Firearm Glossary

Term Definition








wildcat cartridge

wildcat cartridge or wildcat: A custom cartridge for which ammunition and firearms that are not mass-produced. These cartridges are often created to optimize a certain performance characteristic (such as the power, size or efficiency) of an existing commercial cartridge.


wheellock: an obsolete mechanism for firing a firearm.


WCF: An acronym for a family of cartridges designed by Winchester Repeating Arms Company, called Winchester Center Fire, as in the .30-30 WCF or .32 WCF





terminal ballistics

terminal ballistics: A sub-field of ballistics, is the study of the behavior of a projectile when it hits its target.

stripper clip

stripper clip: A speedloader that holds several cartridges together in a single unit for easier loading of a firearm's magazine. A stripper clip is used only for loading the magazine and is not necessary for the firearm to function.



squib load

squib load, also known as squib round, pop and no kick, or just squib: A firearms malfunction in which a fired projectile does not have enough force behind it to exit the barrel, and thus becomes stuck. Squib loads make the firearm unsafe to shoot, unless the projectile can be removed.



snubnosed revolver

snubnosed revolver: a revolver with a short barrel length.

O2 Gun Group, LLC
​PO Box 70, Borden, IN 47106
Phone ​812.786.4188

Web Design by Sweet Brier Media