Airsoft, like any other game, is a bowl of alphabet soup. Hopefully this little “primer” will help you get caught up to speed.
A
ACOG – Advanced combat optical sight. Usually in reference to the Trijicon TA31H.
AEG- Acronym for Automatic Electric Gun. Basically refers to any electrically operated Airsoft gun.
AFG – Angled Foregrip.
AK- A very iconic platform 2nd only to the AR/M4/M16. Seen usually in the hands of the bad guys in popular media like RusFor or militia fighters/terrorists. Can range from AK47. AKM, AK74, and all other variants.
AKV – The name for 9mm AK from American Manufacturer Palmetto State Armory, a recreation of the pp19.
Anticipating – driving muzzle of the gun downward in anticipation of recoil as you pull the trigger, throwing shots off target.
AOE or Angle of Engagement – the angle at which the sector gear engages the pickup tooth of the piston
ARP9 – G&G’s pcc model. This gun is designed for close quarters and features a mosfet capable of burst fire.
ATF – Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms.
AUG – A model of rifle designed by Steyr, used by the Austrian military. It is known for being one of the few bullpup models in active service by a modern military force.
Australian Peel – the same as a combat peel, but to the side instead of the rear.
Avalon – The name VFC uses for the internal system in many of their premium guns. Found inside of their popular Avalon line, and many of the newer VFC HK replicas.
AWOL – Absent Without Leave, used in airsoft terms to describe the teammate that is constantly running off to be a “lone wolf”
B
BABA Yaga- An airsoft pistol produced by KLI
Backlighting- Shining your light on someone’s back casting their shadow in front of them for potential enemies to see.
Barrel Cover- Some type of cover or sock designed to cover the barrel of your gun and is required by certain fields.
BB (ballistic ball, ball bullet) – Spherical in shape, is the name of the projectile fired out of an airsoft gun. BB’s can be found in both 6mm & 8mm in size and are available in a variety of weights.
BAR – Browning Automatic Rifle, an American Automatic rifle designed by browning, famous for it’s use in WW2. Also called the M1918.
Beaver Tail – Normally found on a 1911 style Airsoft pistol. This is another name for the grip safety. Beaver tail is the name used to describe the shape of an upgraded grip safety.
Bolty – A nickname for bolt action Airsoft guns
Bolt Action- A term to describe a weapon in which each round must be manually loaded before firing and manually extracted after each trigger pull.
Bounding – Using one element to cover the movements of another combat force, either with suppressive fire or over-watch.
Boujee – Luxurious (short for “bourgeois”)
Bio / Bio BB – Refers to BB(s) that are biodegradable.
Bison – the name for the pp19 bison, a 9mm AK variant that utilizes a unique rotating drum magazine.
Bite valve – valve on the end of a drinking tube which allows water to flow when bitten (Camelback, source)
Bladder- Flexible water bottle often associated with a drinking tube and bite valve.
Blind man- A universal verbal signal indicating a player on the field does not have the proper eye protection and to cease gameplay. This is typically due to either losing said protection or it has been compromised in some way shape or form.
Blowback Housing – This part houses the loading nozzle located in the slide.
Bucket – This is your helmet. Protect yourself.
Bullpup- A rifle configuration in which the action and magazine are located behind the trigger. Break (Trigger Break) – point at which the triggers allows the hammer to drop.
C
Cache- A hidden stash.
Can – A colloquial term for suppressor.
Cant- Tilting the firearm slightly to one side.
Canted Iron Sight – Iron sights which are set at an angle compared to the normal sight that sits on the tip of a rifle. This allows the user to tilt the entire rifle and acquire sights as a backup to their main sight which may be magnified and unusable at a close range
Carbine – A rifle with a relatively short barrel. Any rifle or carbine with a barrel less than 16″.
Cammies – Camo uniform or clothing. You wear this so you can look “operator”.
CB- Abbreviation for Coyote Brown.
Chapman stance – A modified version of weaver stance where the dominant arm is locked out completely, and the support hand is bent which allows the shooter to create a cheek weld on their upper arm.
Cheapsoft– Cheaply made Airsoft guns and accessories.
Chopped – Slang for a type of gun that is shortened, sometimes by unconventional means. Usually this just means the barrel has been shortened and is a popular modification to do on the Stoner LMGs, as well as other support weapons.
CAR stance – Central Axis Relock, a flashy style of handgun shooting used in the splinter cell games, and John Wick movies, designed for rapid point shooting and self defense.
Carabiner/Karabiner/Biner – Metal clip used for securing looped items.
CCT – Airforce Combat Controllers.
Center Mass- The largest portion of an enemy target (torso) which increases your chances of making a shot.
Chairsofter – That forum troll who never plays, hides behind his keyboard, and acts like he knows everything. May also be called a Keyboard Commando or Chairborne Ranger.
CO – Commanding officer, in Airsoft terms, this is typically the person in charge of your team at an event.
Cordura- Synthetic material often used in tactical gear, backpacks, gaiters, and other items that require heavy duty fabrics.
