Things that a lot of people say about guns that ticks you off

Any use of the word "accident" in any context. "Unintended event" does not equate to "accident."

Struck by Lightning? That's an accident. In most cases there ain't squat that you could have done to prevent it, and you had nothing to do with the cause and effect. an unintended discharge, striking an unintended object, a miss, drop, or any other thing that wasn't meant to happen but did anyway means that did something that you could have prevented by strapping your holster, use of a safety, line of sight awareness, awareness of load status, etc, there is practically no such thing as an accident in any aspect of life. you can't accidentally cut your finger in the kitchen; nobody put your finger under that cleaver but yourself, and saying "gee, it slipped" is just an excuse.
 
In all seriousness, I am not one to suffer fools. Every conversation I have somedays are nightmarish events during which I want to mace the person I'm talking to.

It doesn't matter who I'm talking to, so many people who know a little bit about a lot of things learned that little bit in comic books and third grade, and they feel qualified to talk to anyone on a peer to peer basis.

knowing that there are .22, 32, 38, 357, 9mm, 10, 40, 44, and 45 caliber pistols is enough for a lot of people, and they will know what they think is best, and will undoubtedly say so, with no real need to understand why.

Same thing applies to cars, fly rods, even chili peppers. "the chipotle is the best.!!!!"

A "little bit of knowledge" should be a source of embarrasment, not a license to expound.
 
As a reletive newb to both this forum and shooting, but having a passion and an internet forum to discuss that passion, how about a different perspective ...

I'm a racer and fabricator.

http://vimeo.com/25063119

It annoys the crap out of me when some one refers to a shock as a strut, an anti-sway bar as as sway bar and ask "what will it do in the quarter"?

After reading about the buttons the OP has, it dawned on me that the buttons are directly related to that passion.

And since none of us have identical passions to a common degree, one person's hot button is the next person's ... whatever.
 
If terminology doesn't matter, then drive your shirt to work. Then tell everyone how good it drives.
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That's an example of a time when it does matter. If you told someone that they'd have no idea what you were talking about. If I told someone that I bought a clip for my pistol, they'd know what I was talking about and probably not even know it was incorrect terminology.

I grew up saying "clip" not knowing the difference, and now that I've learned differently I still use "clip". Mainly because it's easier to say and conveys the same message to 99% of people.

When I find myself around people who actually do know the difference, I'll use correct terminology if it is technically-speaking.
 
"High-Powered"

I hate the term "high-powered." Even gun buffs use it. Does it really mean anything? Of course, the media, in trying to demonize everything, have created high powered assault rifles, High powered 22s, etc.
 
Another one that I just rememberd. Made me nearly choke to death on my coffee. I was talking with a female sheriff's deputy, and asked about her duty weapon.

"I don't shoot nothing that doesn't start with a '4'."

"So, are you carrying one of the new 40 S&W models?"

"that's ridiculous! I carry a colt .45!"

"Which colt? 1911?"

"No, a springfield .45 automatic!"

This was followed by a 10-15 minute lecture on what ammunition she uses, and what ammunition morons carry. This happened during break time during a course at police academy.

It's hard sometimes to remain polite. Another conversation in that same parking lot was about how the air force actually destroyed the murrah building in okc with a thermobaric bomb.
 
" It annoys the crap out of me when some one refers to a shock as a strut, an anti-sway bar as as sway bar and ask "what will it do in the quarter"? "

Struts became more popular in the 80's as more front drive cars came about. To be more accurate, as commonaly refered to "shocks" don't exist on a car, they are dampers. Technically the suspension springs absorb " road shock "

It is actually anti roll bar not anti sway, however some just end up calling them bars.

The "what will it do in the quarter" question is valid, more car people know about drag racing that oval or road racing and it gives a bench mark about the performance of the car. Vs a less tangible and less universal "I went 1:45.5 at Mid Ohio last race."

For the most part, every discipline has it's own " formal " terminology but there are many terms that are interchanged and even slang used amongst those in the biz. I consider a semi auto that has a detachable ammunition holder a clip or magazine. Bullets are interchangeable with loaded ammunition. A modern semi auto hand gun is a " Glock " ( like band aid / jello / xerox copy / jeep ) Anything with a bottle neck cartridge is high powered by design.

Stove piping , one in the pipe , one in the chamber or chamber a round are all slang but we more or less know what they are talking about or at least have some idea. All of these terms had to come from somewhere so it isn't a stretch to use them in general conversation.
 
OMG! Were do I start?

Being corrected for calling a .45 Colt a .45 Long Colt? (I have brass that is stamped .45 Long Colt.)

Being told every gun you own is a piece of junk and you need to have XYZ? (Because real men carry ....)

This caliber is better than that caliber, regardless of what your going to use it for?

