Firearm Acronyms [Updated: 1 Oct 2025]
Note: This list is by no mean all inclusive. It is arranged alphabetically
To locate new additions do a search for either the term
"Ädded" or the current month; e.g. Jan
ACP – Automatic Colt Pistol
AD – Accidental Discharge
AIWB – Appendix Inside Waist Band
ALS – Automatic Locking System (Holster). Internal locking device that retains the weapon in all directions with no straps or snaps to manipulate.
AOW – Arc of Wobble
AP – Armor Piercing
API – Armor Piercing, Incendiary
APT – Armor Piercing, Tracer
AR – Armalite / Assault / Automatic Rifile
ARC – Advanced Rifle Cartridge
BA – Bolt Action
BAR – Browning Automatic Rifle
BC – Ballistic Coefficient
BCG – Bolt Carrier Group
BDC – Bullet Drop Compensating (scope)
BEV – Barrel Extension Vise
BHP – Bonded Hollow Point
BJP – Brass Jacketed Bullet
BPCR – Black Powder Cartridge Rifle
BRC – Bullet Rise Compensation (reticle)
BT – Boat–Tailed
BTB – Behind the Belt
BTF – Brass to Face
BUG – Back Up Gun
BUIS – Back Up iron Sights
BULL BARREL – In rifles, it’s generally a barrel that doesn’t taper towards the muzzle. In pistols, bull barrel refers to barrels that are a thicker diameter than the factory barrel, or even that flare towards the muzzle.
C&R – Curio and Relic
CANNELURE – Circumferential groove in a bulle,t generally of a knurled or plain appearance, for the purpose of lubrication or identification, or to assist in crimping a bullet in the mouth of a cartridge case
CBTO – Cartridge Base to Ogive Measurement from the base of a loaded round to a specific point on the ogive (nose) of a bullet
CC – Concealed Carry
CCW – Concealed Carry Weapon
CHL – Concealed Handgun License
CLEO – Chief Law Enforcement Officer
CLI – Chamber Loaded Indicator (a.k.a. LCI)
CLP – Cleaner, Lubricant, Preservative
CMP – Civilian Marksmanship Program
COAL – Cartridge Over All Length
COG – Central Operating Group
COL – Cartridge Overall Length
COM – Center Of Mass
CPRN – Copper Plated Round Nose
CQB/C – Close Quarters Battle/Combat
CRS – Competition Reticle System
CUP – Copper Units of Pressure
DA – Double Action, as opposed to Single Action (SA)
DAK – Double Action Kellerman [DA system w/ an intermediate reset providing ability of user to be able to fire the pistol in the event user short strokes the trigger during a critical incident. The trigger pull for the system is 6.5 lbs. in full DAO (Double Action Only) and increases to 8 lbs. if the trigger is pulled from the intermediate short reset position.]
DAO – Double Action Only
DARC – Dark Adaptive Reticles & Coatings
DGU – Defensive Gun Use
DLC – (barrel) Diamond-Like Carbon Finish
DS – Double Stack magazine; as opposed to single-stack (SS)
DT – Double Tap
EDC – Every Day Carry
EFMJ – Expanding Full Metal Jacket
EPS – Enclosed Pistol Sight
EPT – Enhanced Polished Trigger
EXD – Extreme Defense or Defender
FCG – Fire Control Group
FCU – Fire Control Unit
FMJ – Full Metal Jacket
FN – Flat Nose (bullet)
FOV – Field Of View
FP – Flat Point
FPA – Firing Pin Assembly
FPS – Feet per Second (speed of the bullet in flight)
FRT – Forced Reset Trigger [Added 1 Oct 2025]
FS – Fixed Sights
FSP – Front Sight Post
FTF – Failure to Feed/Failure to Fire
FTE – Failure to Eject/Extract
FTL – Failure to Load
FTLB – Failure to lock back
FTM – Fluid transfer monolithic bullets contain a geometry designed to move fluid dense tissue in order
to cause wounding to a soft target
FTRTB – Failure To Return To Battery
GLS – Grip Locking System (Holster)
HD(W) – Home Defense (Weapon)
HMD – Half Mil Dot
HP – Hollow Point
HPBT – Hollow Point Boat Tail
HWS – Holographic Weapon Sight
IDPA – International Defensive Pistol Association
IR – Infrared
ITB – Inside the Belt
IWB – Inside Waist Band
JFP – Jacketed Flat Point
JHC – Jacketed Hollow Cavity
JHP – Jacketed Hollow Point
JSP – Jacketed Soft Point
LARP – Live Action Role Play
LCI – Loaded Chamber Indicator
LDA – Light Double Action (design incorporates two hammers, the one you can see, and the one you can’t. The LDA is not a true double action, but rather a semi-cocked action. The action of the slide pre-cocks the action most of the way, leaving the internal hammer itself, fully cocked. Once this happens, the inner hammer pulls the outer hammer forward. The outer hammer just follows the slide forward, leaving it’s own internal sear element fully cocked. When the user pulls the trigger, it causes the external hammer move to the rear via its torque return spring and continued pressure trips the sear to release the pre-cocked inner hammer. When the inner hammer rotates, forward, it takes the outer hammer along for the ride, and the pistol fires with about 5 to 5.5 lbs of pressure on the trigger.)
