This page gathers the 365 dictionary entries belonging to the domain “Tools”, as labelled by Wiktionary. Each word leads to its full entry: definitions, etymology, pronunciation, examples. Page 3 of 4: from “mushroom” to “smokeless”.
- mushroom verb To form the shape of a mushroom when striking a soft target.
- mustard seed noun Small lead shot, usually of size No. 12, used for shooting birds and other animals at close range.
- muzzle noun The mouth or the end for entrance or discharge of a gun, pistol etc., that the bullet emerges from.
- muzzle blast noun A flash of light, heat and smoke at the muzzle of a firearm, caused by escaping gases when a projectile is released.
- muzzle brake noun A device placed at the muzzle of a firearm to reduce the recoil energy by redirecting the escaping gases.
- napoleon noun Clipping of Napoleon gun, a 12-pounder cannon first used by the Second French Empire.
- neck noun The small part of a gun between the chase and the swell of the muzzle.
- nine noun A nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol.
- nonsharp adj dulled or intentionally blunt.
- Nordenfelt gun noun A kind of organ gun having a row of up to twelve barrels, and fired by pulling a lever back and forth, with ammunition fed by gravity…
- Nosler noun A bullet having two lead-filled partitions separated by a copper or brass section, intended to retain hitting power after the initial…
- nunchaku noun A weapon originating from Okinawa, Japan, consisting of two sticks joined by a chain or cord.
- nut noun The tumbler of a gunlock.
- obturation noun The process of a bullet expanding under pressure to fit the bore of the firearm, or a cartridge case expanding under pressure to seal the…
- obturator noun Any device for preventing the escape of gas through the breech mechanism of a breech-loading gun; a gas check.
- ogive noun The pointed, curved nose of a bullet, missile, or rocket.
- oiler noun A small (typically thumb-sized) metal container of oil, often containing an integral brush.
- organ gun noun A large, portable firearm normally supported by wheels, in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession; it was…
- out-of-battery adj In firearms and artillery, having a condition in which a live round is at least partially in the firing chamber and capable of being fired…
- outer noun The fourth circle on a target, outside the inner and magpie.
- overbore adj Such that the capacity of the burning cartridge powder is greater than the volume within the barrel.
- overpenetrate verb To pass completely through a target and out the other side, potentially striking another person or object located further downrange.
- overpowder adj Serving to hold in the gunpowder.
- pan noun The part of a matchlock, flintlock, or wheellock firearm that holds the priming.
- particle beam noun Ellipsis of particle-beam weapon and particle beamer; synonym of ray gun.
- patch noun A small piece of material that is manually passed through a gun barrel to clean it.
- patch box noun A lidded container fitted to a gun to hold the cloth patches used when shooting round shot.
- Peabody action noun An early form of breechloading firearm action, where the heavy breechblock tilted downwards across a bolt mounted in the rear of the…
- peashooter noun Any small or ineffective gun or weapon.
- Pedersen device noun An experimental weapon attachment for the M1903 Springfield bolt action rifle that allowed it to fire a .30 caliber (7.62 mm) pistol-type…
- pepperbox noun A repeating firearm with three or more barrels grouped around a central axis.
- percussion lock noun A kind of lock for a gun in which a hammer strikes upon a percussion cap on the nipple, igniting the charge.
- personal defense weapon noun A compact fully-automatic or semi-automatic firearm similar to a submachine gun but firing a rifle round.
- petronel noun A short but large-caliber, heavy 16th- and 17th-century firearm that used a matchlock or wheellock mechanism, intermediate between the…
- pill noun A bullet (projectile).
- pinfire noun An obsolete kind of brass cartridge in which the priming compound is ignited by striking a small pin which protrudes radially from just…
- pintle noun An iron pin used to control recoil of a cannon or around which a gun carriage revolves.
- pistolized adj with shoulder stock removed and replaced with a pistol grip on a long gun (such as a shotgun or carbine)
- plançon à picot noun A type of infantry weapon consisting of a stout iron-shod baseball bat-like shaft with a steel spike attached on top.
- plink verb To take part in the sport of plinking.
- plinking noun Informal target shooting done at non-traditional targets such as tin cans, glass bottles and wood blocks.
- plunger noun The firing pin of a breechloader.
- poacher's gun noun A small-bore shotgun hidden in a walking cane.
- point blank adj The distance between a firearm and a target where a projectile in flight is expected to strike the centre of the target without adjusting…
- precocked adj Of a firearm, especially striker-fired, having its firing mechanism partially or fully cocked prior to pulling the trigger.
- preponderance noun The excess of weight of that part of a cannon behind the trunnions over that in front of them.
- priming noun The powder or other combustible used to communicate fire to a charge of gunpowder, as in a firearm.
