Suggest a term or improve a definition [email protected]
10 Meter
An International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) shooting event, shot over a distance of 10 metres (10.94 yards) from a standing position with a 4.5 mm (0.177 in) calibre air rifle with a maximum weight of 5.5 kg (12.13 lb). The use of specialised clothing is allowed to improve the stability of the shooting position and prevent chronic back injury which can be caused by the asymmetric offset load on the spine when the rifle is held in position. It is one of the ISSF-governed shooting events included in the Olympic games.
AAFTA American Field Target Association
Adjustable Objective
The adjustment on a riflescope which allows the parallax to be adjusted so that the target is in perfect focus.
Air Gun Nation
The premiere Air gun Forums. They talk about Air Rifles, Hunting, Target Practice and more. Created by Ted's Holdover.
Artillery Hold
Artillery hold means holding your air rifle lightly, allowing in to recoil without influence from the shooter. Learn more about the artillery hold.
Back Yard Friendly
Air Gun jargon for a quiet gun.
Ballistic Coefficient
Ballistic coefficient: abbreviated as BC, non-dimensional (without unit of measurement) ratio that indicates the efficiency of pellet in overcoming resistance in the air or water. The higher the BC is, the more aerodynamic the pellet or bullet is. The lower the BC, the higher the drag. Ballistic coefficient: What is it? Part 1
Bar
Unit of measuring air pressure. 1 bar =14.5037738 pounds per square inch.
Barrel Droop
Describes an air gun barrel that points downward in relation to the top of the receiver (where the scope is mounted). More on barrel droop here.
Bench Rest
Shooting off a bench as explained by The GodFather of Air Guns The rules of the United States Air Rifle Bench Rifle.
Big Bore
Air guns 30 caliber or larger.
Break Barrel
Air gun that the barrel is released and pivots downward in order to load a round and to cock the spring/gas spring mechanism.
Breech
The rear end of the barrel where the pellet is loaded .
Caliber
Unit of measurement of the pellets diameter in hundredths of an inch. Learn more about Air Gun Calibers here.
Carbon Fiber Tank
ChairGun
A ballistics program designed for air guns developed by Hawke that can run on computers and portable devices.
Chronograph
Civilian Marksmanship Program
The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is a national organization dedicated to training and educating U.S. citizens in responsible uses of firearms and air guns through gun safety training, marksmanship training and competitions
CO2 Air Gun
Darkside
Air gun jargon for guns powered by compressed gas. Generally it refers to PCP guns, but also includes CO2, and pump guns.
Dieseling
A detonation inside the airgun which occurs when oils evaporates and the resulting gases ignite, caused by the heating of the compressed air in concert with heat the piston seal generates while moving along the chamber walls.
Disco
Air gun jargon for the Crossman Discovery. This gun is a remarkable value, a Disco cottage industry has sprung selling many easy improvements.
Drag Coefficient
Eye Relief
Extreme Bench Rest
Foot Pounds
Field of View
Field Target
Field targets are constructed from heavy-gauge steel, cut out to represent silhouettes of typical small hunting game or varmint. The objective of the sport is to estimate the distance to the target, and compensate for pellet trajectory to knock the target down. Targets are placed in the field anywhere between 10 to 55 yards from a shooting station, simulating typical air gun hunting scenarios. The targets have a circular hole in the faceplate (kill-zone) that may vary from 3/8" to about 2" in diameter. There is a paddle behind the kill-zone, so that when the paddle is hit by a pellet, the target falls.
The AAFTA is the governing body for field target in America. The Pneumatics are proud members.
The AAFTA is the governing body for field target in America. The Pneumatics are proud members.
Flyer
A shot that goes wild, usually for unknown reasons.
Gateway to Airguns
The GatewayToAirguns Forums is an internationally known and recognized air gun forum consisting of members from all over the world.
Giraroni
The Girardoni air rifle was designed circa 1779. The weapon was also known as the Windbüchse . One of the rifle's more famous associations is its use on the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore and map the western part of North America in the early 1800s.
Grains
Grains are a unit of measurement of mass equal to 7001647989100000000♠64.7989 milligrams and 1/7000 of a pound.
Hangfire
The delayed propulsion of a projectile, in airguns, this would be caused by a mechanical or electronic flaw that interrupts the firing cycle and releases the gas long after the trigger is squeezed
Hold Over/Hold Under
Hold Sensitive
Air gun jargon used to describe the fact that spring piston air rifles usually need a certain level of finesse for best accuracy. See Artillery Hold
HPA
High Pressure Air used to fill PCP guns.
Hunter Field Target
Iron Sight
Iron sights are a system of shaped alignment markers (usually metal) used as a sighting device to assist in the aiming of a device such as a firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in telescopic sights or reflector (reflex) sights.