LEADE - The portion of the gun barrel between the chamber and the rifled section of the barrel bore. The freebore is located just forward of the chamber neck and is cylindrical in shape.
LGS – Local Gun Store
LHP – Lead Hollow Point
LLC – Low Left Clockwise
LOP – Length of Pull [Added 1 Oct 2025]
LOS – Line of Sight
LPS – Light Primer Strike
LPVO – Low Power Variable Optic
LRN – Lead Round Nose
LUP – Lead Units of Pressure
LSA – Lubricant, Small Arms
MC – Metal Cased
MCD – Machinegun Conversion Device (Illegal); a.k.a Glock Switch, even though not made by Glock
MEPLAT – French term meaning "flat surface of a cylinder". Tech term for the flat or open tip on the nose of a bullet
MIL / MRAD – Milliradian / Milliradian
MIM – Metal Injection Molding
MOA – Minutes of Angle (1/60 of a °, 360° in a circle)
MOON CLIPS – A ring-shaped or star-shaped piece of metal designed to hold multiple cartridges together as a unit, for simultaneous insertion and extraction from a revolver cylinder. Unlike a speedloader, a moon clip remains in place during firing, and after firing, is used to extract the empty cartridge cases.
MOTAC – Motion Activated (illuminated optic)
MOS – Modular Optic System
MPBR – Maximum Point-Blank Range [Distance (in yards) a projectile (bullet) can travel without rising or falling more than a predetermined measurement above or below the point of aim.]
MPS – Micro Pistol Sight
MRD – Micro Red Dot
MRDS – Micro Red Dot Sight
MRO – Miniature Rifle Optic
MSR – Modern Sporting Rifle / Modular Sniper Rifle
MTBF – Mean Time Between Failures
MUD RAILS - recessed channels or "mud tracks" in the frame and slide. These recesses are designed to collect sand and grit, keeping them away from critical sliding surfaces and preventing malfunctions in sandy or dirty environments.
ND – Negligent Discharge
NICS – National Instant Criminal Background Checks System
NIW – New in Wrapper
NPE – Non-permissive Environment, No Gun Zone
OAL – Overall Length of an Ammunition Cartridge
OOB – Out of Battery
OGIVE – The curve of the bullet nose. Commonly refers to the rounded part
OODA LOOP – ,Four step process of Observe, Orient, Decide and Act,
developed by USAF Col. John Boyd for winning in warfare
OR – Optics Ready
OU – Over & Under (Rifle)
OWB – Outside the Waist Band
PARA/PB – Parabellum
PCC – Pistol Caliber Carbine
PCP – Pre Charged Pneumatic
PDW – Personal Defense Weapon
PMO – Pistol Mounted Optic
POA – Point Of Aim
POI – Point Of Impact
POWER FACTOR – Calculated by multiplying the weight of the bullet in grains, by its muzzle velocity in feet-per-second, and then dividing the product by 1,000.
