doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com French-English; Anglais-Francais: gun terminology

Argo, added accents, fixed grammatical errors and added quite a few ones including tradesmen.
There are a few questionable entries
WC-

A

Ab�m�(e) - spoiled/ruined/damaged
Acier - steel
Acier chocolat - excessively soft steel (Belgian trade vernacular)
Acier damas (also "damas") - damascus steel
Acier revenu - tempered steel
Acier tremp� - quenched steel
Argent - silver
...vieil argent - old silver
Ailes - side clips
�me du canon - bore
Amortisseur - pad (as in buttpad)
Ancien - old
Anson et Deeley; Anson- box lock
Arabesque - Scroll (engraving)
Arme de poing - hand gun
Arme d��paule - long gun
Armurier - gun shop owner
Armurerie - gun shop, not a maker, historically a body armor vendor
Arquebusier - Gun maker (abbreviated as "Arqr")
Artisan - artisan
Avantage (� droite, � gauche) - cast-off, cast-on

B

Baguette de nettoyage - ramrod, cleaning rod
Banc d��preuves - proof house
Bande - rib
...Prolongement de la bande - extension of the rib (to the receiver)
...Bande ventil�e - ventilated rib
Balle - bullet or slug
Bascule - receiver/action
Bascule ronde - round receiver
Basculeur - tradesman putting the action together
Bille acier - steel shot
Bois - wood
...Bois de noyer - walnut
......Noyer blond - blond walnut
...Bois d'�rable - maple
Boitier - housing
Bouche - muzzle
Bouchon de canon - bullet starter (muzzle loader)
Bouchon de percuteur - Firing pin bushing
Bouquets (gravure �) - rose engraving
Bourre - wad
Bras� - brazed
...bras� sur - brazed on
Bretelle - sling
...Bretelle � enrouleur - retractable sling (like on a Ideal)
...Brettelle retractable - retractable (built in) sling
Brevet - Patent
Brevet�(e) - patented
...Brevet�(e) SGDG - model patent ("sans garantie du gouvernement")- low grade, easy to obtain patent
Brisure, � - Breakage
Broche - pinfire
Bronze - bronze; (copper and tin alloy)
Bronzage - barrel blacking
Busc - comb (for a stock)

C

Cale - wedge (in a double rifle), or spacer between barrels
Calibre - caliber
Canon - barrel
...Canons frett�s - sleeved barrel set (externally sleeved or jacketed, built-up barrels)
...Canons juxtapos�s - SxS double barrel
...Canon lisse - smoothbore
...Canons miroir - mirror finish bores
......Canonnerie miroir - ditto
...Canons mixtes (Arme �) - cape gun
...Canon monobloc - Barrel set made in one block of steel
...Canon poli - honed barrel
...Canon ray� - rifled barrel
...Canon ray� dispersant -Rifled spreader barrel (usually Euro woodcock guns)
...Canons superpos�s - over/under
Canonnier - barrel maker
Capuche - metal piece surrounding the Deeley forearm push button
Carabine - rifle, carbine
Carabine de salon - indoor rifle
Carabine de jardin - light rifle, rook rifle
Cartouches � plombs - shot shell
Cartouches � balle - slug shell
Chambrage - chamber(ing)
Chambre - chamber
Chien - hammer
� Cr�te de chien - hammer spur
Chiens ext�rieurs - external hammers
Choke - Choke
�Cylindrique - cylinder choke (synonym: lisse)
... Demi choke - Modified choke
... Plein-full (as in choke
Ch�ne - Oak
Chrom�(e) - chrome plated
Cl� - key
Cl� d�ouverture - top lever key
Cl� sur le dessus - top lever key
Coffret - case (to put the gun in)
Contre-platines - false side-plates
Convergence - regulation (shotgun or double rifle)
Coquille - action ball; Shell (as as in sea-shell)
...Coquille de fusil de chasse - empty shotgun shell casing; Husk WC: Never heard or seen that one
Corne - horn
Cran de s�curit� - Safety catch
Cr�te de chien - hammer spur
Crochet - barrel lump
...Crochets d�attache - barrel lump
...Crochets ajust�s en queue d�aronde - dovetailed lump
...Crochet du canon - same
...Crochet encastr� - dovetailed lump (embedded)
...Crochets rapport�s - non integral lumps
Crosse - stock
...Crosse anglaise - English stock
...Crosse � joue - stock with cheek piece
...Crosse de borgne - crossover stock
...Crosse demi-pistolet - round knob grip stock
...Crosse pistolet - pistol grip stock
Crossier - stock maker
Cuir - leather (for the sling)
...Cuir surpiqu� - double layered sown leather
Cuivre - copper
Culasse - standing breech or bolt
Culasse mobile - movable breech (i.e. on a Darne)
Cylindrique - cylinder choke (synonym: lisse)

