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Above is letters A-Z, a brief list of firearms products:

Firearms Terms
  

These firearms terms are only a partial list to help you with your firearms term search.

We are trying to get as many gun related products on one website to save you time, and help you locate just the item you are looking for.

Letter "P"

P+ Ammunition (+p and +p+) -- Many calibers are available in both standard and +p or +p+ variants. Ammunition marked +p produces more power and higher pressures than the standard ammunition produced in that caliber, while ammunition marked +p+ produces even more power and pressure than the +p loading.

Passive Safety -- Any safety, internal or external, which functions apart from the shooter's conscious control. Grip safeties are one example of a passive external safety; drop safeties are an example of a passive internal safety.

Patridge Sight -- A type of sight designed by E.E. Patridge in the late 1800s, often used on handguns. It has a rear sight shaped as a square notch, and a front sight consisting of a thick blade that is flat on top.

Pattern -- A shotgun term which refers to the manner in which the pellets spread out as they exit the gun. It is sometimes called the spread. A tight pattern is one in which the pellets are closely grouped.  A loose pattern is one in which the pellets are widely spread.

Pellet -- In target shooting, a chunk of metal fired from a gun. In hunting, a chunk of poop dropped from a deer.

Pistol -- Another term for handgun. Some claim that it refers only to semi-automatic handguns, but this is an incorrect bit of firearms lore.

 Pistol Grip-- A long gun term with two possible meanings.  Some long guns feature a standard stock (one which can be braced against the shoulder), but which includes an extra handle behind the trigger for the firing hand to wrap around. The extra handle is called a pistol grip. When used properly by an experienced shooter, such a pistol grip can improve the controllability of the gun, though the tradeoff is that firing it can be uncomfortable for the wrist.  Also,take a regular long gun, usually a shotgun. Get rid of the standard stock so that the shooter is no longer able to brace the firearm against a shoulder while firing it. Equip it with a super-short, pistol-shaped stock instead, so that the gun is most easily fired from the hip. This looks cool, but is often painful to fire and is no aid to accuracy.

Plinking -- Recreational shooting, or shooting for fun rather than for scored competition or defense practice: "I just spent an afternoon plinking with the kids." Plinking often involves a brick of .22LR ammunition and some reactive targets.

Point Shooting -- Shooting without using the sights. Instead of using sights, point shooters use body position or other cues to provide a rough index of where the shots will land. Point shooting is a source of much controversy in the shooting community, especially online.

Port -- An opening.

Porting -- Openings at the muzzle end of the gun through which some of the spent gases can escape. Porting reduces perceived recoil and lessens muzzle rise, but the trade off is that the gun becomes much louder when fired and produces a brighter flash.

Powder -- The chemical propellant which is burned to produce the hot gases which send the bullet flying downrange. Sometimes called gunpowder, although experienced shooters usually reserve the term gunpowder to mean black powder rather than modern smokeless powder.  See also: black powder, gunpowder, smokeless powder.

Pre-travel -- Some triggers can be pulled slightly backwards before the shooter can feel any tension and before the hammer or striker begins to retract. Thus, pre-travel is any movement of the trigger that begins before the trigger is doing its real work.

Primer --  A tiny quantity of explosive compound that detonates when struck with force, igniting the powder. Hot gases from the burning powder then send the bullet downrange. In centerfire ammunition, the primer is located inside a tiny metal cup which can be seen by looking at the underside of the case. In rimfire ammunition, the priming compound is distributed evenly around the inside of the bottom rim of the case.

Printing -- A condition in which the outline of the concealed handgun may be discerned through the outer clothing. The firearm itself is not visible, but its presence and shape may be readily apparent to an observer.

Propellant -- The chemical whose rapid burning sends the bullet on its way, usually called powder or gunpowder. Modern gunpowder is sometimes called smokeless powder or simply powder, terms which distinguish it from the original black powder.

Pull -- The entire process of making the trigger complete its journey past the break.

Pull -- What a shotgun shooter yells when she wants a target (typically a clay pigeon) to be thrown into the air for her to shoot.

Pull Distance -- The distance the trigger must travel before it reaches the break point and fires the gun.

Pull Weight -- See trigger pull weight.

Pump Action -- A long gun term. Common in shotguns, less common in rifles. Pump-Action guns have a moveable fore-end. After the shot fires, the user pulls sharply back on the fore-end to eject the spent shell or case, and then shoves the fore-end forward again to bring a fresh round into the chamber.