PPC – Police Pistol Combat
PPT – Private Party Transfer
PRC – Precision Rifle Cartridge
PSP – Pointed Soft Point or Plated Soft Point
PVD – Physical Vapor Deposition Finishing Process
PWC – Permanent wound cavity
QCB – Quick Change Barrel
QD – Quick Detach
QR – Quick Release
QRO - Quick Release Optic
RDM – Red Dot Magnifier:
RDS – Red Dot Sight
RET – Reticle (as in optics)
RF – Rim Fire
RN – Round Nose
RNFP – Round Nose Flat Point
RNL – Round Nosed Lead
RMR – Ruggedized Miniature Reflex sight (Trijicon)
RMS – Reflex Minature Sight
RMSc – Reflex Minature Sight compact
RMSw – Ruggedized Mini Sight waterproof
RSA – Recoil Spring Assembly
RTI – Rapid Transition Interface (Holster)
RTS – Rapid Transition Sight
SA – Single Action, as opposed to Double Action (DA)
SAA – Single Action Army (Colt)
SAAMI – Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute Founded in 1926 at the request of the federal government and
tasked with:Creating and publishing industry standards for safety, interchangeability, reliability and quality, coordinating technical data, promoting safe and responsible firearms use
SBR – Short Barreled Rifle
SCRS – Solar Charging Rifle Sight
SHIELD RMS – Shield Reflex Minature Sight
SIG – Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (During the 1970s, SIG purchased both Hämmerli and J.P. Sauer and Sohn, resulting in the formation of SIG Sauer.)
SJ – Semi Jacketed
SJHP – Semi–Jacketed Hollow Point
SJSP – Semi–Jacketed Soft Point
SMS – Shield Mini Sight / Shield Mounting Standard / Scope Mount Single
SMSc – Shield Mini Sight Compact
SP – Soft Point or Spire Point
SQUIB – Under-powered Firing of Cartridge Resulting in Bullet not Exiting Barrel
SRO – (Trijicon) Specialized Reflex Optic
SRT – Short Reset Trigger
SS – Single Stack magazine; as opposed to double-stack (DS)
SSR – Stock Service Revolver
STS – Shot To Shot
SWC – Semi-Wadcutter
TC – Truncated Cone
TCH – Tactical Carry Handle
TDL – Takedown Lever
TMJ – Total Metal Jacket
TRS – Trigger return spring
TOFS – Top of Front Sight (hold)
TSW – Team Smith & Wesson
WCF – Winchester Center Fire
WML – Weapon Mounted Light
WROL – Without Rule of Law
WWB – Winchester White Box
XCR – eXchangeable Caliber Rifle
+P – Industry designation indicating cartridge generates chamber pressure
beyond that of the standard load
Note: This list is by no mean all inclusive. It is arranged alphabetically
To locate new additions do a search for either the term
"Ädded" or the current month; e.g. Jan
ACP – Automatic Colt Pistol
AD – Accidental Discharge
AIWB – Appendix Inside Waist Band
ALS – Automatic Locking System (Holster). Internal locking device that retains the weapon in all directions with no straps or snaps to manipulate.
AOW – Arc of Wobble
AP – Armor Piercing
API – Armor Piercing, Incendiary
APT – Armor Piercing, Tracer
AR – Armalite / Assault / Automatic Rifile
ARC – Advanced Rifle Cartridge
BA – Bolt Action
BAR – Browning Automatic Rifle
BC – Ballistic Coefficient
BCG – Bolt Carrier Group
BDC – Bullet Drop Compensating (scope)
BEV – Barrel Extension Vise
BHP – Bonded Hollow Point
BJP – Brass Jacketed Bullet
BPCR – Black Powder Cartridge Rifle
BRC – Bullet Rise Compensation (reticle)
BT – Boat–Tailed
BTB – Behind the Belt
BTF – Brass to Face
BUG – Back Up Gun
BUIS – Back Up iron Sights
BULL BARREL – In rifles, it’s generally a barrel that doesn’t taper towards the muzzle. In pistols, bull barrel refers to barrels that are a thicker diameter than the factory barrel, or even that flare towards the muzzle.
C&R – Curio and Relic
CANNELURE – Circumferential groove in a bulle,t generally of a knurled or plain appearance, for the purpose of lubrication or identification, or to assist in crimping a bullet in the mouth of a cartridge case
CBTO – Cartridge Base to Ogive Measurement from the base of a loaded round to a specific point on the ogive (nose) of a bullet
CC – Concealed Carry
CCW – Concealed Carry Weapon
CHL – Concealed Handgun License
CLEO – Chief Law Enforcement Officer
CLI – Chamber Loaded Indicator (a.k.a. LCI)
CLP – Cleaner, Lubricant, Preservative
CMP – Civilian Marksmanship Program
COAL – Cartridge Over All Length
COG – Central Operating Group
COL – Cartridge Overall Length
COM – Center Of Mass
CPRN – Copper Plated Round Nose
CQB/C – Close Quarters Battle/Combat
CRS – Competition Reticle System
CUP – Copper Units of Pressure
DA – Double Action, as opposed to Single Action (SA)
DAK – Double Action Kellerman [DA system w/ an intermediate reset providing ability of user to be able to fire the pistol in the event user short strokes the trigger during a critical incident. The trigger pull for the system is 6.5 lbs. in full DAO (Double Action Only) and increases to 8 lbs. if the trigger is pulled from the intermediate short reset position.]