- proof verb To test-fire with a load considerably more powerful than the firearm in question's rated maximum chamber pressure, in order to establish…
- proof charge noun A charge of powder and ball, greater than the service charge, fired in an arm, as a gun or cannon, to test its strength.
- Quaker gun noun A nonfunctional imitation of a gun or an artillery piece, typically made of wood and usually intended to deceive enemy forces into…
- quiver noun A container for arrows, crossbow bolts or darts, such as those fired from a bow, crossbow or blowgun.
- quoin noun A wedge of wood or iron put under the breech of heavy guns or the muzzle of siege-mortars to raise them to the proper level.
- rack verb To (manually) load (a round of ammunition) from the magazine or belt into firing position in an automatic or semiautomatic firearm.
- rad noun Abbreviation of sight radius.
- ramrod noun Device used with muzzleloaders to push the projectile up against the propellant.
- rd noun Abbreviation of round.
- recapper noun A tool that applies a fresh percussion cap or primer to a cartridge shell in reloading it.
- receiver noun The part of a firearm containing the action.
- recoil noun The energy transmitted back to the shooter from a firearm which has fired. Recoil is a function of the weight of the weapon, the weight of…
- recoil pad noun A soft rubber (or similar) attachment added to the butt of a long firearm to absorb some of the recoil.
- recurve bow noun A bow whose two tips curve away from the archer when drawn, which gives the shot greater power and speed.
- reload noun An ammunition cartridge prepared from previously fired ammunition.
- reloader noun A shooter who makes their own ammunition from separately purchased components.
- repeater noun A gun that has a store of cartridges and does not need reloading after each shot.
- report noun The sharp, loud sound of a gunshot or explosion.
- revolver noun A handgun with a revolving chamber enabling several shots to be fired without reloading.
- rib noun A strip of metal running along the top of the barrel that serves as a sighting plane.
- ribauldequin noun Synonym of organ gun.
- rifle noun A firearm fired from the shoulder; improved range and accuracy is provided by a long, rifled barrel.
- rifled adj Having a spiral on the interior of a gun bore to make a fired bullet spin in flight to improve range and accuracy.
- rifled slug noun A shotgun cartridge having only a single projectile, with oblique grooves on the projectile causing it to spin and thus increasing accuracy.
- ring noun Either of the pair of clamps used to hold a telescopic sight to a rifle.
- RPG verb To attack with a rocket-propelled grenade.
- running target noun A target that is towed across a range as the shooter shoots.
- saddle carbine noun a short carbine intended for use on horseback, typically with a very short barrel and a saddle ring.
- saddle ring noun A small metal ring on the side of a firearm, allowing it to be hung on a saddle hook or attached to a lanyard.
- safety lock noun A lock with some device for preventing accidental firing of the weapon.
- saucisse noun A long and slender pipe or bag, made of cloth well pitched, or of leather, filled with powder, and used to communicate fire to mines…
- scattergun noun Synonym of shotgun.
- scope noun A device used in aiming a projectile, through which the person aiming looks at the intended target.
- scourge noun A whip, often made of leather and having multiple tails; a lash.
- semi-automatic noun A semi-automatic firearm, especially such a pistol.
- semi-infinite adj Sufficiently thick that the level of penetration of a projectile is not affected by its thickness.
- service revolver noun A handgun of the revolver type, issued to a police officer or member of the military for use in the course of their official duties.
- shaken noun A flat shuriken (“dart or throwing blade”) resembling a spiked wheel, as opposed to the longer stick-like kind.
- shell noun The casing of a self-contained single-unit artillery projectile.
- shooting glasses noun A type of impact-resistant eyewear worn by shooters to prevent injury due to a cartridge or gun malfunction blowing hot gas or metal…
- shotgun noun A gun which fires loads typically consisting of small metal balls, called shot, from a cartridge.
- shoulder noun The angled section between the neck and the main body of a cartridge.
- shunt noun The shifting of the studs on a projectile from the deep to the shallow sides of the grooves in its discharge from a shunt gun.
- sidelock noun The design of a gun that has the lockwork mounted to the inside of a plate; compare boxlock.
- siege engine noun A large weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.; specifically, a trebuchet or…
- single action adj Requiring a separate cocking movement to cock the hammer before a trigger pull can then fire the cartridge.
- single shot adj Of a firearm: holding only a single round of ammunition, thus needing to be reloaded after each shot.
- sleet noun The part of a mortar extending from the chamber to the trunnions.
- sliding clamp noun A specialized hand tool used to hold materials firmly in place while they are being worked on.
- sling noun An instrument for throwing stones or other missiles, consisting of a short strap with two strings fastened to its ends, or with a string…
- smelly noun a Short Magazine Lee Enfield rifle or one of its derivatives.
- smoke wagon noun A handgun, especially a revolver.
- smokeless adj Of a gun, that does not produce smoke when fired.