International Firearm

I am attempting to put together a listing of firearms related words in several languages. If you know of any additional terms that you feel should be included, or any corrections or if you can supply any missing terms please contact me by clicking here. Credit will be given for your assistance. If you are looking for a term not listed here please note that the original printed list of the German and French terms was too voluminous to put up in its entirety so I have other terms available. If I have messed up the spelling of any of these terms please let me know. I have been informed that the book The World's Submachine Guns [Machine Pistols] Vol.1 by Thomas B. Nelson, International Small Arms Publishers, Cologne, Germany 1963, has a 37-page glossary ("Technical Guide") to firearms terms in 22 languages.

My thanks to Elmar Bilgeri, Austria; Claus Gregor, Germany; Ruben Nasser, Paraguay; Piero Fiaccadori, Italy; Ray Theroux, Canada, Volker Gebert, Germany, Giulio Dalla Pria, Italy; Nat Makarevitch, France; and Frederik, Jorge, Paul Seibold, and especially Richard Iotti for their generous assistance with this project.

International Firearms Glossary
English Term	German	French	Italian	Spanish
Accuracy Test cartridge	Anschuss Patrone
Action; breech; bolt; etc	Verschluss, Schlitten	actionner la culasse	Azione	Mecanismo, Accion, cerrojo, recámera
Action; locking mechanism	Verriegelung, Schlossmechanismus	verrouiller	Meccanismo di blocco	Mecanismo de del cierre o debloqueo
Barrel	Lauf	canon	Canna	Cañón
Barrel (rifled)	gezogener Lauf	canon rayé	Canna (rigata)	Cañón de ánima estriada, Canna rigata
Barrel (smoothbore)	glatter Lauf	canon lisse	Canna (liscia)	Cañón de ánima lisa, Canna lisa
Barrel bushing	Laufhaltebuchse	bague de réduction	Boccola della canna	Casquillo guia del cañón, Boccola guidacanna
Barrel length	Lauflänge	longuer de canon	Lunghezza della canna	Longitud del cañón
Barrel lugs	Laufwarzen	attaches de canon	Tennoni della canna	Tetones del cañón, Attacco della canna
Bipod	Zweibein	bipied	Bipode	Bípode
Blank firing adapter	Manöverpatronengerät	dispositif de tir à blanc	Adattatore per tiro in bianco	Brocal de salvas
Blowback action	Feder-Masseverschluss	fonctionnement par pression directe des gaz (sans verrou)	Chiusura a massa	Acción por retroceso simple
Bolt	Verschlußbolzen, Kammer	verrou	Otturatore	Cierre
Bullet (projectile)	Geschoss (Projektil)	balle, projectile	Proiettile	Bala, proyectil
Bullet, jacketed	Mantelgeschoss	balle chemise	Proiettile camiciato	Proyectil blindado o encamisada
Bullet, FMJ	Vollmantelgeschoss	balle blindée	Proiettile blindato	Bala totalamente encamisada or Proyectil blindado o encamisada
Bullet, hollow point	Hohlspitzgeschoss	balle pointe creuse	Proiettile a punta cava	Proyectilde punta hueca
Bullet, pointed	Spitzgeschoss	balle conique	Proiettile appuntito	Proyectilde de ojiva aguzada
Bullet, round nose	Rundkopfgeschoss	balle ronde	Proietiile a punta tonda	Proyectil de de ojiva redondeada
Bullet, wad-cutter	Wad-cutter-geschoss	balle wad-cutter	Proiettile wad cutter	Proyectil de punta plana
Bullet-resistant vest	kugelsichere Weste	gilet pare-balles	Giubbotto anti-proiettile	Chaleco antibalas
Cartridge	Patrone	cartouche	Cartuccia	Cartucho
Cartridge case	Patronenhülse	douille/manchon	Bossolo	Vaina o casquillo
Chamber	Patronenlager	chambre	Camera di cartuccia	Recámara
Checkering	Fischhaut	quadrillage	Zigrinatura	Cuadrillado, picado, segrinado
Closed bolt firing	Zuschiessen
Cock (to cock)	Spannen	armer le chien	Armare	Armar, montar, amartillar
Cocking lever	Spannhebel	levier d'armement	Leva d’armamento	Palanca de armado/montar
Cocking piece	Spannstück	masselotte	Coda o bottone di armamento	Pieza armado/montar
Crane (swing-out revolver cylinder)	Kran	verrou de barillet	Giogo	Braza del cilindro
Cylinder (revolver)	Walze, Trommel	barilett	Tamburo	Cylindro, Tambor
Decock (lower the hammer safely without firing)	entspannen	désarmer le chien	Disarmare il cane	Desamartillar, desmontar
