Terminology.......

I understand the term in a similar manner as Noreaster - a style of gun with the same controls, trigger type, etc. To take a ubiquitous example, all Glocks have the same controls in the same location regardless of caliber or frame size.

But Mr. Irwin's response was way funnier. ;)
 
How do you know when the "attachment craze" has literally become crazy?

When the guy you're training with yells

"Keep your $*(^()&$()*&^ gun level or you'll spill the oil out of the deep fryer!"
 
when paramilitary shows came out.... like the guy that whispers super loud....

blah blah blah i like this 'platform' blah blah blah

ugh...like "tactical" like

lmao... tactical underwear... sigh....
 
I guess that this just goes to show that if you label a product with an uber-cool buzzword like "tactical" or "platform", there is a segment of our community that'll snap it up immediately.
 
warfighters

I think it is ridiculous when our politicians refer to our military personal as "warfighters."

I don't know . . . it just seems like an attempt to rename something for no plausible reason.

Rmocarsky
 
This thread reminds of the those brainy people who know all the correct terms:

"hey, its not a clip for your 1911, its a magazine! and your Colt revolver is in 45 colt, there is no "long" in the name"

Wow, how not impressive.
 
"Platform" is just another buzzword

So many au courant terms that I cannot keep up. A partial list:

"Gender" when "sex" is proper. Gender applies to grammar as in masculine and feminine. Sex denotes male and female.

"Functionality" in lieu of "function." Functionality is intrinsic to an item whereas function is what it does.

"Tactical" and "sniper" have become nearly interchangeable. By the way, either in Cabela's or Midway's latest sales flyer a pink gun case is termed "tactical."

"Surgical strike" for accurate bombing. One of my favorites.

Last on this little list is a word that is not heard as often as it was in the 1990's: "hopefully."
 
This topic has come up before...

The first use I heard of the term was in the auto industry, where the basic frame was and is called the platform. So a platform can be used for a four door sedan, a convertible, a pickup truck, a delivery van, etc. The car magazines picked up the term, and it spread from there.

I believe you are correct. E.g., when I worked at Ford, we talked about the "panther platform" -- the Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, and Towncar are all the same car underneath. Just different safeties, beavertails, and more lines per inch on the front strap checkering.

So anyway, someone suggested that it's just a marketing thing. That's not entirely correct either; it's a general business or product development term. In the business world (not the military world), there is the notion of a "product platform". Google it and you'll find plenty of references to the term; about half a million. Here's an entry from businessdictionary.com:

Common design, formula, or a versatile product, based on which a family (line) of products is built over time. See also sales platform.

I, personally, think it's a perfectly acceptable term, once you see its applicability in manufacturing, business, and marketing. If you confuse it with "weapons platform," the misunderstanding makes sense to me.


BTW, Tuzo said:

"Gender" when "sex" is proper. Gender applies to grammar as in masculine and feminine. Sex denotes male and female.

This is not correct; rather, it's inappropriate pedantry. The Oxford dictionary assigns the same meaning as "sex" as the primary definition of "gender." That covers British usage. For us 'muricans, Merriam-Webster gives this as the second definition of "gender": the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex.

I'm as pedantic as it gets, but there are limits.
 
Why not?

Why ask why?

Why oh why, is there no sun up in the sky?



Sex v. Gender was one of G. Gordon Liddy's BIG bugaboos...

He used to prattle on endlessly whenever anyone dared, in his opinion, get the usage incorrect.

He used to also yell at people for not pronouncing BMW in the "correct" German manner.

Another talking head idiot embraced by the Conservative movement...
 
One trem that I also see getting overused is "shotgunning"
This started with the AR crowd when referring to tippping the upper reciever up to remove the bolt. In this context it is appropriate becuse the motion is much like opening the action on a break action shotgun.

But, I've also heard people talk of "shotgunning" an AK:confused:


As for tactical,
I think "tactical" got it's start from those not wanting to say "assault rifle" when referring to military-style semi-auto rifles. I call my DR200 a tactical rifle. Not a 100% perfect correct denotation, but t's a consise term and easily understood. But, yes "tactical" can get out of hand also.
 
Mike, I just call it fieldstripping too. But the tacti-doodle-dandies just need to be cool, so they make up terms that sound cool:D
 
It's all semantics. While there is a difference between a clip and a magazine, it is not unusual to see the two interchanged. It's a result of ignorance, perhaps, but it is really only an indication of the way language is dynamic and constantly changing. Take "pistol" and "revolver" for example. Some swear there is a difference. But if you look at the history, "pistol" comes from the Italian town of Pistola"

But some swear that a revolver is not a pistol. The US Navy was the first to be so obstinate in my memory, but others may also have participated for some reason or another . I say just go with the flow and don't get your panties in a tight knot over evolving language differences. After all, if the speaker/writer was so far off base you wouldn't know what he's talking about.

Does anyone question that Wild Bill Hickok was a pistolero? He used only revolvers for handguns.
 
I, personally, think it's a perfectly acceptable term, once you see its applicability in manufacturing, business, and marketing. If you confuse it with "weapons platform," the misunderstanding makes sense to me.

I agree....and it makes sense to me when used in this content.
Common design, formula, or a versatile product, based on which a family (line) of products is built over time.

To me, when used here and other gun forums, it is a type or style of firearm, generally referring to type of action and not brand specific. BTW....I'm an old fart and the term has been around longer than internet gun forums.
 
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