Nomenclature Question - Revolver vs. Pistol

As I said it depends on the circle of folks:

We have spray guns, nail guns, caulking guns. Even some women have their ears pierced by having the studs shot in with a gun.

Remember the school teacher who had her ears pierced over the weekend? When asked by her pupils if it hurt, she replied they were shot in with a gun.

One skeptical little boy asked, "From how far back?"

Bob Wright
 
Just after the time period for registration under GCA '68 expired, someone realized that the state of Massachusetts had never registered the guns of the USS Massachusetts, moored in Boston harbor. (The guns were deactivated and did not have to be registered under the old law.)

A joke went around that an ATTD HQ supervisor, learning of this, told Agent Smedley that there were a bunch of unregistered sixteen-inch rifles and five-inch .38's in Boston, and to "take the station wagon and go up there and seize them and bring them back here." Smedley is still trying to get the first sixteen-inch rifle into the wagon.

Jim
 
However, as with the terms "clip" and "magazine", the dictionary defines "words in common usage", very different from an expert in a particular field. A Beagle thus becomes a "Thoroughbred" (when they really mean, "purebred"),and a "Magazine" becomes a "clip"...because mouth breathing, knuckle draggers cannot seem to distinguish the difference.
Click to expand...

I don't distinguish between magazine and clip but then I am a mouth breathing knuckle dragger. They've been clips to me for well over 50 years, they're going to stay that way.
 
Carguychris: Oh dear, now you're raising the specter of the long-standing dispute about where to draw the line between a gun, a howitzer, and a mortar!
Click to expand...

All are considered cannon, 15mm and larger. A gun is direct fire, high pressure/velocity ammunition. A howitizer is a high angle firing cannon, firing lower pressure ammunition, but capable of direct fire also. A mortar is a high angle fire only, and fires the lowest pressure ammunition.

Light rifle vs carbine; Light machine gun vs. automatic rifle.

Again, its all in the circle of folks involved.

Bob Wright
 
I don't distinguish between magazine and clip but then I am a mouth breathing knuckle dragger. They've been clips to me for well over 50 years, they're going to stay that way.
Click to expand...

And a car is still a horseless carriage and gay only means happy.
 
Depends on where I am.

In most the circles I run around (friends, a couple local ranges), the term "pistol" is interchangeable between semi-auto and revolver.

The only exception is my ICORE group. When they say "pistol" at our competitions, they mean semi-auto (e.g. "He's running a pistol"). (Semi-autos are are allowed to compete "for fun" at these ICORE events - they just take a huge time penalty, leaving them no chance of being competitive.
 
I tend to give the originator more credence in nomenclature.
When I read an 1852 advertisement for a Colt Revolving Pistol, I have no trouble telling it from the firearm described in the 1900 brochure for the Automatic Colt Pistol; even though both usages will light up the monitors of the Internet Experts.
.
Click to expand...
I agree
I have no complaint with the mouth breathing knuckle draggers of my parents' generation who loaded their guns with "clips" so as to fight the Axis, either.
Click to expand...
Most of them did use clips, I'd also add arguing terminology in a foxhole under fire would be a offence warranting a beating IMHO
 
All are considered cannon, 15mm and larger.
Click to expand...

Dear me... All my 12 gauge shotguns are cannon?

"...All guns are guns, are they not?..." Nope. Guns are artillery pieces to start.
Click to expand...

And naval artillery was still referred to as "rifles" by naval personnel as recently as the beginning of the Viet Nam conflict. What differentiated it from a hand-held rifle was the diameter specification, as in "Direct fire from the forward five-inch rifle battery to these coordinates..."

So a gun is rifle, and a rifle is often a gun, and keeping them all straight depends largely on context.

Not so with the clip/magazine dichotomy, which is clear to anyone who owns an M1 Garand and any battle rifle made after the Garand, but I digress...
 
A gun is direct fire, high pressure/velocity ammunition. A howitizer is a high angle firing cannon, firing lower pressure ammunition, but capable of direct fire also. A mortar is a high angle fire only, and fires the lowest pressure ammunition.
Click to expand...

Tah-mato/To-mahto.

The "piece" I crewed (M110a2)could direct fire, fire low angle/high velocity (in the neighborhood of 2500 f/sec with charge 9, IIRC) or high angle at any velocity right down to "Killer Junior(Senior!)" at danger close ranges- basicly a 203mm mortar.....

..... the -10 manual called it a "Gun", FWIW.
 
There really are clearly defined differences between revolvers and pistols. It isn't something I lose sleep over, but when communicating with folks I'd personally like to know which type of firearm they are talking about.

It isn't just firearms, but a cap isn't a hat, there are clearly defined differences between a pond and a lake, and a coat is not the same as a jacket. A car, SUV, truck, and a van are all automobiles, but I'd really prefer to have more information than just telling me you drive a vehicle.
 
All alligators are reptiles, but not all reptiles are alligators.
All revolvers are pistols, but not all pistols are revolvers.

I could care less what one dictionary says. How many dictionaries are "in print" right now?


There is no rhyme or reason to making a distinction. What about other actions? I'm sure someone made a one handed "harmonica" design at some point. Would that not a pistol b/c the round was not chambered in the barrel? I'm sure there are other uncommon actions.

Outside of a discussion like this I am not going to worry if someone else makes the distinction though.

As far as "gun" meaning a piece of artillery, when Uncle Sam starts sending me a paycheck I'll worry about what he thinks I should call stuff.
 
My old dictionary says a pistol is a firearm designed to be held and fired with one hand.

And that's all it says.

Works for me. I'd say that pretty much covers it.

I realize that to some people today, Pluto is not a planet, rabbits are not rodents anymore, and gay is used for something other than light hearted and frolicsome. However, on this matter, I refuse to budge.
 
My old dictionary says a pistol is a firearm designed to be held and fired with one hand.

And that's all it says.

Works for me. I'd say that pretty much covers it.

I realize that to some people today, Pluto is not a planet, rabbits are not rodents anymore, and gay is used for something other than light hearted and frolicsome. However, on this matter, I refuse to budge.
Click to expand...

I still recognize Pluto as a planet and don't care what anyone else thinks.

And for goodness sake, dilemna is the correct spelling. Just had to get that out.
 
Revolvers are also pistols to me, however, common usage considers pistols to be the automatic variety only. While calling a revolver a pistol is technically correct, I think the parlances were made to distinguish the difference between the two, likely for law-making purposes. I have no problems with those distinctions, so I will likely always refer to a revolver as a revolver and a semi-automatic as a pistol. Just seems a bit more specific to me.
 
I think it comes down to there not being a great name for a semi-automatic pistol. Semi-Automatic is six syllables and then you pretty much need to say pistol which is another two. I like auto-loader, but that doesn't roll off the tongue either. Come up with a short catchy name for an auto-loader and I doubt people will have trouble calling it that instead of pistol.

auto-pistol might work if it wasn't also used to describe automatic pistols like the Glock 18.

News reporters just went with "glock" :)
 
common usage considers pistols to be the automatic variety only.
Click to expand...

Not where the Contender /Encore, Xp-100 shooters gather...:p

but then, common usage is notoriously sloppy...

common news reporting is even WORSE!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top