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ball
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The round lead projectile usually wrapped in a greased fabric patch and fired by muzzleloading firearms. |
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ball ammunition
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A term generally used by the military for a cartridge with a full metal jacketed bullet or solid metal projectiles. |
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ballistics
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The study of what happens to moving projectiles. Internal/Interior Ballistics studies what happens inside the firearm from the moment of ignition until it leaves the barrel. Exterior/External Ballistics studies the motion of the projectile after it leaves the barrel. Terminal Ballistics studies the projectile's impact on the target. |
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barrel
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The tube through which the bullet or shot charge passes when the firearm is fired and gases created by the ignition of the powder or compressed air act as the projectile's propellant. May be rifled or smooth. |
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barrel liner
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An insert of special material placed in a barrel to reduce bore erosion, renew an eroded bore. They are also used to strengthen a barrel or alter the diameter to accept a different caliber of ammunition. Also called a sleeve. |
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barrel lug
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A general term for any projection extending at right angles to the barrel. |
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barrel whip
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The movement of the barrel as the projectile moves through it. |
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barreled action
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A rifle or shotgun lacking only the stock. |
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base
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The portion of the cartridge case that contains the primer, also called the head. |
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BB ammunition
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In Shotgun shells, BB shot has a diameter of .180 inches. For use in airguns, a BB is .175 inches in diameter. |
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belt
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The narrow band around the rear section of a cartridge case and forward of the extractor groove that is intended to strengthen the case and usually associated with magnum calibers. |
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black powder
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A finely ground mixture of three basic ingredients: saltpeter (potassium nitrate), charcoal (carbon), and sulfur. |
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blind box magazine
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An integral magazine with a permanently closed bottom. |
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blowback action
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A system where the pressure and energy from the cartridge discharge pushing rearward against the empty cartridge case is used to operate the unloading and loading cycle of a semi-automatic or automatic firearm. |
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boattail
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A tapered rear end of a bullet designed to increase ballistic efficiency at long range. |
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bolt action
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The two main types of bolt action are the turn bolt and straight pull. The bolt action is manually operated by means of a steel rod or handle-like assembly that contains the means to lock a cartridge into the barrel or chamber (located at the rear of the chamber into which the cartridge or propellant is inserted), the firing pin, and the mechanism to extract and eject the spent cartridge case. |
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bore
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The interior or tunnel down the barrel and forward of the chamber through which the projectiles travel. |
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box lock action
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This type of action is usually found on double-barrel shotguns. The hammer and hammer springs are located within the frame or receiver (the basic unit of a firearm that contains the firing and breech mechanism and to which the barrel and stock are attached). The trigger assembly is in the lower tang (the rearward projecting tongue on a receiver or frame to which the buttstock is attached). |
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box magazine
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A rectangular receptacle attached to or inserted into a firearm that holds cartridges stacked on top of one another ready for feeding into the chamber. |
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breech
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The rear of the barrel into which the cartridge or propellant is inserted. Also called chamber. |
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breech bolt
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The locking and cartridge head support mechanism of firearms that operate in line with the axis of the bore. |
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breech face
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That part of the breechblock or breech bolt against which the head of the cartridge case or shotshell rests during firing. |
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breechblock
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The part of the action that fits securely against the cartridge keeping it snug in the breech and locks the action to allow maximum efficiency and safety during firing. |
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buck & ball
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A cartridge containing a round ball and shot. |
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buckshot
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Large lead pellets ranging in size from .20 inches to .36 inches in diameter used in shotshells. |
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bullet
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A single, non-spherical projectile fired from a rifled barrel. |
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bullet drop
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The normal fall from a bullet during its flight from the firearm to the target resultant from the influence of gravity. |
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bullet jump
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bullet jump - The distance a bullet must travel from its place in the cartridge case to the initial engagement of the barrel's rifling. |
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bullet mushroom
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A bullet that has expanded upon impact to a mushroom-like shape. |
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bullet ogive
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The curved forward part of a bullet. |
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bullet stabilization
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The act of steadying a bullet in flight by use of the proper rifling twist and bullet velocity. |
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butt
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In a handgun, the butt is the bottom part of the grip or grip frame. In a rifle or shotgun, it is the rear or shoulder end of the stock. |
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butt plate
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This is the covering made of metal, rubber, plastic or other materials that protects and reinforces the butt of the firearm stock. |
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