessing.
I have never read it before in any 18th or 19th century source at least.

"Bite the dust" as in when someone dies is from 1847 at least...Garrard mentions it in his journal from 1846 -47 with this use.
Andy

 

[Kruel J]

"Smokewagon"....is a Hollywood term...I am guessing.
I have never read it before in any 18th or 19th century source at least.

"Bite the dust" as in when someone dies is from 1847 at least...Garrard mentions it in his journal from 1846 -47 with this use.
Andy

 

[GripItAndRipIt]

"Rifle" vs "gun"

 

[Hop Sing]

In 1993, Kurt Russel said the following while acting as Wyatt Earp, circa 1880:

I tried finding the origin of the term "smoke wagon" and have been unsuccessful at finding its earliest usage in general and in regard to firearms. Sure would like to know though.

From what I could find, it's a hobo term but I don't know how or when it originated.

Which brings me to slang names for handguns especially smaller ones. E.g., gat, Rosco, rod, lead pill dispenser, burner, hand cannon, blaster, piece, persuader...

Gotta love American slang! You guys know/use any others?

 

[CLT65]

There's always the "controversial" terms that drive some people nuts: "shotty" for shotgun, "bullet head/tip" for bullet, "bullet" for cartridge, etc..

If we go down that road much at all, we might as well merge this thread with the "Pet peeves" thread.

 

[Hueco]

From what I could find, it's a hobo term but I don't know how or when it originated.

Which brings me to slang names for handguns especially smaller ones. E.g., gat, Rosco, rod, lead pill dispenser, burner, hand cannon, blaster, piece, persuader...

Gotta love American slang! You guys know/use any others?

Don't forget about the (beloved) garbage rods.

"Rig" - especially in regard to customized AR's/competition builds/completely homemade guns

Boomstick.

 

[CLT65]

I have a suspicion of where "boomstick" came from.

 

[ar addict]

I was taught a clip feeds a magazine,
a magazine feeds the weapon.
The improper use of the word clip would always get corrected.

 

[RVTECH]

There's always the "controversial" terms that drive some people nuts: "shotty" for shotgun, "bullet head/tip" for bullet, "bullet" for cartridge, etc..

Oh man ! not much 'riles' me up but completely incorrect terms for things (especially gun related) do !

Pills for bullets, pointy tip bullets instead of spire point, 'Pug nosed' bullets for flat points.
Referring to ANY gun as a 'weapon'
'Rosco' or 'Gat' when referring to a handgun. etc.

 

[Nibbs]

Sometimes I'll here something and be dumbfounded on how the term came up into existence.

One that recently made me think, "Hmmm, why is it called that?" Was ghost ring sights. While the technical term is aperture, like the aperture on a camera. These type of sights are also referred to as "Ghost ring", and I had no idea why! So I looked online for an answer.

Ghost Ring Sights:

A ring aperture type rear sight that is of a diameter where the ring becomes blurred and or translucent to the human eye while focusing on the front post/notch/etc that the ring appears "ghost like". Hence Ghost ring sights.

Anyways, what other unique gun terminology is out there? Do you know how or why it was called what it is and or it's history behind the name/term?

Use this thread to post up one off gun terminology and is definition and or historical meaning to the definition.

Thanks!

Reno

GHOST

 

[Kruel J]

Oh man ! not much 'riles' me up but completely incorrect terms for things (especially gun related) do !

Pills for bullets, pointy tip bullets instead of spire point, 'Pug nosed' bullets for flat points.
Referring to ANY gun as a 'weapon'
'Rosco' or 'Gat' when referring to a handgun. etc.

You must be really fun at parties.

 

[TTSX]

Using incorrect terminology can create very confusing situations. I have a coworker who's wife bought him "bullets" which he described to me as projectiles that ended up being ready to shoot cartridges but in the wrong flavor. He wanted .45 ACP cartridges, his wife bought .40 S&W cartridges, he thought they were .40 bullets and offered to sell them to me in exchange for .45 cartridges. Turned out he had .40 cartridges which I picked up off of him anyway, thinking I was going to buy bullets. Everyone was confused but it worked out in the end, I suppose.

