Air Gun Lingo: Puzzling abbreviations explained

If you are new to airguns, you'll eventually run across some of the acronyms shooters use in referencing different aspects of the sport. On my forum, it isn't uncommon to have someone inquire as to what an abbreviation means. So in case you run across some unexplained terms and their shorter versions, here is a brief list of some of them. David Enoch of the yellowforum.com was kind enough to pose this question for the benefit of others, and here are some of the responses:


Types of Airguns

Springers : guns powered by a spring and piston

MSP : Multi-Stroke Pneumatic (pump up guns)

SSP : Single Stroke Pneumatic (gun pumps up on a single stroke of air)

PCP : Pre-charged Pneumatic (A type of airgun that uses areservoir on the gun that is filled from an external tank like a scuba tank, or with a handpump.)

C02 : Guns powered by carbon dioxide, either from bulk filled tanks or from 12 gram powerlets.



Pellets

JSB: JSB is a manufacturer from Czechoslovakia who makes very good pellets.

CP: Crosman Premier pellet

CPL: Crosman Premier Light pellet. A 7.9 grain domed pellet from Crosman.

CPH: Crosman Premier Heavy. A heavier version of the 177 caliber domed pellet from Crosman.



Other terms

HDD: hammer debounce device - used to restrict the bouncing of the hammer on the valve stem immediately after the shot, which releases and wastes more air from the chamber.

AO: adjustable objective

QB: a family of Chinese made air rifles, but most often used to refer to the QB78, a close clone of the CO2 Crosman 160. Manufactured in the Shanghai factory.

BAM: another Chinese factory that manufactures airguns. Best Airgun Manufacture

FPS: feet per second; how fast a pellet is traveling once fired.

FPE: foot-pounds of energy - a measure of knockdown power, using a mathematical formula of (mass x velocity squared) divided by 450240.


These are just a few of the acronyms you may run across while reading the airgun forums, and I hope this brief list will help you keep up with the thread of conversation as enthusiasts sling the lingo around.

Looking for Information about Airguns?

If you are my age, you probably remember a TV show hosted by Leonard Nimoy, the actor who portrayed Spock on Star Trek, titled "In Search Of....". It was a great little show, seeking to explain phenomenom and other interesting things that make you go "hmmm".

When if comes to finding useful information on airguns, you may find yourself resorting to all kinds of searches to find more information concerning the airguns you enjoy as a hobby or sport. It is probably best to rely on the experience and expertise of others until you have personal experience of your own on which to base your airgun opinion.

One very useful bit of information has been catalogued and is available for download. A fellow airgunner on one of the many airgun forums took the time to make so much information easily available that I wanted to share with you how to access it.

Rather than fill up the page here on the blog with several printed pages of instructions, I'll post a link to where you can find the directions to access this wealth of knowledge. Here it is:

AIRGUN REFERENCE LIBRARY

There is quite a bit of info there, so be sure to follow the directions to use the torrent download option in order to access the wealth of knowledge available.

Another useful little software package that helps airgunners the world over enjoy sharing pictures of their airguns, hunting trophies, or other airgun related events, is a little gem called IrfanView. Most forums and websites that allow you to upload pictures want you to downsize the original to a more manageable size so that the website can still load quickly. IrfanView is great for resizing and otherwise working with your pictures in order to save, adjust, and post your pictures for the benefit of others. And, it was developed by a fellow airgunner Irfan Skiljan, a graduate of the Vienna University of Technology. And it's FREE!

Hook up your IrfanView-manipulated files to a free picture hosting service such as Photobucket, and you are ready to share your pics with others. And making our shooting community bigger and more influential is one of the keys to keeping our shooting and hunting rights safe from the advances of those who would do away with them. So check out these resources, and enjoy your airgun shooting with more knowledge at your fingertips, and an easier way to share your hobby pics with others.

Don't forget to grab a good supply of ammo, or pick up that perfect airgun gift here at Compasseco for the New Year!

Enjoy the year of 2009, and shoot as often as you can!

New Year's Shooting Resolutions

As we begin the 2009 year, just about everywhere you look there are New Year's Resolutions flying around. Most are unattainable, some are frivolous, and others are just downright silly! But here are a couple that might be of interest to you, the airgun shooter:

1. Shoot more, and shoot more often!

2. Pick one of the guns you've had in the closet for too long and re-acquaint yourself with it.

3. Start a local airgun shooting club. It doesn't take that much to enjoy yourself with friends.

4. Introduce a child to the joys of the shooting sports.

5. Learn all you can about one of your guns....what ammo it likes the best, how it likes to be held, where it hits at what range....learn that one gun intimately.

6. Try an airgun powerplant that you haven't already tried (CO2, spring-piston, pre-charged pneumatic, or self-contained pumper). Don't limit yourself to just one kind.

7. Attend one of the airgun shows this year. You'll find lots of folks eager to talk to you about airguns.

8. Enter at least one competition this year, just for the heck of it. You might enjoy it in spite of yourself!

9. If you hunt, take a child hunting. Introduce them to the great outdoors.

10. Join one of the many airgun forums online and learn all you can about airguns. Then spread the word!

Don't forget to check in here at Compasseco to rake in the deals on ammo, guns, and accessories.