Is there anywhere on the Hide that I can go and familiarize myself with all of the terminology and reloading jargon that is used on the site. I know there is alot that I can learn here but sometimes I don't know what everyone is talking about.
- Thread starter gray1974
- Start date
Re: Reloading terminology.
<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">One reason a fella' might be confused is a lot of the ones writing about handloading don't know what they're talking about.
Thus:
A bullet is a projectile. Its not a round or cartridge, which is a loaded and ready to fire bullet, case, primer, propellant -components - combination properly loaded/assembled.
Bullets may be flat-based, boat-tailed, rebated boat-tail, very low drag as distinguished from one that is low drag, drag, or hi-drag. Either of these could require a drag bag, the size and contents of which depends on the duration of the drag show (match).
VVLD. Very, very low drag.
A case is a piece of brass. Its not a lawsuit, but if not done right it could be. NOR is a case a "casing" (sausage skin) or a "shell" or "hull" (shotgun). Casing is what BP and Halliburton boo boo'd on Deep Water Horizon.(RIP)
Flash hole is the orifice the primer flash blasts through to the propellant while crammed into the primer pocket of the case. Flash hole is not a reference to pornography. Same goes for rim.
Propellant is usually powder. When powder is weighed or measured or dropped into a case it becomes a charge. Propellant is thus the more exclusive term. Powder can be other stuff.
Shell holder. Not case holder. Case holder refers to the LE Wilson c'deaser that holds.....the case!....while trimming, not rimming, or pruning or cutting a case.
Optimal Charge Weight- The charge that provides the best ballistic performance. OCW is a good way to work up a load. a phrase that is not a vulgarity here, but might be elsewhere, like dropping a load (charge) into a primed case.
Ram is the big verticle rod in a press. The shell holder fits on the top of it. Dies fit on top of the press.
There are seater dies, de-capping dies, sizer dies, small base dies, neck dies, body dies, dies with mandrels, stems, expander buttons. Some dies are too long. Some shell holders are too thick, preventing sufficient shoulder set-back of the case when sizing. You'll use sizing lube while sizing cases.
The press fits on a table, top of a clothes dryer, or loading bench. Or you can hold it with your knees, but you'll tire of that.
Ogive is the curved nose (cone) of a projectile. Ogives may be secant (some express this as "c-cant, but that is illiterate) or tangent.
Mouth. Neck. Shoulder. Body. Rim. Base. Parts of the case. It does not have eyes. But a bullet has a nose. Some refer to the base as "the ass-end", and the nose as the front-end, though neither are correct.
Shell cases may be re-loaded, but the more accurate term is hand-loaded because a new case has never before been loaded so it cannot be re-loaded but it is certainly a handloaded round. Re-load implies re-bate, return, reject, etc. It is not a term of art.
Its okay to have a round in the chamber if you're ready to fire, but a bullet in the barrel is an obstruction that will cause damage if the round in the chamber enters the bore upon being fired.
A barrel means the whole rod looking thing having a hole from one end to the other. It has a bore, a chamber, a muzzle, a leade or throat, lands, grooves, pits and wear if its aged, and they all have a life. Those first several parts are supposed to form a line but many do not. So when you clean your barrel you will clean the exterior and the interior. Most clean the bore but if you clean the barrel its okay as long as you also clean the bore once in awhile.
A Sierra Match King Hollow Point is a target competition bullet. Its not a hunting bullet simply because its name contains the words "hollow point".
Some bullets are made of one metal. They are referred to as monolithic though it has nothing to do with pre-history. Like a monotheist might believe in one god, and atheist will not, generally.
An AR15 has a butt and a forearm or float tube depending on whether the forearm touches the barrel. An AR15 does not have a stock but a Remington Model 700 can. A shotgun has a stock. Its the butt but its made of wood which lends to the term stock better than the AR's butt might. The front part of a shotgun's wood or plastic part you hold on to is the forearm or fore-stock. The butt has a toe, heel, and comb and pistol grip which can be vertical on rifles but not usually on sporting shotguns although tacticool warrant serving door kickers like vertical grips on shotguns because they look cooler and more exclusive.
Many rifles have bolts but not all. A Ruger No.1 does not. Some self loading rifles also have a bolt carrier and when referred to together they become a bolt carrier group.
Plungers are not rubber things on a stick to unstop a commode.
Ejectors are not bar bouncers.
Extractors are not first responders.
Springs are not water holes.
Sights are not places.
Optics are both sights and viewing devices such as binoculars.