Clap – To kill. I.E. “We just clapped those guys!” or “We just got clapped by that sniper”.
Combat Machine- a series of Airsoft guns from the Taiwanese company G&G. The Combat Machine line includes many models, most commonly referenced being models such as the CM16 as it is one of the oldest models still used in Airsoft to this day. The Combat Machine line has a reputation of being one of the most up-gradable and universal platforms on the market and is still sought after for it’s affordable price point and ease of installation of aftermarket parts.
COMMs- Radio set for communication i.e. walkie talkie.
Compensator – Also call a Muzzle Brake. A device attached to or made as part of a firearms barrel designed to reduce recoil or muzzle movement on firing. They generally increase muzzle blast. The may also, but not necessarily so, diminish muzzle flash.
Closed bolt system- a system that fires the BB in the chamber first then loads the next round rather than an open bolt system that loads and fires each round per cycle.
Crosshairs – The cross-shaped object seen in the center of a firearm scope. It’s more-proper name is reticle.
Cryes – a slang term to describe Crye Precision-style pants with knee pads integrated. May also refer to Crye Precision, the gear manufacturer.
Cylinder – piece the piston is driven through to create air compression to fire the round
C-Clamp – a popular shooting stance where the shooter uses the offhand to make a C around the barrel for follow up shot stability
CQB – Close quarter combat game play.
CZ SP01 – A 9mm style pistol platform made in the Czech Republic.
CZ Scorpion – A 9mm carbine rifle made by CZ famed for its light weight and minimal recoil.
D
Daniel Defense – is an arms manufacturer, founded in 2002 by Marty Daniel in Savannah, Georgia
Dead Box/Respawn- The designated area where players who are considered hit or dead must gather and await either further instructions, the next round, or re-spawn before entering the game once more. This helps distinguish who on the field is left alive.
Dead Rag- A piece of cloth lighter material (usually red) to help notify other players that they are dead
Desert Eagle – A semi-automatic handgun known for chambering the largest center fire cartridge of any magazine-fed, self-loading pistol. Widely used in movies and video games, the gun is known more for having a “cool factor” than actual reliability or utility.
Delta: A branch of the Green Berets, First special forces operational detachment – delta. The Army’s most Tier one special operations unit.
DSG / Dual Sector Gear – Sector gear with two sectors on opposite sides of the gear which creates a much faster rate of fire. For every one rotation of the sector gear the piston is cycled twice.
Decocker- On double-action semi-automatic gun, a lever that mechanically lowers the hammer without firing the gun.
Detonate- To explode with great violence. It is generally associated with high explosives e.g. TNT, dynamite, etc.
Digi flora- Russian standard issue camouflage
Dome rocked – See also: Domed; To get shot in the head, or headshotted.
Double Action- A type of firearm that may be discharged either by manually cocking the weapon and then pulling the trigger or by using trigger action to both cock and fire the weapon.
Double Feed- malfunction where the gun loads more than one round into the hopup chamber, typically a mechanical failure.
Double tap- Two shots fired in rapid succession. Generally without getting a new sight picture on the target.
Down Range- The area of a gun range where firearms are pointed when they are fired.
Drop safety- A mechanical safety that prevents the gun from firing when it is unintentionally dropped.
DRY! – Call out for when you are out of ammo.
Dummy Round- An inert ammunition-shaped object, typically used on LMGs to imitate belt ammunition.
D3 / D3CR – An M4 chest rig designed by Haley Strategic, popular for it ability to integrate directly to various plate carriers.
D3CR-H – Similar to a D3 or D3CR chest rig, but designed for 7.62 sized magazines, such as those for an M110, SR25, or SCAR-H.
D3CRM – The “Micro” version of the D3 style chest rig designed by Haley Strategic as a competitor to the Spiritus MicroFight. Utilizing removable inserts, it is adaptable to several styles of weapon platform and has a smaller size profile than other D3 models.
E
EBR – The acronym for the M14 Enhanced Battle Rifle. This version of the M14 features a telescoping stock, shorter barrel, pistol grip, and a full picatinny rail
ECS – electronic control system, commonly found in many Classic Army rifles to provide the function of most after market MOSFET units in their stock guns for better performance
Efficiency of Motion/Movement – Related to using less energy during the execution of a sport skill. This can also be related to the “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” motto when practicing movement or skills like reloads.
Ejection Port – The part of a firearm that ejects shell casings.
Eject – The act of removing the magazine from a firearm.
Elevation- The setting on the sights used to accommodate the elevation or distance.
Eyepro – any type of eye protection. Can refer to either a full face mask or goggles, though typically will refer to something ANSI rated and accepted at most Airsoft fields.
Extra – Colloquial Gen Z term for over done. Often used in Airsoft to describe a gun with too much put into it.
F
Failure to feed- gun malfunction that the nozzle fails to load a round into the hopup or fails to fire a round out of the hopup.
FAL- also know as the ” right arm of the free world” 308 platform rifle used through out the 20th century.
