Terms in Common Usage
Terminology in the world of firearms can be a bit confusing, even for experienced shooters. For those new to the sport, it's downright befuddling. For example, the teeming masses might think "varmint" is a laughably antiquated word, but it's quite common in shooting circles. What of the vague but ever-marketable "tactical", which seems to get applied to anything with a collapsible stock or rails? On that note, how exactly is a rail different from a mount? Who is bubba, and what on earth is headspace?
Rest assured, you are not the first person to ask these questions. Better yet, most of these terms are easy for even beginners to understand (and without you having to look the fool on your new favorite forum). Please see below for a list of terms common to the world of firearms, and an accessible definition for each of them.