Crosshairs can be reticles. Reticles are crosshairs.
Knobs are not heads. They are turrets.
Turrets are not on tanks but scopes or optical sights.
Turrets have figures. Tall. Fat. Short. Knurly. Smooth.
Tank means to be finished. If used enough a barrel will tank in the future.
Milling means to cut, rather than to grind as in corn.
Lugs are not lazy, fat guys.
Dedicated is not a reference to one's character.
Muzzle does not mean shut up.
Crown is not a bejeweled hat or a birthing term.
Burn rate has nothing to do with cigarettes or road rash.
Bonded does not mean good friends.
Marine Tex is not an army guy.
We use adhesive, not glue.
Bedding is not sheets.
Pillars are not bedding.
Marine Tex is bedding.
An action is not a lawsuit.
Receiver is not a football player.
Hot is not good looking.
Smoking has nothing to do with smoke.
A load that hammers might drive nails but its not a hammer.
Butt spike is not a sex toy, necessarily, nor is bolt knob, necessarily.
Suppressor is not an over-bearing spouse.
SBR is a short barreled rifle but makes no sense since it should be termed short barreled carbine but that makes no sense either because carbine means short barreled rifle.
Butt pad is not a seat cushion.
Butt is not what you say when you're getting your ass chewed out.
Butt spacer is not to flatter.
Donut is not for hemorrhoids
Eye relief is not a pretty girl, or man, depending on one's caliber. haha.
Exit pupil is not an expelled student.
Long action is not the one hour prostitute.
Short action is not the half hour one.
Free base means you shot a match at Rifles Only, not to smoke crack.
Slide Glide is not personal lubricant, necessarily.
Wildcat is not a heretofore unexplored gas field.
Hot gas is not produced by flatulence.
Benchrest shooters sit while shooting. Hens set, as does Marine Tex.
Magazines are not clips. A clip is a unit of velocity.
Bridge base is not on the molars. It fits on the prostitutes.
Shoulder bump is not a dance. Get the gauge. Use it.
Headspace has nothing to do with t-tops. Get the gauge. Use it.
Rail does not go with road. Some of them go on prostitutes.
Its not picaninny. Its Picatinny.
E-tip is not illegal insider trading.
Ego is original sin.
And for the repentant is cancelled by the redemptive grace of the risen Christ.
"Improved" cases are mostly ego.
Torqued is not pissed.
Rifle does not mean to pilfer.
Free floater does not mean you've been eating right.
Hot load is not a dump truck full of fresh asphalt......or manure.
Trigger is not a conscious decision to give up one's sobriety date.
Single stage is neither a one ring circus nor the period between marriages.
Lagniappe: The need for the latest and greatest is compensation for an otherwise perceived inadequacy. Guess what it is?
</span>
</span>
<span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">One reason a fella' might be confused is a lot of the ones writing about handloading don't know what they're talking about.
Thus:
A bullet is a projectile. Its not a round or cartridge, which is a loaded and ready to fire bullet, case, primer, propellant -components - combination properly loaded/assembled.
Bullets may be flat-based, boat-tailed, rebated boat-tail, very low drag as distinguished from one that is low drag, drag, or hi-drag. Either of these could require a drag bag, the size and contents of which depends on the duration of the drag show (match).
VVLD. Very, very low drag.
A case is a piece of brass. Its not a lawsuit, but if not done right it could be. NOR is a case a "casing" (sausage skin) or a "shell" or "hull" (shotgun). Casing is what BP and Halliburton boo boo'd on Deep Water Horizon.(RIP)
Flash hole is the orifice the primer flash blasts through to the propellant while crammed into the primer pocket of the case. Flash hole is not a reference to pornography. Same goes for rim.
Propellant is usually powder. When powder is weighed or measured or dropped into a case it becomes a charge. Propellant is thus the more exclusive term. Powder can be other stuff.
Shell holder. Not case holder. Case holder refers to the LE Wilson c'deaser that holds.....the case!....while trimming, not rimming, or pruning or cutting a case.
Optimal Charge Weight- The charge that provides the best ballistic performance. OCW is a good way to work up a load. a phrase that is not a vulgarity here, but might be elsewhere, like dropping a load (charge) into a primed case.
Ram is the big verticle rod in a press. The shell holder fits on the top of it. Dies fit on top of the press.
There are seater dies, de-capping dies, sizer dies, small base dies, neck dies, body dies, dies with mandrels, stems, expander buttons. Some dies are too long. Some shell holders are too thick, preventing sufficient shoulder set-back of the case when sizing. You'll use sizing lube while sizing cases.