FDE- abbreviation for Flat Dark Earth.
Firepower- A volume of fire delivered by a squad.
Fire for Effect – Volley of artillery fired once range and windage have been accurately identified, meant to hit the intended target
Firing line- A line, either imaginary or marked, from which people shoot their firearms down range.
Flash hider- A muzzle attachment intended to reduce visible muzzle flash caused by the burning propellant. Flash reducers lessen glare as seen by the shooter, but do not hide the flash from other observers to the front or side of the firearm.
Flinch- Jerking the gun just before the shot fires. Commonly caused by learning to shoot with a gun more powerful then they are ready for.
Flat trigger – named for the flat face of the trigger, a popular trend in real guns that has come over to airsoft guns for aesthetic reasons.
Flat hop- replacing the round nub with a flat nub and flat bucking to help with tighter grouping
FN SCAR- A gas operated rifle developed by the Belgian manufacturer FN Herstal as requested by SOCOM. There are two main variants of the SCAR; those being the MK17 and the MK16, each chambered in a different caliber.
FNX – A series of pistols made by FN America, it is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP Cartridges.
FN57: a semi-automatic pistol made by FN Herstal. Named for it’s 5.7mm bullet diameter, it was designed in conjunction with the FN P90 to use the same FN 5.7x28mm ammunition.
FOB- Forward operating base.
Fobbit – Someone who hangs out in respawn all day, too lazy or out of shape to keep fighting.
Folding stock – A type of stock that folds back onto the receiver of the weapon in order to decrease overall size. This can be used to make storage easier or to make a weapon easier to wield in close quarters. Stocks can fold to the side, underneath (in the case of some AKs) or onto the top of the weapon (in the case of the SPAS 12 and the PP19)
Fox Hole- A hole dug in the ground intended to be used as a firing position.
Fore-end- That part of the stock forward of the action and located below the barrel or barrels. It is designed to give the shooter a place to hold the front end of the gun and protects the shooter’s hand from getting burned on the hot barrel.
Frame- The common part of a handgun to which the action, barrel and grip are connected.
Front sight- The front sight is placed at the muzzle end of the barrel. It is often (but not always) in the form of a dot or a blade. To attain a proper sight picture and shoot with the greatest degree of accuracy, the shooter’s eye should be focused sharply upon the front sight while shooting, allowing both the rear sight and the target to blur somewhat.
Front Strap- The part of a revolver or pistol grip frame that faces forward and often joins with the trigger guard.
FSP – An acronym for the Front Sight Post of a rifle. Can also be used to describe the Daniel Defense Front Sight Post Rail
Full Metal Jacket (FMJ)- A type of round in which in which the lead core bullet is encased in a harder metal jacket on the front and sides.
G
Gas Operated- guns that are driven by gas typically stored in the magazines
Gassed out- too tired to keep going, out of energy.
GAT – Your BB Blaster. The tool of your airsoft destruction
Gauge- The bore size of a shotgun determined by the number of round lead balls of bore diameter that equals a pound. It is used like “Caliber” for the shotgun.
GBB- acronym for Gas Blow Back. Used to describe Airsoft guns which use a form of gas as the main propellant and simulate a form of recoil or “Blowback” not too unlike a real firearm. Mainly applies to guns utilizing Green Gas/Duster Gas however can apply to Airsoft guns that are CO2 operated.
Gearbox- the inner workings of an AEG. A shell which holds the majority of the internal parts such as gears, piston, spring, etc. Every AEG will feature one and depending on the platform the gearbox type type will vary, Ver. 2 being the most common and typically found in M4/M16/AR platform and even some MP5’s and other platforms on occasion.
Getting rolled / Swept – To be wiped out by the enemy team quickly.
GIGR- Groupe d’Intervention de La Gendarmerie Royale.
Ghost-Ring Sight- A type of aperture rear sight with a large opening and a thin rim that seems to fade out when the shooter looks through it. Sometimes installed on rifles and shotguns intended for home defense or police use.
Glock – A series of polymer-framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi automatic pistols made by Australian manufacturer Glock. Widely seen as one of the more popular firearms among civilians, they have also been top performers in both military and police applications.
GOAT – Greatest of all Time
Go Bag/Pack- A pre-packed bag or pack that’s kept ready in the event of a sudden need to escape a certain area and move off grid. These are usually packed with essential survival supplies such as food, hunting or fishing tools, weapons, flashlights, etc.
GoPro- An action camera used by many Airsoft YouTubers and players to record themselves playing.
Gore-Tex – A breathable fabric used for weatherproof jackets, boots, and trousers.
Gorka – A Russian style of uniform, designed for fighting in cold environments, typically made of a thick canvas.
GPS- Global Positioning System- A satellite navigation system.
Grains- A unit of weight measurement used for bullets and gunpowder. The more grains, the heavier the bullet. Powder is also measured by grains, but this is generally of interest only to re-loaders. There are 7000 grains to a pound.
