I was just thinking this morning, that I hadn't heard or seen "Never get in a gunfight with a caliber that doesn't start with a 4" or it's equivalent, in a very long time.

I'm grateful. Maybe this 'ol chestnut is finally put to bed.

What other old (and likely wrong) gun phrases have disappeared from the lexicon? Regrettably, "You don't have to aim a shotgun" seems to still be out there.

"They all fall to hard ball". A common sentiment of previous generations, but these days, advocates of FMJ as a defensive load are dwindling.

Same with "Load your home defense shotgun with birdshot so it won't penetrate through the walls".

“Poodle shooter.”

“.308 holes make invisible souls” in the caliber debate vein, specifically in the whole “the M14 was retired in favor of an inferior rifle in an inferior caliber” saga. Truth is, 5.56 with a decent loading makes really nasty wounds on soft tissue.

"I was born to live by the gun"

SOCOM

The term "semi-auto" is a relatively recent descriptor. Widespread use of the term "1911" to describe a particular handgun model/design is also pretty recent. "Wheelgun" is another recent addition to the lexicon.

During my time in Vietnam (69-71) and as a cop (72-96) there were revolvers and automatics. Colt was the only manufacturer of ".45 automatics" for most of the years after WW2. Lots of "9mm automatics" out there.

By about 1990 we experienced new classes of handguns referred to as "Wonder-Nines" and "Plastic Fantastic". The phrase "Load it on Sunday and shoot all week" came back, originally used in reference to the Henry repeating rifles and subsequent Winchesters of the late 19th Century.

Haven’t heard the term “roscoe” in a while.

Clips vs Mag....

In the hands of a 12 year-old, a .25 cal makes all men equal.

Boomstick ...

One I wish would go away is calling a shotgun a “shotty.”

quote:

Originally posted by old dino:
Boomstick ...

No way, boomstick never gets old.



I can think of a lot of phrases I'd like laid to rest - "knockdown power" and "Two World Wars" for starters.

"Piece" "Gat"

flashguy

I'm glad to see everyone reposting that Fudd Fantasy checklist of guns "from my nephew Corky in The Sandbox" has finally died.

M4gery, now Colt has fallen from grace, and the only things that look like an issued rifle are cloner builds.

quote:

Originally posted by Rubec:
One I wish would go away is calling a shotgun a “shotty.”

Or anything else with a “y” at the end, like “Remmy” for Remington.

And in case no one noticed, “mag” has always been a shortened term for magazine, and the “well” refers to where a detachable magazine is inserted into a gun. The full term is magazine well and the shortened term is magwell. If a gun has no magwell, there’s no place to put a detachable magazine. A flared funnel-like feature that’s either integral to the magazine well or an add-on isn’t the magwell.

But my current peeve in conjunction with precision rifle shooting is “D.O.P.E. (data on previous engagements).” Good grief, where did that contrived notion come from‽ “Dope” as a word referring to information in general goes back a century or more, and is believed to have originated as information relating to whether a racehorse had been drugged (“doped”) before a race. The NRA has used the term dope bag as the title of its American Rifleman feature with information about gun-related topics for many decades, and has explicitly explained that many times in the magazine. “Dope” to refer to adjustments necessary for shooting at different distances is fine just like that. It doesn’t need to be capitalized or adorned with periods as if it were an abbreviation, and certainly doesn’t need to be saddled with a fanciful explanation of what the letters supposedly mean.

And don’t get me started about “flat” triggers. (The opposite of curved is straight, not flat.)

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:

quote:

Originally posted by Rubec:
One I wish would go away is calling a shotgun a “shotty.”

Or anything else with a “y” at the end, like “Remmy” for Remington.

Hear, hear!

I haven't heard the term "Saturday Night Special" used in a long time. I never did like it because it became a catch-all term for small, concealable handguns. It could equally refer to a Lorcin or a SW642 to many people. I'm happy I don't hear it much anymore.

" Keep your booger hook off the bang switch .." I saw it used the other day . It's been a while but not long enough .
And then there's that whole " Tragic boating accident " thing .