The press fits on a table, top of a clothes dryer, or loading bench. Or you can hold it with your knees, but you'll tire of that.
Ogive is the curved nose (cone) of a projectile. Ogives may be secant (some express this as "c-cant, but that is illiterate) or tangent.
Mouth. Neck. Shoulder. Body. Rim. Base. Parts of the case. It does not have eyes. But a bullet has a nose. Some refer to the base as "the ass-end", and the nose as the front-end, though neither are correct.
Shell cases may be re-loaded, but the more accurate term is hand-loaded because a new case has never before been loaded so it cannot be re-loaded but it is certainly a handloaded round. Re-load implies re-bate, return, reject, etc. It is not a term of art.
Its okay to have a round in the chamber if you're ready to fire, but a bullet in the barrel is an obstruction that will cause damage if the round in the chamber enters the bore upon being fired.
A barrel means the whole rod looking thing having a hole from one end to the other. It has a bore, a chamber, a muzzle, a leade or throat, lands, grooves, pits and wear if its aged, and they all have a life. Those first several parts are supposed to form a line but many do not. So when you clean your barrel you will clean the exterior and the interior. Most clean the bore but if you clean the barrel its okay as long as you also clean the bore once in awhile.
A Sierra Match King Hollow Point is a target competition bullet. Its not a hunting bullet simply because its name contains the words "hollow point".
Some bullets are made of one metal. They are referred to as monolithic though it has nothing to do with pre-history. Like a monotheist might believe in one god, and atheist will not, generally.
An AR15 has a butt and a forearm or float tube depending on whether the forearm touches the barrel. An AR15 does not have a stock but a Remington Model 700 can. A shotgun has a stock. Its the butt but its made of wood which lends to the term stock better than the AR's butt might. The front part of a shotgun's wood or plastic part you hold on to is the forearm or fore-stock. The butt has a toe, heel, and comb and pistol grip which can be vertical on rifles but not usually on sporting shotguns although tacticool warrant serving door kickers like vertical grips on shotguns because they look cooler and more exclusive.
Many rifles have bolts but not all. A Ruger No.1 does not. Some self loading rifles also have a bolt carrier and when referred to together they become a bolt carrier group.
Plungers are not rubber things on a stick to unstop a commode.
Ejectors are not bar bouncers.
Extractors are not first responders.
Springs are not water holes.
Sights are not places.
Optics are both sights and viewing devices such as binoculars.
Crosshairs can be reticles. Reticles are crosshairs.
Knobs are not heads. They are turrets.
Turrets are not on tanks but scopes or optical sights.
Turrets have figures. Tall. Fat. Short. Knurly. Smooth.
Tank means to be finished. If used enough a barrel will tank in the future.
Milling means to cut, rather than to grind as in corn.
Lugs are not lazy, fat guys.
Dedicated is not a reference to one's character.
Muzzle does not mean shut up.
Crown is not a bejeweled hat or a birthing term.
Burn rate has nothing to do with cigarettes or road rash.
Bonded does not mean good friends.
Marine Tex is not an army guy.
We use adhesive, not glue.
Bedding is not sheets.
Pillars are not bedding.
Marine Tex is bedding.
An action is not a lawsuit.
Receiver is not a football player.
Hot is not good looking.
Smoking has nothing to do with smoke.
A load that hammers might drive nails but its not a hammer.
Butt spike is not a sex toy, necessarily, nor is bolt knob, necessarily.
Suppressor is not an over-bearing spouse.
SBR is a short barreled rifle but makes no sense since it should be termed short barreled carbine but that makes no sense either because carbine means short barreled rifle.
Butt pad is not a seat cushion.
Butt is not what you say when you're getting your ass chewed out.
Butt spacer is not to flatter.
Donut is not for hemorrhoids
Eye relief is not a pretty girl, or man, depending on one's caliber. haha.
Exit pupil is not an expelled student.
Long action is not the one hour prostitute.
Short action is not the half hour one.
Free base means you shot a match at Rifles Only, not to smoke crack.
Slide Glide is not personal lubricant, necessarily.
Wildcat is not a heretofore unexplored gas field.
Hot gas is not produced by flatulence.
Benchrest shooters sit while shooting. Hens set, as does Marine Tex.
Magazines are not clips. A clip is a unit of velocity.
Bridge base is not on the molars. It fits on the prostitutes.
Shoulder bump is not a dance. Get the gauge. Use it.