G.R.O.M- Polish special forces
Grouping – A gathering of holes in the target. The group size is measured by finding the bullet holes that are the furthest apart from each other and measuring from the center of one hole to the center of the other hole.The closer the holes, the better. Obviously the number of shots fired affect the group size. Typical numbers are three, five and ten. From a statistics viewpoint a three shot group is virtually meaningless as a measurement of firearm accuracy. Five shot groups are acceptable. Some advocate a seven shot group as a good trade off between economy and statistical relevance.
Grip Reduction – Normally done prior to grip stippling, grip reduction is done to reduce the thickness of a grip & contouring the grip to fit the users palm.
Grips- The handle used to hold a handgun. Often refers to the side-panels of the handle or the method by which the shooter holds the handgun. Also refers to attachment placed on rails of rifles that offer a different hand positioning for greater control of the rifle.
Grip Panels- The interchangeable surfaces that are installed on the part of the gun that you hold. Users change grip panels to improve the look or feel of the firearm, or to personalize it so that the gun is more suited to a different hand size. Some grip panels are chosen for function, while others are chosen for looks. Common grip-panel materials are wood, plastic, and rubber.
Grip Safety- A passive, external safety typically located on the back strap, which must be fully depressed to release the trigger. Most 1911-pattern pistols feature a grip safety.
Gucci / Kosher – This term is used to describe items of kit that are really nice, or otherwise correct for a specific impression or loadout.
G36- a classic rifle platform developed by H&K, the G36 has been the main service rifle of the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) since the late 90’s. A good alternative for those looking to play the “good guy” without an M4.
H
Hair Trigger- A trigger that breaks from an extremely light touch. Commonly found on hpa guns and gate titan builds.
Hammer- On guns so equipped, the hammer is the part that rotates to provide the percussive impact on the primer. The firing pin may be struck by the hammer, or the firing pin may be a part of the hammer. Not all guns have hammers. Many guns are equipped with strikers: notably Glock pistols and the vast majority of bolt action rifles. Hammers may be exposed or shrouded, spurred or bobbed.
Handguard – the portion of a rifle that covers the barrel and allows the user to properly support the weapon. Can also be used to describe the rail in use, the main difference being a hand guard typically refers to the polymer clam shell style while a rail will most likely feature some type of modular mounting system for accessories.
Heat Cas – Short for heat casualty, or someone suffering heat stroke/exhaustion. You don’t want to be this guy.
Hemming Fire – A form of suppressive fire where the gunner utilizes large sweeping motions to cover a wide area in their field of fire.
High speed Low drag- A term to describe a type of gear or kit loadout that designed to allow the user to move more freely and quickly which is usually at the cost of protection or carrying capacity.
Hi-Power – a pistol designed by browning to improve upon the 1911’s design.
HPA Tap – The process of taking a GBB airsoft gun and replacing the gas fill valve with a male sided HPA fitting. This allows the user to run a consistent PSI to their gas gun, but does also require the HPA line to be switched between reloads. This modification is popular on the JAG scatterguns since they can be tapped through the buffer tube.
HPA gun – High pressure air. Guns that are powered by a separate air tank. Usually have adjustable FPS and ROF.
Hump- to carry a large load that is comfortable for you to manage for a distance.
Hydro- short for hydration, commonly used to reference water usually carried by a player during, before or after playing to drink in order to not.
I
IAR- Infantry Automatic Rifle, usually used to describe any weapon platform that is magazine fed but is also designed to sustain automatic fire for prolonged engagements. Usually fits into an armory in between the normal assault rifles and squad automatic rifles.
Isosceles Stance – A handgun shooting stance where the shooter squares up the chest to target, forming an isosceles triangle with the arms, common for shooters wearing armor.
IWB – inside the waist band – a type of holster used for concealed carry, named for sitting inside the waistband.
J
Jacket Offset Holster – a type of holster that is mounted to the belt, but rides somewhere between an OWB and a drop leg holster, popular for its ability to clear outerwear such as a rain jacket.
Jam (BB) – BB jams are commonly the result of poor quality BBs or improper maintenance to the barrel. BB’s jams are the most common causes of malfunction to the gearbox of an electric airsoft gun. The obvious audible indication of a BB jam is a low muffled thud when the airsoft gun is being fired. Visually user will see that a BB has not been fired out of the muzzle. In this scenario ” STOP” firing and manually clear the jam with an un-jamming rod.
K
Kentucky Windage – Slang for the adjustment made by a shooter to compensate for wind or movement of a target. Instead of adjusting the sights on the firearm, the shooter will aim at an estimated point horizontal to the targets current position to make the shot.
Keymod – A type of universal mounting system for rifles, named for the keyhole shape of it’s mounting slots.
KIA: Acronym for Killed in Action. Another term used in various milsim events.
Killflash – A device placed over a scope to reduce the flash or glint off the lens from the sun or other light sources.
KISS – Keep it simple stupid
Klicks- Alternative for kilometers.
Kydex – at firm material that is used to make holsters.