Decocking lever	Entspannhebel	levier de désarement	Leva di disarmamento	Palanca de desamartillar
Disconnector	Unterbrecher	séparateur	Disconnettore	desconector
Eject, Ejector	ausstoßen, Ejektor/Auswerfer	éjecteur	Estrattore	Expulsar, expulsor
Ejection (of fired cartridge case)	auswerfen	ejection	Estrarre	Expulsión
Ejection port	Auswerffenster	fenêtre d'éjection	Porta di estrazione	Ventana de expulsion
Extract, Extractor	ausziehen, Auszieher	éxtracteur	Estrarre, Estrattore	Extraer, extractor
Eye relief (space between the eye and the ocular lens of a telescope)	Okularabstand	dégagement oculaire	Distanza pupilla d'uscita	Alivio ocular, eye relief, Distanza oculare
Feeding (of cartridges from magazine to chamber)	Zuführung	chambrer	Alimentare	Alimentación
Firing pin	Schlagbolzen	percuteur	Percussore	Aguja percutora
Firing pin, as part of hammer	Schlagnase	aiguille de percussion	Percussore realizzato nel cane	Martillo percutor
Firing pin (striker)	Schlagstück	marteau	Percussore	Aguja percutora lanzadar
Firing pin spring	Schlagstückfeder	ressort de percuteur	Molla del Percussore	Resorte del percutor
Flare gun; flare pistol	Leuchtpistole	pistolet de signalisation, pistolet lance-fusée	Lanciarazzi	Pistola de lanzabengalas
Flash hider	Mündungsfeuerdämpfer	cache flamme	Spegnifiamma	Bocacha apagallamas
Frame (of a pistol)	Rahmen	carcasse	Telaio, Fusto / Cartello	Armazón
Front sight	Korn	guidon	Mira anteriore	Punto de mira
Fully automatic
Fully automatic firearm	automatische Waffe	arme automatique	Automatica	Arma de fuego automatico
Gas operated action	Gasdrucklader	par emprunt des gaz	Azione a presa di gas	Accion por toma de gases
Grip panels	Griffschalen	Plaques de poignée	Guancette	Cachas de la empuñadura
Grooves, rifling	Züge	signature du canon	Rigature della canna	Estrias, estriado
Hammer	Hammer	chien	Cane	Martillo
Hammer spur	Hammersporn	crête de chien	Cresta del cane	Espuela del martillo
Handguard	Gewehr handschutz / Geholdenziemachen	Fusil guarde-main		Guardamanos
High Pressure Test Cartridge	Beschuss Patrone
Hinge	Scharnier		Articolazione	Bisagra
Lands (rifling)	Felder,	cloison	Pieni di rigatura della canna	Acacaladuras (del estriado)
Lever action	Unterhebelrepetierer	à levier	Azione a leva	Acción de palanca
Loading gate	Ladeklappe	fenêtre/portière de chargement	Porta di caricamento	Ventana de carga
Locking	Verriegelung	verrouillage	Blocco	Bloqueo
Locking Lugs	Verschlußwarzen	attache de verrou	Tennoni di chiusura	Tetones de bloque
Machine gun	Maschinengewehr	milrailleuse	Mitragliatrice	Ametralladora
Machine pistol (SMG)	Maschinenpistole	pistolet-milraillette, mitraillette	Pistola mitragliatrice	Pistola ametralladora
Magazine	Magazin	chargeur, magasin	Caricatore	Caragador
Magazine (drum)	Trommelmagazin	chargeur-tambour	Caricatore a tamburo	Cargador (de tambor)
Magazine follower	Zubringer	Plateau de élévatricer	Elevatore	Teja elevadora, Elevatore del caricatore
Magazine release (button)	Magazinlöseknopf	verrou de chargeur	Pulsante di sgancio caricatore	Retenida del cargador
Magazine spring	Magazinfeder	resort de chargeur	Molla del caricatore	Muelle del cargador
Magazine safety, which prevents firing if the magazine is not in place	Magazinsicherung	sécurite de chargeur	Sicura al caricatore	Seguro de cargador
Mainspring	Schlagfeder	maitre-ressort	Molla di recupero	Muelle recuperador
Muzzle	Mündung	bouche	Volata	Boca de fuego
Muzzle brake	Mündungsbremse	frein de bouche	Freno a bocca	Freno de boca
Night sighting system / apparatus / assembly	Nachtsichtgerät	système de visée nocturne	Mire notturne	Miras noctumas
Open bolt firing	Aufschiessen
Pepperbox	Bündelrevolver	poivrière	Pistola a canne multiple	Pistola "pimentaro"
Pivoting breechblock lock	Schwenkriegelverschluss	verrou pivotant	Chiusura otturatore a blocco rotante	Bloqueo del cierre basculante
Powder (propellant)	Pulver	poudre	Polvere da sparo	Pólvora (propelente)
Powder scale	Pulverwaage	balance (à) poudre	Bilancia per polvere	Balanza