Sniper rifles? Assault weapons?

I do not mind being corrected if I misuse a term, but explain it to me, don't try to make yourself look superior in front of others by putting me down and I will not do it to you.
 
I don't get angered by it, but the whole sniper rifle thing can get annoying.

I think people believe any gun with a scope is a sniper rifle.
 
My Pet Peeve is Cops who can't ID a gun or give the Media wrong Info about a gun. Understand that I've been a Cop for 34+ years. I've seen '.22 Lever Action' Assault Rifles, that all Class III guns are Uzis and yeah, all guns are high capacity and high powered.
A fellow Officer once told me that the muzzle blast from an SKS was so powerful that it knocked him down when fired into the air nearly a city block away.
 
I think people believe any gun with a scope is a sniper rifle.
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A sniper rifle is a rifle used by a sniper or for sniping.

My 1903-a3 may have been a sniper rifle many years ago, but it isn't now, is it, even though it now has a scope, and didn't when I got it? charles whitman made an open sighted M1 carbine into a sniper rifle without the use of a single tool, didn't he?

yes, arguing semantics and language usage here, but good god, you have to start training the foolish somewhere.

"no, that is not a sniper/assault/elephant rifle." I don't snipe/assault/shoot elephants with it. It is merely a rifle, a piece of equipment. It is whatever I want it to be; it is a target, deer, varmint, etc. rifle."
 
I hate the term "high-powered." Even gun buffs use it. Does it really mean anything?
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Why yes it does. With the introduction of smokeless powder, cartridges became much more powerful for a given weight of projectile.
Before that because of poor metallurgy and less efficient propellant increases in the power of a round meant making a bigger projectile.
Now we have relatively light projectiles that have as much power as the old .50-110.

So high power as opposed to lighter black powder and rim fire rounds.

That of course doesn't mean that people in the media are using the term correctly, except maybe accidentally. That would be because almost all modern cartridges are high power.
 
IIRC there was a cartridge called the Savage 22 High Power. And the Browning High Power.
I don't let it bother me anymore. When people use terms incorrectly and declare their opnions to be Gospel Truth it simply lowers their credibility in my eyes. If people take offense at being corrected it also lowers my opinion of them.
 
I try to be a nice guy and would never correct someone who said clip in person.

It's petty and IMO do different than the grammar nazi person.
 
Tactical shmactical

Nearly everything related to firearms can be termed "tactical" if it is: black, scoped with 2" tall adjusting knobs, "mil-spec", camouflaged, soft case with external pockets, any knife with a tanto blade, rails, and rifle with pistol grip or 10+ round magazine (or clip I forget the proper term).

Six months ago Cabela's sales brochure described over 25 items as "tactical." Thankfully, yesterday the post delivered the current Cabela's sales brochure with less than 10 "tactical" items.

When my son was serving in Iraq he carried an M9 and that is a tactical use item. That same Beretta in Cabela's gun case morphed into something other than "tactical."
 
I think the term "assault rifle" should be replaced with the term "defense rifle" or something like that that's not so scary. I also don't like the word tactical, but my pants only have 4 pockets.
 
Okay.
Technically a clip is a magazine and the word can be used that way, as you can use the word magazine about a box-magazine or a blind-magazine. Of course if you flip it, it wont be the same. A magazine is not automatically a clip.
A magazine, in context with firearms, is a devise or compartment designed to store ammunition for or in the firearm.

Here in Norway, a lot of hunters say they don't want a rifle with a magazine. They say its just one more thing that can go wrong or they can loose. What they mean, obviously, is a rifle with a detachable box-magazine. No one is hurt and no one bothers.

Lets not get hung up in the eternal clip VS. magazine battle. There are far more important battles to choose from. Personally i don't like correcting people, but if i have to, i play dumb and let them believe they found it out them self an possibly thought me something in the process.
With me not pointing out the flaws in their ways, no one looses face. ;)
 
briandg
Any use of the word "accident" in any context. "Unintended event" does not equate to "accident."

Struck by Lightning? That's an accident. In most cases there ain't squat that you could have done to prevent it, and you had nothing to do with the cause and effect. an unintended discharge, striking an unintended object, a miss, drop, or any other thing that wasn't meant to happen but did anyway means that did something that you could have prevented by strapping your holster, use of a safety, line of sight awareness, awareness of load status, etc, there is practically no such thing as an accident in any aspect of life. you can't accidentally cut your finger in the kitchen; nobody put your finger under that cleaver but yourself, and saying "gee, it slipped" is just an excuse.
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This always gets me.

The fact that the Dictionary defines " Accident" as
"lack of intention or necessity"
"an unfortunate event resulting especially from carelessness or ignorance"

doesn't seem to matter to some people.

Being struck by lightning is a act of nature , not an accident.
 
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