L
LCT- A Taiwanese based airsoft company known for their high quality AK series of rifles.
LMG – Acronym for Light Machine Gun. Assigned to individual soldiers and often.
LOADING! – A call out short for Reloading, shout this out during game play when you are in the process of reloading as a form of communication to your team. Hopefully they will cover you.
Loading nozzle – This part can be found in the slide of most gas blowback semi auto airsoft pistols. The loading nozzle is responsible for loading a bb into the chamber and operating the blowback function.
Lobbed – To throw or slings something. Used to “lob bb’s” or “I lobbed a grenade at those guys”.
LPVO – The acronym for a Low Power Variable Optic, which is commonly called a Short Dot. These optics have little to no zoom on their lowest setting, and commonly go up to a 4-6x zoom. These optics are popular because they offer the advantages of a red dot and a higher powered scope in one package
LRCO – Short for last round cutoff, used in airsoft guns to cut the function of a gearbox when a magazine is empty.
M
M4a1- A 14.5 in rifle commonly used by the American military.
M14- Battle rifle commonly used by the us through out the Vietnam, and Iraq war.
Magwell Grip – a common stance where the shooter places the offhand on the magazine or magazine well to stabilize the rifle.
Makorov- Popular Russian pistol
Mall Ninja – Would be things that look awesome or seem useful but aren’t very practical.
Mall ninja AF – to describe someone who’s covered their guns in way too much stuff to be useful.
Marine Raiders- special forces group of the marine corps.
Marine Recon – Another special forces group within the marine corps
MARSOC: Marine Corps Special Operations command, The Marine Corp’s special operations force, and their equivalent to the SEALS and Delta.
Master Mike- Similar to the 40 Mike, but spreads the bb’s out for less pain.
MIA: Acronym for Missing in Action. Playfully used in milsim events to describe a player, typically a squad leader, who is constantly absent or missing. Especially during firefights or intense moments.
Mid cap – a mid capacity magazine
Milspec- Military specification
Mike- alternative for minutes (Also Dead).
MICH – Modular Integrated Communications Helmet, a helmet for the US Army designed to allow for the integration or wearing of communications gear underneath.
Microgun – a 5.56x45mm NATO six-barrel rotary machine gun with a high, sustained rate of fire of about 400 to 10,000 rounds per minute. It features a Gatling-style rotating barrel assembly with an external power source, normally an electric motor. The “Micro” in the name is in comparison to larger-caliber designs that use a rotary barrel design, such as General Electric’s Minigun, and “gun” for the use of rifle caliber bullets as opposed to autocannon shells.
Minigun – a 7.62×51mm NATO six-barrel rotary machine gun with a high, sustained rate of fire of about 2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute. It features a Gatling-style rotating barrel assembly with an external power source, normally an electric motor. The “Mini” in the name is in comparison to larger-caliber designs that use a rotary barrel design, such as General Electric’s earlier 20 mm M61 Vulcan, and “gun” for the use of rifle caliber bullets as opposed to autocannon shells.
Minimum engagement- This will vary according to every field or event organizer. Typically refers to the minimum distance required in order to fire at an opponent. If a player is within the distance or closer, they are require to yell “Bang Bang” or “Surrender” to the opponent. This is done to lessen shots taken at “unsafe” distances and to avoid hurting other players. This rule however will vary from field to field and some events might not even have such a rule.
MK16- Also known as the SCAR L, this variant fire 5.56x45mm NATO rounds and fed through the same STANAG (m16) magazines still in use. This was intended to replace the M4A1, MK18, and MK12 but ultimately SOCOM decided to cancel the project
Mk18 – A popular short barreled rifle used by the navy. Popular with Airsofters for its compact size and easy mobility.
Mk20 – The Sniper Rifle variant of the FN SCAR. This is an elongated Mk17 featuring a longer barrel and handguard, popular in airsoft for DMR builds and Sniper setups. Sometimes called a MK17 SSR.
MLOK – A competitor to keymod designed by Magpul, utilizing an updated version of their MOE furniture with rectangular shapes.
Motor- An electromagnet that is powered by a battery that starts turns the gear train in an electric airsoft gun’s gearbox thus powering the gun.
Motor Height- The height of the motor in correlation to the amount of contact between the pinion gear and the bevel gear.
MMG – A type of machine gun that fires a higher caliber when it comes to real guns. While functionally these are the same as any other airsoft gun, some fields have begun to extend the FPS limits for these heavier guns to make up for how cumbersome they are. Examples of this include the M132 Minigun, M60, PKM, and Mk48.
MOLLE: Modular Lightweight Load Carrying Equipment is usually the system used to attach pouches onto tactical gear
MP5- A sub machine gun very popular in the airsoft world due to its smaller compact size. Modeled after the famous smg created by H&K, mp5’s and all their variants are great for CQB.
MP5k – a very compact PDW variant of the MP5.
MP7 – A compact Personal Defense Weapon designed by HK to replace the aging MP5 series. It uses a 4.6mm round and is adept at stopping body armor. Replicas are made by VFC and KWA.