Headspace has nothing to do with t-tops. Get the gauge. Use it.
Rail does not go with road. Some of them go on prostitutes.
Its not picaninny. Its Picatinny.
E-tip is not illegal insider trading.
Ego is original sin.
And for the repentant is cancelled by the redemptive grace of the risen Christ.
"Improved" cases are mostly ego.
Torqued is not pissed.
Rifle does not mean to pilfer.
Free floater does not mean you've been eating right.
Hot load is not a dump truck full of fresh asphalt......or manure.
Trigger is not a conscious decision to give up one's sobriety date.
Single stage is neither a one ring circus nor the period between marriages.
Lagniappe: The need for the latest and greatest is compensation for an otherwise perceived inadequacy. Guess what it is?
</span>
</span>
Re: Reloading terminology.
Excellent post Casey!
If I may be so bold as to add:
A dump is a place where you take refuse.
A thrower is something with which you throw clay birds.
A measure is a device you can use to drop a charge of propellant directly into a case.
Thanks for asking Chuck, an excellent first step is to master and identify proper terminology, one can not effectively communicate otherwise. You are on the correct path.
Excellent post Casey!
If I may be so bold as to add:
A dump is a place where you take refuse.
A thrower is something with which you throw clay birds.
A measure is a device you can use to drop a charge of propellant directly into a case.
Thanks for asking Chuck, an excellent first step is to master and identify proper terminology, one can not effectively communicate otherwise. You are on the correct path.
Re: Reloading terminology.
Thanks Casey for all of that information. Luckily I am in fairly good health so I should be able to take that with the proverbial grain of salt with which it was written. No high blood pressure on this end. Yet.
Thanks Casey for all of that information. Luckily I am in fairly good health so I should be able to take that with the proverbial grain of salt with which it was written. No high blood pressure on this end. Yet.
Re: Reloading terminology.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Casey Simpson</div><div class="ubbcode-body">..
Long action is not the one hour prostitute.
Short action is not the half hour one.
.. </div></div>
I cannot digest that many jokes.
This is the only one I remembered in the morning.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Casey Simpson</div><div class="ubbcode-body">..
Long action is not the one hour prostitute.
Short action is not the half hour one.
.. </div></div>
I cannot digest that many jokes.
This is the only one I remembered in the morning.
Re: Reloading terminology.
Try again. Pickup where you left off.
Try again. Pickup where you left off.
Re: Reloading terminology.
You asked for it.
You asked for it.
Re: Reloading terminology.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Casey Simpson</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
You asked for it. </div></div> I guess I did. I have to go back out to the shop now. I am working up a new hunting load. No, that is not something you drop in your pants if you don't get out of the stand in time.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Casey Simpson</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
You asked for it.
Re: Reloading terminology.
A hot load is not the money shot.
A hot load is not the money shot.
Re: Reloading terminology.
That's good. Really.
A hot load is not blacktop.
That's good. Really.
A hot load is not blacktop.
Re: Reloading terminology.
How about:
A hot load is not what just got flushed down the toilet.
I'm new to handloading too, and found this glossary to be helpful.
http://www.three-peaks.net/reload.htm#glossary
How about:
A hot load is not what just got flushed down the toilet.
I'm new to handloading too, and found this glossary to be helpful.
http://www.three-peaks.net/reload.htm#glossary
Re: Reloading terminology.
Those are yankee terms. We don't use those down here.
Those are yankee terms. We don't use those down here.
Re: Reloading terminology.
Just as THE authority on ballistics is Litz, THE authority on handloading is:
HANDLOADING FOR COMPETITION; MAKING THE TARGET LARGER, by Glenn Zediker.
Make his website a favorite. He updates it frequently.
With one exception. I agree with Zediker to polish the expander button. This will alleviate neck stretch and disturbing case neck concentricity and length. But I depart from the general rule of Zediker on this and subscribe to Froggy's rule of removing the expander button. However, do this only on bolt gun cases which, in most guns, will not incur damage to the mouth during ejection. On the other hand, AR's and other self loaders might ding case mouths during ejection to the extent only an inside tool will make the mouth round again so as to engage the bullet with the same friction on all around.
At this juncture, use the expander button but only on the up stroke of the ram so the expander expands on the way in. On the way out can stretch a case mouth. Use it like a mandrel. Or just use a mandrel.
So the black letter of the law on Ballistics should be titled: Litz on Ballistics.
The black letter of the law on handloading should be titled: Zediker on Handloads.
