TackleberryMCS
Master
I posted this on another site about a month ago and they made it a sticky. You guys may want to do that as well.
Here is a brief list of acronyms that may help those that are new to the AR platform and related items.
A1 - Of or referring to a characteristic of the M16A1 (for example, an A1 rear sight)
A2 - Of or referring to a characteristic of the M16A2 (for example, an A2 flash hider)
A3 - Of or referring to a characteristic of the M16A3, or (in civilian parlance) a flat-top receiver. Note that the M16A3 is essentially just a full-auto M16A2, but civilian manufacturers began using the term A3 for flat-top receivers before the military adopted the M16A3 and M16A4, so there is divergence between military and civilian usage of the term "A3". Without a definitive military context, it is most likely that "A3" refers to a flat-top, civilian upper receiver. Note also that some civilian manufacturers call their flat-tops A3, others A4.
A4 - Of or referring to a characteristic of the M16A4 (for example, a flat-top A4 upper receiver)
ABC - Armalite, Bushmaster and Colt (use to be considered by many to be the top three manufacturers of AR-15s. This is no longer the case)
ACOG - Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight
ACR - Advanced Combat Rifle (a late 1980's weapon development program intended to replace the M16)
AD - Accidental Discharge (a non-negligent unintentional discharge of a weapon that could not have been reasonably forseen and prevented - e.g. a caused by an unexpected mechanical failure)
AOW - Any Other Weapon (any weapon capable of discharging a shot that is not otherwise categorized under the NFA)
AR - ArmaLite
ARD - Anti-Reflection Device (a device placed on the objective of an optic to reduce reflections and glare. Typically attached to Aimpoint Comp M2, M3, and M4)
AWB - Assault Weapons Ban (from 1994-2004; some states have enacted their own AWB)
BAC - Bindon Aiming Concept (the idea behind Trijicon optics like the ACOG that are designed to combine the rapid acquisition of unmagnified sights with the accuracy of traditional magnified scopes. Requires the use of both eyes in the manner of OEGs.)
BBL - Barrel
BC - Ballistic Coefficient (a measure of a bullet's ability to slip through the air unhindered by drag - higher values indicate more streamlined bullets)
B/C/CH - Bolt, Carrier, Charging Handle (the assembly of parts that cycles rounds into the chamber)
BCG - Bolt Carrier Group (the bolt, bolt carrier, gas key, cam pin, etc.)
BDC - Bullet Drop Compensator (a mechanism in a sight to compensate for a bullet's trajectory drop at long distances)
BFA - Blank Firing Adapter
BG - Battlegrip (enhanced handgrip made by TangoDown )
BH - Black Hills (manufacturer of a variety of new, remanufactured and special purpose ammunition)
BHO - Bolt Hold Open (a mechanism that holds the bolt open when the magazine is empty, allowing for faster reloads)
BIY - Build It Yourself
BL - Bayonet Lug
BM - Bushmaster (manufacturer of many AR-style rifles; now owned by the Freedom Group along with DPMS and Remington)
BOB - Bug Out Bag (a bag filled with the necessities you will need to survive in the event you are forced to flee your home on a moment's notice)
BOHICA - Bend Over Here It Comes Again
BRASS - Breathe-Relax-Aim-Slack-Squeeze (mnemonic for steps of accurate shooting - there are many variants of this including Breath-Relax-Aim-Sight-Squeeze and Breath-Relax-Aim-Squeeze)
BRASSF - Breathe-Relax-Aim-Stop-Squeeze-Follow Through (mnemonic for steps of accurate shooting as taught by the USMC)
BRD - Black Rifle Disease (a mysterious ailment in which the sufferer develops an insatiable desire for more and more AR-15s)
BSZ - Battle Sight Zero
BT - Boat Tail (a bullet that tapers at the back like the tail of a boat rather than cuts off at a right angle)
BUIS - Backup Iron Sight
BZO - Battle Sight Zero
C3 - Class 3 (a class of restricted weapons as defined by the NFA, including machineguns, supressors, short-barrelled rifles, short-barrelled shotguns, etc.)