MRO – Miniature Rifle Optic, an optic designed by Trijicon to compete in the “small red dot” market.
N
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Includes the United States, Most European Union Members, Canada, and Turkey. Typically the “good guys” at MSW and other MILSIM events.
Nemesis – Classic Army’s high-end line of guns. Designed around their ECS trigger system, these guns come upgraded and deliver high performance without an excessive price.
Next gen – Another term for the recoil shock rifle.
NGRS – A term for TM’s recoil shock series of rifles, famous for their realistic felt recoil.
Night stalkers- Pilot special forces group.
O
OCP -Acronym for Operational Camouflage pattern. The current designation for the multicam variant pattern in use with the Army formerly known as Scorpion W2.
OD- Abbreviation for Olive Drab.
Odin – A name for the Odin M12 sidewinder speedloader. Known for it’s crank handle loading mechanism.
Off Grid- A term used to describe living on ones own capabilities with no reliance on public commodities such as power, groceries, shelter/housing etc.
Omoh- Russian special forces.
Operator – This is a term used by the military to define a real pipe hitting door kicking badass. In Airsoft though, it’s just the guy who spent the extra cash for the cool pants and kit.
OpFor – Short for opposing force. typically refers to any side not aligned with NATO such as militias, rebels, or terrorists.
Oscar Mike – Comes from military radio jargon meaning On the Move.
OTS03- Bullpup SVD platform
OTS-14- Bullpup ak platform
OWB – Over the waistband, holsters that ride on the belt line outside the pants.
Overhopping – The outcome that occurs when an airsoft guns hop up is turned up too much, causing the BBs to curve upward.
P
Parlay – When two players are within the fields minimum engagement distance and simultaneously yell “Bang Bang” or “Surrender” they can either both call themselves out/dead or agree on “parlay” and walk back several feet, or to re spawn depending on the specific game rules, before reengaging.
PBR – Point blank rifle, used to describe rifles designed for use at close range. I.E SMG, pistol carbine etc.
PDW – Acronym for Personal Defense Weapon. Essentially a hybrid between an SMG and a compact rifle. Typically assigned to vehicle crewman or officers.
Peel – Combat retreat to the rear, where one member of the unit falls back to a new firing position at a time, allowing the rest of the unit to maintain engaging fire and cover movements.
Picatinny – The standard type of rail unit that most guns use, allowing items to lock in place via a beveled section with valleys for screws to sit inside of to secure the accessory.
Pinion gear – Gear directly attached to the motor, first gear in the drive train of a gearbox
Platoon – 15-45 individuals as it relates to maneuver warfare. Typically the largest organizational size you will see in Airsoft terms.
Pointman – The first guy in a patrol. Usually the one leading a squad to an objective or through a given area.
PJ: Para – Rescue Jumper, the Air Force’s special operations combat search and rescue unit.
PJ’s – Special forces group of the chairforce.
Pump Action – A term used to describe a weapon, typically a shotgun, in which each round or shell must be manually loaded via a sliding action that is in line with the barrel. This both extracts the spent cartridge and loads the next shell.
Pyro – explosives, pyrotechnics
P226 – A full-sized service pistol made by SIG Sauer. Chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum, .40 S&W, .357 SIG, and .22 Long Rifle, it is essentially the same design as the P220, but with a double stack magazine.
R
Rapid Fire – The act of firing a firearm normally set to semi-auto as fast as the shooter is capable of pulling the trigger. The goal is trying to get as many rounds down range as possible. Accuracy is usually not a concern.
Reactive Reload – A type of reload that is done when the mag is empty. While it is generally a bad habit to always let your gun go dry, it is necessary to practice reactive reloads since they are more realistic mid firefight
Release Valve – Often found in on the magazine or airsoft gun this is the valve that the striker will hit in order to release gas to fire the airsoft gun.
Rentals – Used to describe new players using rental guns; commonly a slur, and should not be used. We all started somewhere.
RG- Abbreviation for Ranger Green
RMR – Ruggedized Miniature Reflex sight. Essentially a micro sized reflex sight used typically atop magnified optics and even sidearms/pistols.
Rucksack – Another word for a backpack
Ricochet- when an object bounces off of a wall or object before hitting you.
Ripstop Fabric- A tightly woven reinforced fabric often nylon used to stop rips when outside
Roni – A name for a type of carbine kit used for pistols like the Glock, Hi Capa, ETC …
ROK SOF- Special Forces Brigades of the Republic of Korea
R-hop – patch placed over the hop window of the inner barrel, much like a s-hop, r hop only has a slight performance increase over s-hop but can outlast an s-hop.
S
Salty – What the guys you keep shooting get described as. This term is reserved for the most upset of your victims.
SAPI – a cut of armor plate, used in airsoft to denote the shape of the plate bag on a plate carrier. Typically used with more modern vests.
MBAV – Similar to a SAPI, used in airsoft to denote the shape of a plate bag. MBAV plates are more rectangular and found on older styles of vests.