The black letter of the law on shooting should be titled: Tubb: Shooting.
The black letter of the law on assertiveness should be titled: Simpson on Arrogance.
These three men settle all disagreements. They are the elders, and though there are others as good, for now they have earned their place as current
"The Ten Commandments of Guns and Ammo" by Litz, Tubb & Zediker.
I was doing this stuff before it became cool. I sincerely consider these guys' opinion based on intelligence and long experience. I do as they say, generally.
Just as THE authority on ballistics is Litz, THE authority on handloading is:
HANDLOADING FOR COMPETITION; MAKING THE TARGET LARGER, by Glenn Zediker.
Make his website a favorite. He updates it frequently.
With one exception. I agree with Zediker to polish the expander button. This will alleviate neck stretch and disturbing case neck concentricity and length. But I depart from the general rule of Zediker on this and subscribe to Froggy's rule of removing the expander button. However, do this only on bolt gun cases which, in most guns, will not incur damage to the mouth during ejection. On the other hand, AR's and other self loaders might ding case mouths during ejection to the extent only an inside tool will make the mouth round again so as to engage the bullet with the same friction on all around.
At this juncture, use the expander button but only on the up stroke of the ram so the expander expands on the way in. On the way out can stretch a case mouth. Use it like a mandrel. Or just use a mandrel.
So the black letter of the law on Ballistics should be titled: Litz on Ballistics.
The black letter of the law on handloading should be titled: Zediker on Handloads.
The black letter of the law on shooting should be titled: Tubb: Shooting.
The black letter of the law on assertiveness should be titled: Simpson on Arrogance.
These three men settle all disagreements. They are the elders, and though there are others as good, for now they have earned their place as current
"The Ten Commandments of Guns and Ammo" by Litz, Tubb & Zediker.
I was doing this stuff before it became cool. I sincerely consider these guys' opinion based on intelligence and long experience. I do as they say, generally.
Re: Reloading terminology.
The Zediker book is good. However, I recommend it only to experienced reloaders that have been doing it for a while. He goes into ridiculous detail and REALLY REALLY goes all out on his ammo in every way.
That said, my preference on sizing is to size the neck .002-.003" smaller than your intended size for desired neck tension, then run the case onto a Sinclair expander mandrel. Main troyble with FLS expander buttons is they work on the ram downstroke!
The Zediker book is good. However, I recommend it only to experienced reloaders that have been doing it for a while. He goes into ridiculous detail and REALLY REALLY goes all out on his ammo in every way.
That said, my preference on sizing is to size the neck .002-.003" smaller than your intended size for desired neck tension, then run the case onto a Sinclair expander mandrel. Main troyble with FLS expander buttons is they work on the ram downstroke!
Re: Reloading terminology.
Zediker on loading is the source I used to get back into loading several years ago after being out a decade. For a novice? Better to learn it right the first time than to overcome a bad habit later. This publication is a regularly referred to manual for me. Every loader must have one.
Zediker on loading is the source I used to get back into loading several years ago after being out a decade. For a novice? Better to learn it right the first time than to overcome a bad habit later. This publication is a regularly referred to manual for me. Every loader must have one.
Re: Reloading terminology.
Excellant encapsulation Casey. May I presume to suggest an expansion on one point that bugs me?
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">A case is a piece of brass. Its not a lawsuit, but if not done right it could be. </span><span style="text-decoration: underline">NOR is a case a "casing" (sausage skin) or a "shell" or "hull" (shotgun</span>).</span>
Excellant encapsulation Casey. May I presume to suggest an expansion on one point that bugs me?
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">A case is a piece of brass. Its not a lawsuit, but if not done right it could be. </span><span style="text-decoration: underline">NOR is a case a "casing" (sausage skin) or a "shell" or "hull" (shotgun</span>).</span>
Re: Reloading terminology.
I shoot hot loads.
I shoot hot loads.
Re: Reloading terminology.
20; that would be "bolt" or "mandrel".
20; that would be "bolt" or "mandrel".
Re: Reloading terminology.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">SBR is a short barreled rifle but makes no sense since it should be termed short barreled carbine but that makes no sense either because carbine means short barreled rifle.</div></div>
I like this one the best. Finally, a clear definition...
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">SBR is a short barreled rifle but makes no sense since it should be termed short barreled carbine but that makes no sense either because carbine means short barreled rifle.</div></div>
I like this one the best. Finally, a clear definition...
Re: Reloading terminology.
Well done indeed! That one should be a sticky.
Well done indeed! That one should be a sticky.