CAR - Carbine
CCH - Cut Carry Handle (a carry handle cut down to form a BUIS)
CCO - Close Combat Optic (an optic designed for close range use, typically low power, parallax free and with long eye relief. The Aimpoint M68 is an example.)
CH - Charging Handle
CLE - Compass Lake Engineering (manufacturer of competition service rifles and space guns )
CLIN - Contract Line Item Number
CLP - Cleaner, Lubricant, Protectant (all-purpose gun maintenance product)
CMP - Civilian Marksmanship Program
CMMG - Not an acronym, just a name (retailer of AR-15s, parts and accessories)
CMT - Continental Machine and Tool (contract manufacturer of AR15 uppers and lowers)
CQB - Close Quarters Battle
CQ/T (also CQT) - Close Quarters / Tactical (a 1-3x optic made by Leupold and designed for close quarters battle with some mid-range capability as well)
C&R - Curios and Relics (firearms that are officially recognized as collectible due to some unique quality such as age. The ATF maintains a list of qualified C&R firearms that C&R license holders can purchase via interstate commerce without the services of an FFL dealer.)
CTR - Compact/Type Restricted (an adjustable carbine stock made by Magpul, with a friction lock feature)
DC - Dust Cover
DCH - Detachable Carry Handle
DCM - Director of Civilian Marksmanship (replaced by the CMP)
DD - Daniel Defense (manufacturer of free floating railed handguards, slings and accessories)
DD - Destructive Device (an explosive, incendiary, or poison gas device as defined by the NFA)
DEWAT - De-activated War Trophy (a machine gun whose barrel has been plugged and welded to the receiver and whose chamber has been welded shut, rendering it unserviceable but still subject to the regulations of the NFA)
DI - Direct Impingement (firearm operating system where the action is cycled directly by the cartridge gasses. Most famously used in the AR15 and M16 series of rifles.)
DIAS - Drop-In Auto Sear (a device used to convert a semi-automatic gun to full-auto. By itself considered to be a machine gun under the NFA, and unregistered ones are illegal to even possess with, let alone install in, the guns they convert)
DOD - Department Of Defense
DPMS - Defense Procurement Manufacturing Services (builder of AR-15 rifles and supplier of parts and accessories)
DRMO - Defense Reutilization Marketing Office (an office of the DRMS)
DRMS - Defense Reutilization Marketing Service (a government agency that disposes of excess property received from the military services)
DSA - D.S. Arms (specializes in FAL rifles, but also sells AR-15 parts and accessories)
EA - Essential Arms (manufacturer of AR-15 lowers, stocks and parts)
EBR - Evil Black Rifle (a twist on the gun-grabbers' propaganda, embraced by supporters of the RKBA to both endearingly and sarcastically refer to military-style rifles such as the AR-15)
FA - Forward Assist
FA - Full Auto
FAR - Featherweight Assault Rifle
FCG - Fire Control Group (the hammer, trigger, disconect, springs and selector)
FDE - Flat Dark Earth (a tan-brown color making inroads as a replacement for black in weapon coloring)
FF - Free Float/Floated/Floating
FFL - Federal Firearms License/Licensee (a license that permits one to sell & transfer guns in interstate commerce, or the holder of that license)
FH - Flash Hider
FMJ - Full Metal Jacket (a bullet that is fully encased in a metal jacket)
FMJBT - Full Metal Jacket Boat Tail (a FMJ BT bullet)
FN - Fabrique Nationale (famous Belgian small arms manufacturer)
FNMI - FN Manufacturing, Inc. (Division of Fabrique Nationale located in South Carolina that makes M16s, M240s and M249s for the military)
FP - Firing Pin
FS - Flash Suppressor
FSB - Front Sight Base
FSP - Front Sight Post
FST - Front Sight Tower
FTE - Fail To Eject/Extract (please substitute the more precise FTEj or FTEx as appropriate to make clear your intention)
FTF - Fail To Feed (if used without an unambiguous context, this acronym may be confused with "Fail To Fire" as listed below)
FTF - Fail To Fire (if used without an unambiguous context, this acronym may be confused with "Fail To Feed" as listed above)
FUBAR - Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition (substitute more colorful adjective for "Fouled" as desired)
Here is a brief list of acronyms that may help those that are new to the AR platform and related items.