Joule
Unit of measurement of energy
Kalamazoo Air Gun Show
Look here for information about the Kalamazoo Air Gun Show
Lands
The raised areas between two grooves in the barrel of a gun
Lock Time
The time elapsing between the trigger release and airguns: the release of pressurized gases into the barrel;
Mil
A measurement of angle one mil of angle is approximately 3.6 inches long at 100 yards.
Mil Dot Scope
Rifle scopes may have reticles that are marked in angular mils, and these are generally called Mil-dot scopes. The Mil-dots serve two purposes, range estimation and trajectory correction
Minute of Angle MOA
A Minute of Angle (MOA) is an angular measurement. A MOA is 1/60th of a degree.. 1 MOA spreads about 1" per 100 yards. (technically 1.047") 1 MOA is a different size at different distances, 8" at 800 yards is still just 1 MOA.
Minute of Squirrel
Hunters jargon which describes the capacities of a weapon to consistently hit the killzone i.e. "it's minute of squirrel within 35 yards"
Multi Pump Pneumatic
Multi-stroke pneumatic air guns require the pumping of an on-board lever to store compressed air within the air gun. Variable power can be achieved through this process, as the user can adapt the power level for long, or short-range shooting.
Natural Point of Aim
A shooting skill where the shooter minimizes the effects of body movement on the firearm's impact point. Along with proper stance, sight picture and trigger control, it forms the basis of marksmanship.
Objective
The optical lens in riflescopes that receives light and forms the primary image
Olympic Air Gun
10m Air Rifle Men
10m Air Rifle Women
10m Air Pistol Men
10m Air Pistol Women
Link to USA Shooting YouTube Olympic Shooting Click here to learn about all Olympic shooting sports.
10m Air Rifle Women
10m Air Pistol Men
10m Air Pistol Women
Link to USA Shooting YouTube Olympic Shooting Click here to learn about all Olympic shooting sports.
Peep Sights
Rear sight for rifles with a circular hole through which the front sight is brought into line with the object aimed at.
Pitch
The twist of the rifling
PreCharged Penumatic PCP Air Guns
PCP guns use compressed air as the propellent. Depending on the gun, the air in the gun's air tank is compressed to 2000-4500 psi by using a high pressure hand pump, scuba tank or carbon fiber tank.
Parallax
The apparent movement of the target in relation to the reticle when a shooter moves his eye in relation to the sight. If target's image is not focused on the same focal plane as the riflescope's reticle, a parallax error will result.
Point of Aim POA
The point on a target on which the sights are aligned.
Point of Impact POI
The place a pellet hits
PRod
Air Gun jargon for the Crosman Marauder Pistol.
Recoil
the reaction that occurs when a mass is accelerated. The recoil direction is the opposite of the direction of acceleration. Spring-Piston Air Guns have recoil moving forward and back. This recoil will destroy scopes not rated for air guns.
Reticle
A network of fine lines, wires, or etching placed in the focus of the eyepiece of the scope... 'oft referred to as the cross hairs.
Regulator
A device that steps the pressure in the air cylinder down to a lower level to maintain consistent pressure for the air gun.
SCBA Tank
SCUBA Tank
Pyramyd Air's take on SCUBA tanks.
Scooby Snacks
Scholarships for the shooting sports.
The CMP Scholarship Program.
Brownells/NRA Outstanding Achievement Youth Award
The NRA Youth Education Summit
The NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund Essay Contest
Collegiate Shooting Scholarship Program
Brownells/NRA Outstanding Achievement Youth Award
The NRA Youth Education Summit
The NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund Essay Contest
Collegiate Shooting Scholarship Program
(Air Gun Rated) Scope
Air gun rated and can withstand the unique reverse recoil of spring powered air guns.
ShoeBox
A ShoeBox is a relatively low cost high pressure air pump.
Shot String
A shot sting describes the flight of a pellet from using recorded data from a specific gun. More about Shot Strings here.
Spring Piston Air Gun
Spring-piston guns operate by means of a coiled steel spring storing energy contained within a compression chamber, and separate from the barrel.
Target Rich
Ted's HoldOver
The YouTube Channel demonstrating that what we thought was impossible... Is possible.
Trajectory
The curved path of a projectile. Trajectory is influenced by velocity, form, mass, atmospheric density and the force of gravity.
Trajectory apex
The top of an arc as measured from a known base. With a spent round the base could be described as the line from the muzzle to the point of impact (the earth) which would put the apex far forward of the vertex.
Transfer Port
A port hole the connection between the pressure chamber/air reservoir and the barrel, through which the gases travel prior to propelling the pellet.
Transsonic
Trigger pull
The amount of pressure that must be applied to the trigger for it to release the sear.
Yellow Forum
Zero
The distance that you sighted your scope to, and references the flight of the projectile. If you are sighted in at 100 yards, you have a 100 yard zero.