Primer	Zündhütchen	amorce	Innesco	Fulminante, cápsula iniciador
Primer pocket (of the cartridge case)	Zündglocke	alvéole à amorce	Tasca dell’innesco	Alojamiento del fulminante
Rear sight (notch)	Kimme	hausse, gran de mire	Tacca di mira	Alza(de muesca)
Rear sight (leaf)	Kimmenblalt	feuillet	Mira posteriore a foglia	Alaza(de librillo)
Receiver	Gehäuse	boite de culasse	Ricevitore	Cajon de mecanismos
Recoil operated firearm	Rückstosslader	automatique par recul	Arma semiautomatica	Arma de accion por retroceso de masas
Recoil spring	Schliessfeder	ressort récupérateur	Molla di recupero	Muelle amortiguardor-recuperador
Recoil; kick	Rückstoß	recul	Rinculo	Retroceso
Reticle	Absehen	réticule	Reticolo di mira	Reticulo
Revolver	Revolver	revolver	Pistola a rotazione	Revolver
Rib	Laufschiene	nervure, ailette	Bindella	Nervadura, Cintura
Rifle	Büchse, Gewehr	fusil	Fucile	Rifle, fusil
Rifle (carbine)	Karabiner	carabine, mousqueton	Carabina	Fusil (carabina)
Rifle Rest	Gewehrauflage	support de tir	Rest per fucile	Apoyo del fusil
Rifle sights on a shotgun	Büchsenvisier	grain d'orge	Congegni di mira (mirino e tacca di mira per carabina)	Miras de fusil, Mire di un fucile a pompa
Rifling	Gezogen
Rotating barrel action (Gatling)	Drehlaufverschluss	à canons rotatifs	Azione a canna rotante	Sistema de cañones giratorios (tipo Gatling)
Safety	Sicherung	sûreté	Sicura	Seguro
Sear	Spannstück	gâchette	Controcane, or Dente di aggancio del cane	Fiador
Semiautomatic	Halbautomat	Semi-automatique	Semiautomatica	Semiautomatico
Shot	Schrot	plomb	Colpo	Cartucho disparo
Shot (buck)	Postenschrot	chévronlie	Pallettoni	Cartucho de postas
Shotgun	Schrotflinte	fusil de chasse	Fucile a canna liscia	Escopeta
Side plate	Seitenblech		Cartella Laterale	Platina
Sights	Visierung	organes de visée	Mire	Punta de mira
Sight (front)	Vorder Visierung	hausse	Mira anteriore	Punto
Sights, fixed	Starre Visierung	hausse fixe	Mire fisse	Miras fijas
Sights, adjustable	Verstellbare Visierung	hausse réglable	Mire regolabili	Miras ajustables
Sight radius	Visierlinienlänge	longuer de mire	Distanza tra lemire	Radio entre miras
Sight--Red Dot (eg, Aim-Point)	Leuchtpunktvisier		Mira a punto rosso	Visor de punto rojo
Slide (of semiautomatic pistol)	Schlitten	glissière	Carrello	Corredera
Slide action	Vorderschaftrepetierer		Azione a carello, portaotturatore, (pump action shotgun) - azione manuale a pompa	Accion de corredera o trombóm
Slide stop lever	Schlittenfanghebel	verrou de glissière	Leva di apertura	Retenida de la corredera
Sniper rifle	Scharfschützengewehr	fusil de précision	Fucile da cecchino	Fusil de francotirador
Spare magazine	Reservemagazin	chargeur de rechange	Magazzino di riserva	Cargador de reserva
Suppressor; "'silencer"	Schalldämpfer	silencieux	Silenziatore	Supresor, silenciador
Swing-out cylinder (of revolver)	ausschwenkbare Trommel		Tamburo	Tambor basculante (revólvor)
Target	Ziel (scheibe)		Bersaglio	Blanco
Target revolver	Scheibenrevolver	Pistolet de précision	Pistola a rotazione da tiro	Revólver para tiro de precision
Telescope sight	Zielfernrohr	lunelle de visée	Cannocchiale	Mira telescópica
Telescope mount	Zielfernrohrmontage	montage (pour) lunelle	Supporto del cannocchiale	Visor telescópio
Throat	Übergangskonus	gorge	Throat	Garganta de la recámara
Tilt-up barrel;	Kipplauf	mécanism à brisure	Azione con castello ad apertura basculante, (any break action is basculante)	Cañón basculante
Tip up (revolver)			Castello (Frame) Articolato Superiormente	Revólver de cañón basculante
Top break (revolver)			Castello (Frame) Articolato Inferiormente	Revólver de cañón basculante
Transfer bar	Übertragungsstange		Barra di traferimento	Bara de transferencia
Trigger	Abzug	départe	Grilletto	Gatillo
Trigger guard	Abzugbügel	pontet	Guardia del grilletto	Guardamonte
Trigger weight	Abzugsgewicht	poids de départ	Peso di sgancio	Presción del disarador
Twist, spin	Drall		Passo di rigatura	Paso del estriado
Unlocking	Entriegelung	déverrouillage	Sblocco, sbloccare	Desbloqueo