A1 - Of or referring to a characteristic of the M16A1 (for example, an A1 rear sight)
A2 - Of or referring to a characteristic of the M16A2 (for example, an A2 flash hider)
A3 - Of or referring to a characteristic of the M16A3, or (in civilian parlance) a flat-top receiver. Note that the M16A3 is essentially just a full-auto M16A2, but civilian manufacturers began using the term A3 for flat-top receivers before the military adopted the M16A3 and M16A4, so there is divergence between military and civilian usage of the term "A3". Without a definitive military context, it is most likely that "A3" refers to a flat-top, civilian upper receiver. Note also that some civilian manufacturers call their flat-tops A3, others A4.
A4 - Of or referring to a characteristic of the M16A4 (for example, a flat-top A4 upper receiver)
ABC - Armalite, Bushmaster and Colt (use to be considered by many to be the top three manufacturers of AR-15s. This is no longer the case)
ACOG - Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight
ACR - Advanced Combat Rifle (a late 1980's weapon development program intended to replace the M16)
AD - Accidental Discharge (a non-negligent unintentional discharge of a weapon that could not have been reasonably forseen and prevented - e.g. a caused by an unexpected mechanical failure)
AOW - Any Other Weapon (any weapon capable of discharging a shot that is not otherwise categorized under the NFA)
AR - ArmaLite
ARD - Anti-Reflection Device (a device placed on the objective of an optic to reduce reflections and glare. Typically attached to Aimpoint Comp M2, M3, and M4)
AWB - Assault Weapons Ban (from 1994-2004; some states have enacted their own AWB)
BAC - Bindon Aiming Concept (the idea behind Trijicon optics like the ACOG that are designed to combine the rapid acquisition of unmagnified sights with the accuracy of traditional magnified scopes. Requires the use of both eyes in the manner of OEGs.)
BBL - Barrel
BC - Ballistic Coefficient (a measure of a bullet's ability to slip through the air unhindered by drag - higher values indicate more streamlined bullets)
B/C/CH - Bolt, Carrier, Charging Handle (the assembly of parts that cycles rounds into the chamber)
BCG - Bolt Carrier Group (the bolt, bolt carrier, gas key, cam pin, etc.)
BDC - Bullet Drop Compensator (a mechanism in a sight to compensate for a bullet's trajectory drop at long distances)
BFA - Blank Firing Adapter
BG - Battlegrip (enhanced handgrip made by TangoDown )
BH - Black Hills (manufacturer of a variety of new, remanufactured and special purpose ammunition)
BHO - Bolt Hold Open (a mechanism that holds the bolt open when the magazine is empty, allowing for faster reloads)
BIY - Build It Yourself
BL - Bayonet Lug
BM - Bushmaster (manufacturer of many AR-style rifles; now owned by the Freedom Group along with DPMS and Remington)
BOB - Bug Out Bag (a bag filled with the necessities you will need to survive in the event you are forced to flee your home on a moment's notice)
BOHICA - Bend Over Here It Comes Again
BRASS - Breathe-Relax-Aim-Slack-Squeeze (mnemonic for steps of accurate shooting - there are many variants of this including Breath-Relax-Aim-Sight-Squeeze and Breath-Relax-Aim-Squeeze)
BRASSF - Breathe-Relax-Aim-Stop-Squeeze-Follow Through (mnemonic for steps of accurate shooting as taught by the USMC)
BRD - Black Rifle Disease (a mysterious ailment in which the sufferer develops an insatiable desire for more and more AR-15s)
BSZ - Battle Sight Zero
BT - Boat Tail (a bullet that tapers at the back like the tail of a boat rather than cuts off at a right angle)
BUIS - Backup Iron Sight
BZO - Battle Sight Zero
C3 - Class 3 (a class of restricted weapons as defined by the NFA, including machineguns, supressors, short-barrelled rifles, short-barrelled shotguns, etc.)