D

Damasquin� - damascened
dans son jus - original, never modified or restored
Demi-coquelle - half cock (for hammer guns) (???WC)
Demi-bloc - chopper lump
D�tente - trigger
...Double d�tente - double trigger
...Monod�tente - single trigger
......Monod�tente s�lective - selective single trigger
Devant - forend
Devant � pompe - Deeley pushbutton forearm
D'occasion - used
Dor� - gold filled
repouss� en ???
Double d�tente - double trigger
double verrou de fermeture - double locking bolt

E

�b�ne - ebony
�couvillon - cleaning rod and implement
...�couvillon en laiton - brass barrel (cleaning) brush
�cusson - shield (on a stock)
�jecteurs automatiques - automatic ejectors
enfoncements - dents
�preuves - proof
...Banc d��preuves - proof house
...double �preuve - double proof
...triple �preuve - triple proof
...�preuve ordinaire - version of normal proof
...�preuve sup�rieure - modern day "triple proof"
�rable - maple (wood)
�tat - condition
...�tat m�canique - mechanical condition
...�tat moyen - so so condition; medium condition
...�tat mauvais - bad condition
�Pas en bon �tat - not in good condition
...�tat neuf - new condition
�tranglement - choke
Etui - Gun case; gun slip
Express (also double "express") - double rifle
Extracteur - extractors

F

Fabricant (also abbreviated as "Fabt") - maker
Fausses-platines - false side-plates
Feu central, arme � - centerfire (gun)
Feuillet(s) - sight leaf
Feutrine - baize (gun case)
Fermeture en "T" - Jones underlever
Finition - finish
�Finition argent - silver finish
�Finition blue - blued finish
�Finition canon de fusil - gunmetal finish
�Finition chrom�e - chrome finish
�Finition nickel�e - nickel finish.
�Finition noir - blued finish
Forage - bore (barrel)
Fr�res - Brothers
Frette - monoblock;
Fusil - firearm (normally a shotgun but also a military rifle)
...Fusil � broche - pinfire gun
...Fusil � canon sci� - sawed off shotgun
...Fusil � chargement par la bouche - muzzle loader
...Fusil � Chien - hammer gun
...Fusil de chasse - shotgun
...Fusil juxtapos� - double gun
... Fusil juxtapos� Artisanal Fran�ais - Artisanal French double gun (quite often maker not known)
...Fusils lever-action - lever action gun
......Fusil � levier de sous-garde - ditto
......Fusil levier sous garde - ditto
...Fusil � percussion - muzzle loading, percussion rifle
...Fusil � piston - percussion gun
...Fusil � pompe - pump gun (also "branlette" in French hunting vernacular)
...Fusil � silex - flintlock

G

Gachette - sear
Gachette interruptrice - safety sear
Garnisseur - tradesman assembling barrels, ribs and lumps
Graveur - engraver
Gravure(s) - engraving(s)
Grenadi�re - sling swivel
Goupille - round pin
Goupille de charni�re - hinge pin
Guidon - front sight
... prot�ge-guidon - sight hood
Guilloch�(e) - ornamented with geometric design
...Vis guilloch�es - ornamented screws

H

Hausse - back sight (originally adjustable type)

I

Illisible - illegible

J

Jaspage - case coloring
Jasp�(e) - case colored
...Jaug� � - gauged/regauged to (chambers enlarged to)???
Jeu - play (in the sense of movement)
...Jeu dans la bascule - (play in the receiver)
...sans jeu - without play
Joue - cheekpiece
...Joue allemande - German style cheeckpiece
Juxtapos� - side by side