In addition to the above Volker Gebert sent me the following reloading and ballistics related terms in German, and now some in Italian courtesy of Giulio Dalla.

	Geman	Italian
Ballistics, Internal	Innere Ballistik	Balistica interna
Ballistics, External	Äussere Ballistik	Balistica esterna
Ballistics Terminal	Zielballistik	Balistioca terminale
Bullet jump	Freiflug	Salto del projeciettile o volo libero del proiettile in canna
Caliper	Schiebelehre	Calibro
Cant	Verkanten
Cartridge case	Patronenhülse	Bossolo
Case body	Hülsenkörper	Corpo del bossolo
Case head	Hülsenboden	Teste del bossolo
Case mouth	Hülsenmund	Boco del bossolo
Case neck	Hülsenhals	Collo del bossolo
Case shoulder	Schulter
Case web	verstärkter unterer Hülsenbereich
Chamber	Patronenlagerager	Camera di scoppio
Chamber pressure	Druck im Patronenlager	Pressione della camera di scoppio
Chronograph	Geschwindigkeitsmeßgerät	Chronografo
Cleaning agent	Reinigungsmittel	Prodotti per pulizia
Compressed load	Hülse bis zum Mund gefüllt	Carica compressa
Concentricity gauge	Rundlaufprüfer
Deflection	Ablenkung
Die	Matrize	Matrice
Die-full length	Vollkalibriermatrize	Matrice a tutta lunghezza
Die-seater	Setzmatrize	Matrice mettipalla
Freebore	Übergangskonus	Spazio fra la palla e inizo rigatura
Gauge	Meßlehre
Impact energy	Auftreffenergie	Energia de impatto
Load density	Ladedichte	Densitá della carica
Maximum pressure	Maximaldruck	Pressione massima
Meplat	Geschoßspitze
Mirage	Hitzeflimmern
MOA	Winkelminute	Minuto d'angolo
Muzzle flash	Mündungsfeuer	Vampa di bocca
Muzzle velocity	Mündungsgeschwindigkeit	Velocita alla bocca della canna
Neck	Halskalibriermatrize	Collo
Ogive	zur Spitze hin gekrümmte Geschoßkontur	Ogiva
Overall length (OAL)	Gesamtlänge	Lunghezza totale della canna
Powder (Ball)	Kugelpulver	Polvere sferica
Powder (Extruded)	Stäbchenpulver	Polvere estrusa
Powder (Singlebase)	Einbasiges Pulver	Polvere a base singola
Powder (Doublebase)	Doppelbasiges Pulver	Polvere doppia base
Powder burn rate	Abbrandgeschwindigkeit	Velocitá di combustione delle polvere
Powder charge	Pulverladung	Carcia della polvere
Powder measure	Pulverfüllgerät	Dosapolvere
Powder scale	Pulverwaage	Bilancia dosapolvere
Primer pocket	Zündglocke
Reloading	Wiederladen	Ricatcia
Seating depth	Setztiefe	Profonditá di inserimento della palla
Sectional density	Querschnittsbelastung *	Densitiá sezionale
SEE (secondary explosion effect)	Nachzunden bei reduzierter Ladung	Effetto di esplosione secondaria
Shooting range	Schießplatz	Distanza di sparo
Sight adjustment	Visiereinstellung	Correzione delle mire
Taper	Verjüngung
Throat	Übergangskonus
Trajectory	Flugbahn	Traiettoria
Twist, spin	Drall
* Not exactly. What we call "sectional density" is W / (Bullet diameter²) while in German practice the equivalent measurement is W / (Cross sectional area of the bullet). Therefore our method of computing sectional density gives numbers that are about 25 percent less that the German formula.

As far as I know all the information presented above is correct and I have attempted to ensure that it is. However, I am not responsible for any errors, omissions, or damages resulting from the use or misuse of this information, nor for you doing something stupid with it. (Don't you hate these disclaimers? So do I, but there are people out there who refuse to be responsible for their own actions and who will sue anybody to make a buck.)

International Firearms Parts Glossary