CAR - Carbine
CCH - Cut Carry Handle (a carry handle cut down to form a BUIS)
CCO - Close Combat Optic (an optic designed for close range use, typically low power, parallax free and with long eye relief. The Aimpoint M68 is an example.)
CH - Charging Handle
CLE - Compass Lake Engineering (manufacturer of competition service rifles and space guns )
CLIN - Contract Line Item Number
CLP - Cleaner, Lubricant, Protectant (all-purpose gun maintenance product)
CMP - Civilian Marksmanship Program
CMMG - Not an acronym, just a name (retailer of AR-15s, parts and accessories)
CMT - Continental Machine and Tool (contract manufacturer of AR15 uppers and lowers)
CQB - Close Quarters Battle
CQ/T (also CQT) - Close Quarters / Tactical (a 1-3x optic made by Leupold and designed for close quarters battle with some mid-range capability as well)
C&R - Curios and Relics (firearms that are officially recognized as collectible due to some unique quality such as age. The ATF maintains a list of qualified C&R firearms that C&R license holders can purchase via interstate commerce without the services of an FFL dealer.)
CTR - Compact/Type Restricted (an adjustable carbine stock made by Magpul, with a friction lock feature)
DC - Dust Cover
DCH - Detachable Carry Handle
DCM - Director of Civilian Marksmanship (replaced by the CMP)
DD - Daniel Defense (manufacturer of free floating railed handguards, slings and accessories)
DD - Destructive Device (an explosive, incendiary, or poison gas device as defined by the NFA)
DEWAT - De-activated War Trophy (a machine gun whose barrel has been plugged and welded to the receiver and whose chamber has been welded shut, rendering it unserviceable but still subject to the regulations of the NFA)
DI - Direct Impingement (firearm operating system where the action is cycled directly by the cartridge gasses. Most famously used in the AR15 and M16 series of rifles.)
DIAS - Drop-In Auto Sear (a device used to convert a semi-automatic gun to full-auto. By itself considered to be a machine gun under the NFA, and unregistered ones are illegal to even possess with, let alone install in, the guns they convert)
DOD - Department Of Defense
DPMS - Defense Procurement Manufacturing Services (builder of AR-15 rifles and supplier of parts and accessories)
DRMO - Defense Reutilization Marketing Office (an office of the DRMS)
DRMS - Defense Reutilization Marketing Service (a government agency that disposes of excess property received from the military services)
DSA - D.S. Arms (specializes in FAL rifles, but also sells AR-15 parts and accessories)
EA - Essential Arms (manufacturer of AR-15 lowers, stocks and parts)
EBR - Evil Black Rifle (a twist on the gun-grabbers' propaganda, embraced by supporters of the RKBA to both endearingly and sarcastically refer to military-style rifles such as the AR-15)
FA - Forward Assist
FA - Full Auto
FAR - Featherweight Assault Rifle
FCG - Fire Control Group (the hammer, trigger, disconect, springs and selector)
FDE - Flat Dark Earth (a tan-brown color making inroads as a replacement for black in weapon coloring)
FF - Free Float/Floated/Floating
FFL - Federal Firearms License/Licensee (a license that permits one to sell & transfer guns in interstate commerce, or the holder of that license)
FH - Flash Hider
FMJ - Full Metal Jacket (a bullet that is fully encased in a metal jacket)
FMJBT - Full Metal Jacket Boat Tail (a FMJ BT bullet)
FN - Fabrique Nationale (famous Belgian small arms manufacturer)
FNMI - FN Manufacturing, Inc. (Division of Fabrique Nationale located in South Carolina that makes M16s, M240s and M249s for the military)
FP - Firing Pin
FS - Flash Suppressor
FSB - Front Sight Base
FSP - Front Sight Post
FST - Front Sight Tower
FTE - Fail To Eject/Extract (please substitute the more precise FTEj or FTEx as appropriate to make clear your intention)
FTF - Fail To Feed (if used without an unambiguous context, this acronym may be confused with "Fail To Fire" as listed below)
FTF - Fail To Fire (if used without an unambiguous context, this acronym may be confused with "Fail To Feed" as listed above)
FUBAR - Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition (substitute more colorful adjective for "Fouled" as desired)