SAS – Special Air Service, the United Kingdom’s most elite special forces.
SAW – squad automatic weapon, usually used to describe the FN M249 used currently by the US Army but can also be applied to any belt fed rifle designed to put out a large volume of suppressive fire such as the M60, Stoner 63, PKM and UNSC M739.
Schwacked – An onomatopoeia for the sound a round makes when contacting a target. Used colloquially to mean getting hit/shot/killed.
Sector Gear – Final gear in the drive train, responsible for pulling the piston back.
SEAL: Short for Sea, Air, and Land, the three areas Navy special operations forces are trained to operate in. SEALS are widely regarded as some of the best soldiers in the US Military.
Semi-automatic- A term to describe a weapon’s capability of being able to fire one round per trigger without the need to manually reload the next round.
Shell Caddy – A device that is used to hold shotgun shells, typically attached to the receiver of a shotgun for faster reloads.
Shimming- Process of using small washers (>0.5mm) to align the gears to achieve proper meshing.
Short Stroke – Shortening the distance the pistol slide has to travel back resulting in faster cycling time. This can be achieved by adding springs, washers, or dampening cushions to the guide rod.
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast – A training ideology comprised of two separate and distinct statements, truly fast, repeatable actions must be smooth, but you cannot perform a smooth action fast if you cannot first perform a slow action smoothly.
Smart Charger – A device for properly charging and maintaining batteries for airsoft guns. Named Smart, because it can detect when a battery is done charging.
SMG – Sub machine gun, a weapon platform that is semi or fully automatic and is chambered in a pistol size cartridge.
SOPMOD Block Series – The Special Operations Peculiar MODification kit is an accessory system for the weapons used by US SOCOM. These kits are often called Block I and Block II, but have many variations. They are designed to allow Special Operations personnel to configure their weapons for specific missions
Sorbothane Pad – A shock absorbent pad commonly used for AOE or reducing gearbox stress.
Sniper – A marksman who uses a highly accurate, usually bolt-action rifle.
Sniper rifle – A bolt-action rifle usually used by snipers. See also: BASR (Bolt Action Sniper Rifle).
Spectre – Similar to the titan, the Spectre is a special aftermarket Mosfet used in upgrades.
Speedsoft – The airsoft version of speedball in paintball. team death match games where everyone is running and trigger happy, often means close quarter combat game play.
SpeedQB (Playing Style) – Describes that style of play and the gear people would use in Speedsoft.
SpeedQB® (Company) – An airsoft manufacturer that specializes in tactical gear.
Springer – A type of airsoft gun powered manually by a spring. This can be a shotgun, a pistol, or even a rifle. Generally, things powered by spring are lower end, but can sometimes be great upgrade platforms when it comes to sniper rifles.
SSP1- A 1911 styled GBB pistol capable of operating with both Green gas and CO2 magazines. Made popular by popular Airsoft YouTuber Novritsch.
SS- Leto: green and brown based camo.
SS- Summer- Same camo as letto just based on a clor skeem for the summer month.
SS- Autum- camouflage just adapted for the colors that show up during the autumn months.
Spur Gear or Step Gear – Third gear in drive train, this is the main gear associated with higher speed build, although not solely responsible for it
Spartan117gw – A popular Airsoft Youtuber
Sufferfest- A term that refers to an extra long scenario that involves extreme physical discomfort and is about the thrill of the adventure.
Stippling – This is a process used to add an aggressive texture to any polymer pieces of an airsoft gun to increase the grip and maintain control of your airsoft gun.
Stubby Grip – A type of foregrip that is too short to grip with the entire hand. This style of grip is used as a hybrid between a fully sized foregrip and a hand stop, and is often held in a way that allows the shooter to pull the weapon into themselves
Stoner Rifle – A machine gun designed by Eugene Stoner to be a convertible multirole weapon. It was adopted for limited use by SEALS in the Vietnam war, and has had several updates since focusing on it’s usability as a light machine gun.
Squeakers – Young players. This term comes from the high pitched voices of young noobs fresh to the airsoft battlefield.
S-hop – Patch placed over the hop window of the inner barrel to create tighter groupings and more range
T
Taco pouch- slang for any style magazine pouch that uses bungee or paracord in tandem with hard plastic side walls in where the entire system is able to adjust size to accept multiple size and shaped magazines.
Task force mayhem- A milsim group that plays at events as “Army ranger battalion”
Tacticool – Would be things that look awesome or seem useful but aren’t very practical.
Tactical Reload – A type of reload where the shooter decided to reload before their mag is empty, therefore avoiding a situation where they are caught mid firefight without ammo. This term is also incorrectly used to describe reloads that are fast or flashy.
Taginn grenade- A grenade type popular in Airsoft.
Tamiya plug- The standard connector type for most electric Airsoft guns. Usually white or neon yellow in color, these plugs are denoted by an overall prism shape with both a circle hole (positive) and a square hole (negative) on the female side and the inverse on the make side. The female side is usually on the battery and the male side is on the gun.
