| ACP |
Designation for a cartridge originally designed for an Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP) |
| BARREL RIB |
Additional material along the top of the barrel that allows for quicker alignment of the muzzle with the target and adds weight to improve the balance of the firearm |
| CALIBER |
Used to identify appropriate ammunition for a firearm |
| CAPACITY |
Number of cartridges a firearm will hold |
| CYLINDER |
Part of a revolver, immediately behind the barrel, that revolves and has a number of chambers into which cartridges are placed |
| DOUBLE-ACTION |
Pulling the trigger both cocks the hammer and releases it to discharge a firearm. In double-action revolvers, pulling the trigger also revolves the cylinder |
| ENHANCED MODEL |
A firearm that has features not found on earlier models. Such features may enhance function, accuracy convenience use, or appearance |
| FINISH |
The outward appearance of the firearm that varies depending on the type of material, level of polishing, and chemical finish |
| LIGHTWEIGHT (L.W.) |
A firearm that is constructed of lightweight material such as aluminum alloy in the receiver or frame.
|
| LOCKED BREECH |
A feature of some firearms in which the barrel and breech mechanism are mechanically locked together at the moment of firing, which reduces recoil. |
| LONG COLT (.45) |
A modern term used to identify the .45 Colt cartridge originally designed for the Colt Single Action Army revolver.
|
| MAGAZINE |
Removable part of Colt pistols and rifles used to store and feed ammunition |
| PISTOL |
A hand-held firearm in which the ammunition is chambered in the breech of the barrel.
|
| RECOIL |
The movement of the firearm in the opposite direction to that of the bullet at the moment of discharge. In other words, the kickback of a gun caused by firing of the bullet. |
| REVOLVER |
A firearm with a revolving cylinder in which there are a number of chambers that bring successive cartridges into line with the barrel each time the hammer is cocked (single action) or the trigger is pulled (double action).
|
| RIFLING |
Grooves in the bore of the barrel that impart spin to the bullet to improve its stability during its trajectory |
| RIFLING TWIST |
The rate the rifling in the barrel twists through 360 degrees and is expressed in "turns per inch". |
| SAFETY |
A device designed to prevent discharge of a firearm until discharge is intended. |
| SEMIAUTOMATIC |
A firearm that fires one round, extracts and ejects the spent cartridge case in recoil, then feeds another round from the magazine into the chamber each time the trigger is pulled.
|
| SIGHTS |
Front and rear components used to align a firearm with its intended target |
| SIGHT RADIUS |
The distance between the sighting point on the rear sight and the sighting point on the front sight |
| SINGLE ACTION |
A firearm that requires the hammer or striker to be cocked manually before pulling the trigger to fire it. On Colt revolvers, this is done by pulling the hammer back to the cocked position. On Colt single action pistols, pulling the slide to the rear initially cocks the hammer. The firing of the pistol, with the resulting cycling of the action, cocks the hammer for each successive shot. |
| TRIGGER |
The part of the action moved by the finger to fire the firearm. |
| VENTILATED RIB |
A specialized barrel rib with cutouts that help to dissipate heat from the barrel and cut down heat shimmer along the sighting plane.
|
