If you do much reading about firearms, you will no doubt see abbreviations or some type of gun jargon. This can be confusing when there is nothing explaining what the abbreviation means. But some terms, like PCC are used so much, people stop explaining what it means. And by the way, PCC stands for Pistol Caliber Carbine.
Some terms are used more than others so we will go over some of the most common abbreviations used in the gun world. Once you get to know them, it’s not nearly as confusing as it appears. Some of the jargon that has crept into the gun industry is not really needed. But the gun world has trends like everything else.
Abbreviations are not just gun parts, gun terms or a combo of two gun words thrown together. They often include gun names. Some companies really like giving their guns three-word names and then abbreviating those three words because they are so long. When this happens, the real name is lost to most, and they go by the abbreviation as the actual name.
Take the Walther PDP as another example. The PDP has gained in popularity and is a great gun. But most people have no idea what PDP even stands for. In this case, it means Performance Duty Pistol. Knowing what each abbreviation means is not always important, but there are a few that are good to know. We can’t cover everything, but this is a good place to start.
Guns and Gun Parts
It can help if you know what gun someone is referring to when they are talking about one of the all-time greats. As I mentioned above, people with basic knowledge of firearms and their backgrounds assume everyone knows what they perceive as basic gun info. But not everyone new to guns has this knowledge and must start somewhere.
I had someone ask me recently if the 1911 inventor created anything else besides the famous “pistol.” I told them they had heard of many of his other creations, they just didn’t know it. Here are some famous guns that are known for their abbreviation rather than their name.
BAR: Browning Automatic Rifle
The most popular variant of the BAR was the M1918 chambered in the .30-06 rifle cartridge. The BAR-M1918 was in use from 1918-1973 by the United States Military. It was used in WWI and every major war or conflict until it was retired. It was later chambered in other calibers but the .30-06 remained a favorite. As a side note, the BAR was the preferred rifle used by Clyde Barrow (Bonnie and Clyde) during his reign of terror.
AR-15: ArmaLite Rifle
Developed in the 1950s for the military, the AR-15 was design number 15 by ArmaLite who developed a series of rifles, most of which faded into history except for the AR-10 and AR-15. They did not sell very well and in 1959 the company sold the patent to Colt. Colt signed a contract with the US military in 1963 to sell the rifle (which was full-auto) as the standard issue rifle for the military. One thing AR-15 does not stand for is “assault rifle.”
BCG: Bolt Carrier Group
The bolt carrier group is part of the AR-15 rifle. It is the combination of the bolt carrier, carrier key or gas key, the bolt, firing pin, extractor, ejector, cam pin, and retaining pin. Basically, the BCG is the motor in the gun. This is the moving part that makes the gun function in semi-auto. It fires the bullet, removes the bullet from the chamber once fired, and pushes the next bullet into place. This is the part that needs to be oiled the most because of the friction caused by metal-on-metal movement.
SAW: Squad Automatic Weapon
In the gun world, the SAW is not for cutting boards. Instead, it is the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (rifle) manufactured by FN Herstel. Chambered in 5.56 x 45mm it can fire 800 rounds per minute. It is considered a light machine gun with a quick-change feature for the barrel to keep it firing when the barrel heats up. This gun helped replace the BAR and is still in use today.
Ammunition
When it comes to ammo, there are a lot of abbreviations that can be confusing if you are new to the gun world. There is a purpose for each type of ammo which could be self-defense, hunting, target practice, or competitive shooting. Here are some of the common abbreviations you will see on ammo boxes.
FMJ: Full Metal Jacket
This means the bullet is not hollow in the middle. Most of the time it is a soft bullet made of lead and coated in a harder metal. FMJ ammo is what most people use for target practice. The military also uses FMJ ammunition in their rifles. FMJ ammo will penetrate more than hollow point ammunition so its use depends on what you are doing with it. Older ammo didn’t have the jacket, so it was just a solid lead bullet.
HP: Hollow Point
A hollow point bullet is a bullet with a hollowed-out portion in the front that allows the bullet to expand as it hits a target. This can help with over-penetration and better impact on the target. Most people carry some type of hollow point ammo for self-defense. As the bullet hits the target it expands into the shape of a mushroom, making the impact area larger than the actual bullet.
JHP: Jacketed Hollow Point
Jacketed Hollow Point is the same as a hollow point bullet but with a soft core and harder cover (jacket). This improves the bullet’s performance and is the most popular style of self-defense ammo used. A jacketed Hollow Point will expand more than a standard hollow point, helping the bullet to stop even faster after it hits the target.
ACP: Automatic Colt Pistol
The .45 caliber bullet was developed in 1904 by John Moses Browning for a prototype pistol. It was later adopted as the caliber used in the infamous 1911 pistol. Although the .45 was created before the 1911, most would swear they were made for each other. The .45 ACP has great stopping power and is one of the best bullets for self-defense as long as the recoil is not too high for the shooter.
Other Terms
Here are some random abbreviations you may see a lot in the gun world. Again, this is a short list because we can’t cover them all.
MOA: Minute of Angle
When shooting, think of your surroundings as a clock and the target is at 12. Each minute is a 1/60th degree of movement. Adjusting the angle will dictate where the bullet travels and the target that it hits. As an example, 100 yards will equal one inch of movement or 1 MOA.
PCC: Pistol Caliber Carbine
A pistol caliber carbine is not a rifle or a pistol. Think of it as something that looks more like a rifle but shoots a pistol bullet. Some popular PCCs on the market include the Sig MPX, Scorpion Evo 3, and a whole host of AK and AR-style rifles that fire handgun calibers.
CQB: Close Quarter Combat
Close-quarter combat is a term used a lot in the gun world. It refers to, well, combat in close quarters. Tactics change greatly when addressing a threat inside a home compared to across a field or a good distance away. The type of gun used for CQB is often different. A shorter overall gun length and a higher rate of fire are desired.
OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer
This is often a term used to describe the “name-brand” part of a gun. An example is Glock magazines or parts. Because Glock mags and gun parts are cloned by so many companies, you will see the term OEM often. If someone says they are looking for a Glock OEM magazine, they want a factory Glock mag.
NFA: National Firearms Act
This is an annoying term that you may hear often. This act by Congress bans machine guns and short-barrel rifles. The problem is the ATF keeps changing the definition of certain guns, so they fall under this act. They can’t get Congress to ban guns and gun parts they don’t want us to have so they say it falls under this act because of this new reclassification. The most recent controversy with this is the pistol brace ban that is being challenged in court at the time of this writing.
Keep Learning
There are plenty of other abbreviations we could cover, but the list would never end. The more you learn about guns, the more abbreviations you will see. The most common ones are good to know because it saves time when trying to look something up or read something about a gun. Some abbreviations are more common than others and I still find myself looking stuff up. But that’s how we learn right? If you find guns interesting, keep reading about them, keep learning, and keep having fun.