 

[slimmer13]

I've a considerable and lengthy association with firearms but am not critical of errors in vernaculars. for some inexplicable reason I seen many that seem to go bonkers over their consideration of a terms misuse. Puzzling to me as to why.
"Clip" maybe popularized by the M1 but was around in one form or another for years prior.
Would you call Cooper, Curtis, Page and their ilk weekend warriors?? In the beginning, many of them also called the 1911 magazine "clip" originally, and for some time reverted back to that vernacular on and off. Aged gun pioneers who lived through the transition from "stripper clips" "en blocs" "moon clips" and the like all visualized methods of multiple round insertion as "clips" regardless of its shape or difference in function. Like screw threads, things eventually did standardized. I can't remember which, but have read old patents for guns that refer to a magazine as a clip.
I too am guilty of using the term because before I had graduated high school in the sixties, and ever owned such a device, I had read nearly every book i could get my hands on written by the gun pioneers past and present that "erroneously, if you need" used the term.
Whether it is them, or myself, old habits are hard to break. There are terms I still use today learned from my elders decades my senior that are no longer recognized for the same meaning.

100%. Back in the day, before innernet commandos were around to tell you you were wrong, clip was an absolutely acceptable term to be used interchangeably with magazine. Clip was used by influential members of the shooting community, it was used in gun magazines, competitive shooters on down. It wasn't until maybe 80s- early 90s that it became taboo. But yes nowadays, it makes you sound ignorant. But it wasn't always like that.

So if one hears an old guy say "clip" instead of"mag", don't dismiss him as not knowing anything.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Using incorrect terminology can create very confusing situations. I have a coworker who's wife bought him "bullets" which he described to me as projectiles that ended up being ready to shoot cartridges but in the wrong flavor. He wanted .45 ACP cartridges, his wife bought .40 S&W cartridges, he thought they were .40 bullets and offered to sell them to me in exchange for .45 cartridges. Turned out he had .40 cartridges which I picked up off of him anyway, thinking I was going to buy bullets. Everyone was confused but it worked out in the end, I suppose.

Even more confusticating is 9mm!
9mm luger, 9 mm parabelum, 9X18 9X19 9X23
9mm Largo 9 mm Kurtz! It's enough to drive ya nutz when trying to determine what some one actually has!
Had a lady come into the local gun shop looking for ammo for her 9mm Kurtz, nobody knew that it's actually .380 Auto, I finally stepped in and corrected things!

 

[TTSX]

100%. Back in the day, before innernet commandos were around to tell you you were wrong, clip was an absolutely acceptable term to be used interchangeably with magazine. Clip was used by influential members of the shooting community, it was used in gun magazines, competitive shooters on down. It wasn't until maybe 80s- early 90s that it became taboo. But yes nowadays, it makes you sound ignorant. But it wasn't always like that.

So if one hears an old guy say "clip" instead of"mag", don't dismiss him as not knowing anything.

Depending on company, I will intentionally misuse this one. There is a time and place to be picky and dealing with brand new shooters and people who may or may not be "street" oriented is not the best time. Just confuses them and maybe makes me look like a n arrogant fool. So if I hear them refer to a magazine as a clip, I follow suit. If they refer to a mag as a mag, I will too.

 

[Member 34319]

100%. Back in the day, before innernet commandos were around to tell you you were wrong, clip was an absolutely acceptable term to be used interchangeably with magazine. Clip was used by influential members of the shooting community, it was used in gun magazines, competitive shooters on down. It wasn't until maybe 80s- early 90s that it became taboo. But yes nowadays, it makes you sound ignorant. But it wasn't always like that.

So if one hears an old guy say "clip" instead of"mag", don't dismiss him as not knowing anything.

Same with silencer/suppressor/can.

 

[RVTECH]

You must be really fun at parties.

That depends on the company!

 

[Member 34319]

From what I could find, it's a hobo term but I don't know how or when it originated.

Which brings me to slang names for handguns especially smaller ones. E.g., gat, Rosco, rod, lead pill dispenser, burner, hand cannon, blaster, piece, persuader...

Gotta love American slang! You guys know/use any others?

Most of the slang terms are, at least from my perspective, self explanatory.

Burner, likely got its name from the same lines as the burner cell phone, or burning evidence.

Hand cannon is pretty self explanatory, unless it's used to describe a 22 rimfire. I bet that one goes back to ancient China though, some of the earliest hand held firing devices were literally hand cannons.

It would be interesting to hear if there is any historical significance to the terms though. If a criminal or memorable event or person used the term 1st and it stuck. Like how that famous interview on the television years ago with a gangster that referred to his High Point as a Glock Fordy and it simply stuck. After that, everyone was calling 40sw a Fordy, or a Glock Fordy.

 

[Mike_M57]