clip, silencer, etc. Do you really not know what someone is saying?

Question

O.k. bullet can be confusing

Do we really need to correct silencer? nobody thinks a suppressor makes a gun silent. Furthermore I find the term silencer clearer than suppressor. Sound suppressor? Flash suppressor? Suppressor manufacturers call them silencers. Jeez give it a rest

If someone says he has a 15 round clip for his Glock are you really confused by what he is talking about? What good does it do to correct the guy?

I read one answer where someone asked about a 22-250 rifle. One reply was was that the 22-250 was a caliber not a rifle. Why do that even if you are correct (cartridge not caliber)

Dope, rimfire, breach, striker fired, primer, case, extractor, parallax, weaver style, double action, etc. are intimidating to new people. Do you want to add hair-splitting as another burden to shooting?

My question is: if everyone knows what someone is talking about why correct them? Or at least why correct them and add nothing helpful?

Answer 1

It's not confusing, it just makes the person who's saying such things sound like they don't know what they're talking about.

True, some firearms are fed from a clip(Such as the Garand, that use an En Bloc clip), some use a clip to load an internal magazine(like an SKS), but there's a significant difference between magazine and clip.

The difference between suppressor/sound suppressor and silencer (also moderator) are also somewhat based on localities and use. Suppressor also is more politically correct, as the term 'Silencer' is more criminal. The term 'Sound Suppressor' could be interchanged with anything else intended to limit noise output of something, such as a car or other machinery. That way, it's going to sound like more of a safety device instead of something allowing you to shoot silently, as would be desirable for criminal activities.

It's the same difference in anything. If you went to get your oil changed, and the tech said that your wheels (as opposed to tires), were low, I can't imagine that that would make me want to go there again. I, myself, am not a stickler for terminology, just so long as it gets the right idea across clearly.

Answer 2

Because words mean things.

People DO believe that a suppressor ("silencer") removes all sound from a gunshot, and are astonished when they hear a rifle equipped with one fire for real.

Calling a magazine a "clip" doesn't bother me, except that it shows inexperience around firearms. On the range, I'd be more apt to hand someone a spare magazine if they asked for it that way rather than asking for a "clip"

We have specific words in the English language for specific reasons. Recently the word "decimated" has become perverted to mean "wiped out" rather than its true meaning of "reduced in strength by 10%". Should we not care about that either? Why bother having separate words for things if we're willing to just lump all of them together? In fact, let's stop calling it a "magazine" or a "clip" altogether and just refer to it as a "bullet holder thingy" - it'll make it so much easier.

Answer 3

A 12 ga. shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot will make quite a mess at close range but it will not throw a man backward as it did in these scenes. At least not as violently as depicted. this was pure Hollywood dramatics. The damage to the human body was probably pretty close to what one might actually see in such close range shots as these. The blood splash might have been a bit exagerated but it would still be messy none the less.

Answer 4

I understand where you're coming from. If I understand the jist of what the asker is refering to, I try not to rudely correct them per se, however I may use the correct term in refering to the item, etc, in my answer without calling particular attention to it. That way the correct term is thrown into the arena, whether or not they notice it. As long as meanings are clear, absolutely correct terminology isn't vital in basic, non-technical discussion.

Answer 5

While correct terminology IS important, and with all the (deliberate?) misinformation about firearms being spread by the antis we need to be careful, there is also a LOT of snobbery going on.

When I was new to the sport of shooting, I made a reference to "a .45 automatic" in front of a self-appointed expert.

I received a five minute lecture about how I was helping the antis, that I was a traitor to the gun rights cause, and that since I didn't add "semi" in front of that, I was probably a damn socialist.

Well, he was right on one out of three.

Saying that all liberals, socialists or leftist radicals are anti-gun, that all conservatives are pro-gun, only certain parties or certain religions are okay for pro-gun people, or that everyone who doesn't know as much as you do is the enemy, are COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE.

Besides the common Yahoo "online smart-a s s" syndrome, this seems to be a particular problem among firearms folks. If you absolutely MUST correct someone, there ARE polite ways to do it.

Remember that, unfortunately, when we are talking guns in the U.S. we are also practicing practical politics. Every time you jump on someone, you are influencing them, most likely influencing them to be prejudiced against our rights.

Is THAT what you want to do?

Answer 6

Thank you! I am afraid many replies simply try to make the asker feel stupid and all it does is make the answer look like a know-it-all jackazz. Then it also turns others off to hunters and shooters in general. Some times we may have to correct someone but we still should try to help them. If you don't plan to help and only correct save the energy and our time spent reading your corrections.

Answer 7

The terminology is not hard to understand.
What is hard to understand, is WHY the KIDS, that ask those questions, don't spend more time studying their school work, than they do watching movies?
All they do when they come on this forum & ask their childish questions. is to let everyone else know , just how smart that they AREN'T

Answer 8

You're question is a little confusing, but I'm with you. I think that applies to the world in general...everyone has to be so specific and holier-than-thou and smart-assy when it comes to things like that, and you know what, I think not everyone is a genius, and some people make mistakes so if I say the wrong word or whatever the heck it is, is it really worth it to gloat over it?

Answer 9

While I can usually figure out what most people are trying to say, they really need to learn to use the correct terms. If they're too thin-skinned to take correction they need to stay the hell off the internet and they SURELY shouldn't venture out into the REAL world.