L

Laine d�acier - steel wool
Laiton - Brass: alloy - 70 parts copper; 30 parts zinc
Levier - Lever
Levier de s�curit� (ou s�curit�) - safety lever
Longuesse - forestock
Longuesse � poussoir - Anson forend (forestock with pushrod release)
Lunette - scope

M

Maniable - easy to the hand/handy
Mono-canon - single barrel
Monod�tente - single trigger
Monteur � bois - stocker
Moul�(e) - molded

N

Nickel�(e) - nickel plated
Noix - Hammer axis

O

Oeilleton - peep sight
Or - gold
...Or fin - fine gold
dor� - gold plated or gold applique
Oreille - Sideclip
Organes de vis�e - sights
Orn�(e) - ornamented
Oxydation - oxydation

P

Paire - pair of guns
Pente - drop
...Pente au busc - drop at comb
...Pente au talon - drop at heel
Percussion centrale - center percussion, center fire (hammer gun)
Percuteur - Firing pin
Pi�ce d'armurerie - piece of firearms manufacture ???
Pierrage - honing
Pique - pitted
...Piq�res - pitting
...Petites piq�res - light pitting
Planchette - back sight folding leaf
Plaque de couche - butt plate
Plaqu�(e) - plated
Platine - side lock
...Platine Holland - front lock as made by H&H or others
...Platine arri�re - back lock
...Platine avant - front lock
...Platine d�montable - hand removable sidelock
...Platine encastr�e - embedded locks
...Platine rebondissante - rebounding lock
Plein--full (as in choke)
Plomb - lead (shot)
Poin�on - stamp
...Poin�ons r�glementaires - legal stamps
...Poin�ons d'�preuve - proof marks
Poire � poudre - powder horn; powder flask
Poli(e) - polished
polissage en long - longitudinal honing
Ponc�e huile (Crosse) - sanded with oil finish (stock)
Pontet - trigger guard
Pontet � volute - trigger guard with volute in front
Port�e - range (as in shooting distance)
Poudre - powder (gunpowder)
...Poudre blanche--smokeless powder
...Poudre pyroxyl�e - smokeless powder (French)
...Poudre sans fum�e - smokeless powder
...Poudre Vive - smokeless Powder ( Belgian)
Poussoir - push rod (forestock)
propre - clean, nice

Q

Quadrillage - Checkering
Quadrilleur - Checkerer
Queue d�aronde - dovetail (old French for"swallow tail" which is more accurate than dove tail, actually)

R

Rallonge de crosse - stock extension
Ray� � chargement par la bouche - muzzle loader rifle
Rayures - scratches or rifling
Relime - steel parts shaping (by chisel or file)
Relimeur - tradesman shaping the action and other parts
Ressort - spring
Ressort � boudin - Coil spring
Restauration - restoration
R�ticule - Reticle (scope)
Rinceaux - leaves and branches (engraving)
Rouille - rust
...Rouille l�g�re - light rust

S

Sabot - butt pad
Sabot - sabot projectile
Sc�ne de chasse - hunting scene (engraving)
S�curit� - safety
S�curit� d�s qu'elle est arm�ee - safety automatically on when cocked
Serr� - tight
Similor - alloy; 100 parts Red copper; 12 parts zinc
Soudure - solder
�Soudure d�argent/� l'argent - Silver solder
�Soudure � l��tain - Tin solder (lead and tin mixed)
�Soudure de cuivre - Copper brazing (red coper, old silver, antimony, zinc, etc.)
St�phanois - from Saint-Etienne region
Successeur (also abbreviated to "succr") - Successor to
S�ret� - safety

T

Talon - heel
Tire-cartouche - extracteur
Tirette - action rod
Tombac - alloy; 16 parts copper; 1 part zinc; 1 part tin
Tonnerre - place where the ignition happen
Triplette - 3-gun set
Tromblon - blunderbuss (or bad shotgun)
Tube - barrel tube
Type anglais - English style

V

Valise - Case
Verrou - lock, also bolt
Verrou de fermeture - closing bolt
Verrou vertical - rising bite
Verrouillage - locking system
Vernis - varnish
Vis - Screw