DAO – Double Action Only
DARC – Dark Adaptive Reticles & Coatings
DGU – Defensive Gun Use
DLC – (barrel) Diamond-Like Carbon Finish
DS – Double Stack magazine; as opposed to single-stack (SS)
DT – Double Tap
EDC – Every Day Carry
EFMJ – Expanding Full Metal Jacket
EPS – Enclosed Pistol Sight
EPT – Enhanced Polished Trigger
EXD – Extreme Defense or Defender
FCG – Fire Control Group
FCU – Fire Control Unit
FMJ – Full Metal Jacket
FN – Flat Nose (bullet)
FOV – Field Of View
FP – Flat Point
FPA – Firing Pin Assembly
FPS – Feet per Second (speed of the bullet in flight)
FRT – Forced Reset Trigger [Added 1 Oct 2025]
FS – Fixed Sights
FSP – Front Sight Post
FTF – Failure to Feed/Failure to Fire
FTE – Failure to Eject/Extract
FTL – Failure to Load
FTLB – Failure to lock back
FTM – Fluid transfer monolithic bullets contain a geometry designed to move fluid dense tissue in order
to cause wounding to a soft target
FTRTB – Failure To Return To Battery
GLS – Grip Locking System (Holster)
HD(W) – Home Defense (Weapon)
HMD – Half Mil Dot
HP – Hollow Point
HPBT – Hollow Point Boat Tail
HWS – Holographic Weapon Sight
IDPA – International Defensive Pistol Association
IR – Infrared
ITB – Inside the Belt
IWB – Inside Waist Band
JFP – Jacketed Flat Point
JHC – Jacketed Hollow Cavity
JHP – Jacketed Hollow Point
JSP – Jacketed Soft Point
LARP – Live Action Role Play
LCI – Loaded Chamber Indicator
LDA – Light Double Action (design incorporates two hammers, the one you can see, and the one you can’t. The LDA is not a true double action, but rather a semi-cocked action. The action of the slide pre-cocks the action most of the way, leaving the internal hammer itself, fully cocked. Once this happens, the inner hammer pulls the outer hammer forward. The outer hammer just follows the slide forward, leaving it’s own internal sear element fully cocked. When the user pulls the trigger, it causes the external hammer move to the rear via its torque return spring and continued pressure trips the sear to release the pre-cocked inner hammer. When the inner hammer rotates, forward, it takes the outer hammer along for the ride, and the pistol fires with about 5 to 5.5 lbs of pressure on the trigger.)
LEADE - The portion of the gun barrel between the chamber and the rifled section of the barrel bore. The freebore is located just forward of the chamber neck and is cylindrical in shape.
LGS – Local Gun Store
LHP – Lead Hollow Point
LLC – Low Left Clockwise
LOP – Length of Pull [Added 1 Oct 2025]
LOS – Line of Sight
LPS – Light Primer Strike
LPVO – Low Power Variable Optic
LRN – Lead Round Nose
LUP – Lead Units of Pressure
LSA – Lubricant, Small Arms
MC – Metal Cased
MCD – Machinegun Conversion Device (Illegal); a.k.a Glock Switch, even though not made by Glock
MEPLAT – French term meaning "flat surface of a cylinder". Tech term for the flat or open tip on the nose of a bullet
MIL / MRAD – Milliradian / Milliradian
MIM – Metal Injection Molding
MOA – Minutes of Angle (1/60 of a °, 360° in a circle)
MOON CLIPS – A ring-shaped or star-shaped piece of metal designed to hold multiple cartridges together as a unit, for simultaneous insertion and extraction from a revolver cylinder. Unlike a speedloader, a moon clip remains in place during firing, and after firing, is used to extract the empty cartridge cases.