Tappet Plate- Plate inside the gearbox which pulls and pushes the nozzle to load a BB into the hopup.
Tar21 – Another name for the Tavor, short for Tavor Assault Rifle 21st Century.
Technical – A gun truck of some sort.
Thumb Rest / Gas Pedal – Accessories commonly found on pistols that allow the thumb of an off hand rest. Commonly found on competition Airsoft pistols, the addition of a thumb rest will allow the shooter to actively control the muzzle flip and manager recoil.
Thumbing – Driving too much pressure to a handgun with your thumbs, pushing your shots point of impact off target from your point of aim.
THOT – That hostile over there. See also Airsoft Alphonse.
Tightbore – Tighter than 6.08 diameter barrels, used to increase accuracy by more directly forcing air behind the BB to stabilize it’s flight path.
Titan – short for gate titan, a type of high end control unit and MOSFET used in upgraded guns.
TL – Team leader, in Airsoft terms, this usually refers to the person leading your squad or team. Tk45 – KWA’s newest pistol caliber carbine style rifle line. Available in recoiling models as well as variable FPS models, these guns add a futuristic look to a traditional PCC style rifle.
Treat, Never, Keep, Keep: Treat every gun as if it were loaded. Never point your gun at anything you don’t intend to destroy, keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to fire. Keep your gun on safe until ready to fire.
Trigger trolley- Piece the trigger pushes forward into the two contacts completing the circuit for the rifle to cycle.
TT-33- Russian hand gun used during WWII
T1 – A popular style of optic by Aim-point, often seen on riser mounts and liked due to it’s compact and minimalist style design
T2 – A popular style of optic by Aim-point which took feedback from the original T1 and updated it. The differences are subtle, but keep the same things that made the T1 loved by many.
U
Underhopping – The outcome that occurs when an Airsoft guns hop up is not applying enough hop, causing the BBs to curve downward.
Uniforms- common attire or gear worn by the same team or squad to indicator friend or foe
Unload- to take the bbs out of a magazine or slang for taking off your gears
UPF- Ultraviolet Protection Factor.
UMP – a full size submachine gun designed by HK to try and improve upon the MP5 model. Available in .45acp or 9mm models, it is a popular choice among police units in Europe.
V
Variations- referring to variations in fps or shot placement
VANT – A ballistic shield used by the russian’s
Velocity- the speed at which the bb leaves the barrel
VFG – Vertical foregrip
Vityaz – The name of the pp19 variant that utilizes stick magazines similar to an MP5.
Vympel – Russian unit, equivalent to American Delta Force.
Vz58 – A Czech rifle chambered in 7.62×39 that resembles an AK, adopted for service by the Czech military in the late 1950’s.
V2 – The term for the gearbox found in most M4 style rifles.
V3 – The term for gearboxes found in AK style rifles.
V9 – The designation for the gearbox in the NGRS series.
W
Watch your/our six- cover the rear, make sure nobody is coming from the behind.
Walk on- a player who goes to an event without preregistering
Weapon – Any tool that can be used to apply or project lethal force. Webster defines it as “an instrument of offensive or defensive combat.”
Weaver stance – A handgun stance where the shooter blades the back foot to the rear, to present a smaller target.
Weight- referring to the weight of the bb generally 0.20 through 0.50 grams
Widebore – A barrel over 6.08 millimeters in diameter, used for high performance in HPA powered guns, at the expense of air efficiency.
X
X95 – an ultra-compact variant of the Tavor/Tar 21 models designed for even more compact fighting scenarios. Most noteworthy for it’s addition of a forward magazine release.
X9 – Classic Army’s entry into the PCC market. This gun features their Nemesis ECS trigger, allowing it to be programmed for a multitude of fire modes, including burst, or semi only.
Y
Yeet – To either show excitement or to throw something with vigor.
Youth Rifle – A short, lightweight rifle. Some are small enough for a young child to easily handle
Youth Stock – A short stock, often ideally sized for teenagers, average-sized adult women, and smaller – statured adult males.
Z
Zero- A firearm is said to be “zeroed in” when its sights have been adjusted so that the bullet will hit the center of the target when the sights are properly aligned upon the center of the target. The farthest distance from a firearm at which the bullet’s path and the point of aim coincide. This term is also used to mean the process of insuring that the sights of a firearm are properly aligned so that where they indicate the bullet will strike is in fact where it strikes.
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9a-91- Russian Submachine gun chambered in 9×39
1911 – A popular style of handgun designed by John Browning, notable for it’s many years of service to the US Military.
40 Mike – A specific type of 40 millimeter Airsoft ordnance that spews a ton of bb’s in a straight line at a target.
9mm Adapter – A piece that goes into the magwell of an airsoft gun that makes the gun appear to use smaller 9mm mags. Usually this is done to M4’s and allows them to use Mp5 mags. Before 9mm carbines like the X9 and ARP9 were popular, it was common practice to get these for any M4 to create the unique look of an AR with SMG mags