MOTAC – Motion Activated (illuminated optic)
MOS – Modular Optic System
MPBR – Maximum Point-Blank Range [Distance (in yards) a projectile (bullet) can travel without rising or falling more than a predetermined measurement above or below the point of aim.]
MPS – Micro Pistol Sight
MRD – Micro Red Dot
MRDS – Micro Red Dot Sight
MRO – Miniature Rifle Optic
MSR – Modern Sporting Rifle / Modular Sniper Rifle
MTBF – Mean Time Between Failures
MUD RAILS - recessed channels or "mud tracks" in the frame and slide. These recesses are designed to collect sand and grit, keeping them away from critical sliding surfaces and preventing malfunctions in sandy or dirty environments.
ND – Negligent Discharge
NICS – National Instant Criminal Background Checks System
NIW – New in Wrapper
NPE – Non-permissive Environment, No Gun Zone
OAL – Overall Length of an Ammunition Cartridge
OOB – Out of Battery
OGIVE – The curve of the bullet nose. Commonly refers to the rounded part
OODA LOOP – ,Four step process of Observe, Orient, Decide and Act,
developed by USAF Col. John Boyd for winning in warfare
OR – Optics Ready
OU – Over & Under (Rifle)
OWB – Outside the Waist Band
PARA/PB – Parabellum
PCC – Pistol Caliber Carbine
PCP – Pre Charged Pneumatic
PDW – Personal Defense Weapon
PMO – Pistol Mounted Optic
POA – Point Of Aim
POI – Point Of Impact
POWER FACTOR – Calculated by multiplying the weight of the bullet in grains, by its muzzle velocity in feet-per-second, and then dividing the product by 1,000.
PPC – Police Pistol Combat
PPT – Private Party Transfer
PRC – Precision Rifle Cartridge
PSP – Pointed Soft Point or Plated Soft Point
PVD – Physical Vapor Deposition Finishing Process
PWC – Permanent wound cavity
QCB – Quick Change Barrel
QD – Quick Detach
QR – Quick Release
QRO - Quick Release Optic
RDM – Red Dot Magnifier:
RDS – Red Dot Sight
RET – Reticle (as in optics)
RF – Rim Fire
RN – Round Nose
RNFP – Round Nose Flat Point
RNL – Round Nosed Lead
RMR – Ruggedized Miniature Reflex sight (Trijicon)
RMS – Reflex Minature Sight
RMSc – Reflex Minature Sight compact
RMSw – Ruggedized Mini Sight waterproof
RSA – Recoil Spring Assembly
RTI – Rapid Transition Interface (Holster)
RTS – Rapid Transition Sight
SA – Single Action, as opposed to Double Action (DA)
SAA – Single Action Army (Colt)
SAAMI – Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute Founded in 1926 at the request of the federal government and
tasked with:Creating and publishing industry standards for safety, interchangeability, reliability and quality, coordinating technical data, promoting safe and responsible firearms use
SBR – Short Barreled Rifle
SCRS – Solar Charging Rifle Sight
SHIELD RMS – Shield Reflex Minature Sight
SIG – Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (During the 1970s, SIG purchased both Hämmerli and J.P. Sauer and Sohn, resulting in the formation of SIG Sauer.)
SJ – Semi Jacketed
SJHP – Semi–Jacketed Hollow Point
SJSP – Semi–Jacketed Soft Point
SMS – Shield Mini Sight / Shield Mounting Standard / Scope Mount Single
SMSc – Shield Mini Sight Compact
SP – Soft Point or Spire Point
SQUIB – Under-powered Firing of Cartridge Resulting in Bullet not Exiting Barrel
SRO – (Trijicon) Specialized Reflex Optic
SRT – Short Reset Trigger
SS – Single Stack magazine; as opposed to double-stack (DS)
SSR – Stock Service Revolver
STS – Shot To Shot
SWC – Semi-Wadcutter
TC – Truncated Cone
TCH – Tactical Carry Handle
TDL – Takedown Lever
TMJ – Total Metal Jacket
TRS – Trigger return spring
TOFS – Top of Front Sight (hold)
TSW – Team Smith & Wesson
WCF – Winchester Center Fire
WML – Weapon Mounted Light
WROL – Without Rule of Law
WWB – Winchester White Box
XCR – eXchangeable Caliber Rifle
+P – Industry designation indicating cartridge generates chamber pressure
beyond that of the standard load
