Black rifle/black gun: Genericterms for a modern battle rifle, typically equipped with a black plastic stockand fore-end, giving these guns an “all-black” appearance. Functionally,however, they are little different from earlier semiauto designs.
BLM: Bureau of Land Management, aU.S. federal government agency that administers public lands.
BMG: Browning machine gun. Usuallyrefers to .50 BMG, the U.S. military’s standard heavy machine-gun cartridgesince the early twentieth century. This cartridge is now often used forlong-range precision counter-sniper rifles.
BOQ: Bachelor officersquarters.
BP: Blood pressure.
BX: Base exchange.
C-4: Composition 4, a plasticexplosive.
CAR-15: See M4.
CAS: Close air support.
CAT: Combat applicationtourniquet.
CB: Citizens band radio, a VHFbroadcasting band. There is no license required for operation in the UnitedStates. Some desirable CB transceivers are capable of SSB operation. Originallytwenty-three channels, the citizens band was later expanded to forty channelsduring the golden age of CB, in the 1970s.
CHU: Containerized housing unit. ACONEX retrofitted with a door, window, top vent, power cabling, andair-conditioning unit, as used by servicemen in Iraq. Spoken “Chew.”
CLP: Cleaner, lubricant,protectant. A mil-spec lubricant, sold under the trade name “Break FreeCLP.”
CO2: Carbon dioxide.
COD: Collect on delivery; cash ondelivery.
CONEX: Continental express, theubiquitous twenty-, thirty-, and forty-foot-long steel cargo containers used inmultiple transportation modes.
COPS: Committee of PublicSafety.
CP: Command post.
CPY: Ham radio shorthand for“Copy.”
CRKT: Columbia River Knife amp;Tool.
CU: Ham radio shorthand for “Seeyou (later).”
CUCV: Commercial utility cargovehicle. The 1980s-vintage U.S. Army versions of diesel Chevy Blazers andpickups, sold off as surplus in the early 2000s.
DE: Ham radio shorthand for“from.” This is used between call signs.
DF: Direction finding.
DMV: Department of MotorVehicles.
Drip oiclass="underline" The light oil orhydrocarbon liquids condensed in a natural gas piping system when the gas iscooled. Also called natural gasoline, condensation gasoline, or simply “drip.” Amixture of gasoline and drip oil can be burned in most gasoline engines withoutmodification. Pure drip oil can be burned in some gasoline engines if the timingis retarded.
E amp;E: Escape and evasion.
ES: Ham radio shorthand for“and.”
FAA: Federal AviationAdministration.
FAL: See FN/FAL.
FB: Ham radio shorthand for “Finebusiness.” Usually means “That’s great” or “That’s wonderful.”
FBO: Fixed base operator.Typically a small private airport’s refueling facility.
FEMA: Federal Emergency ManagementAgency, a U.S. federal government agency. The acronym is also jokingly definedas “Foolishly Expecting Meaningful Aid.”
FER: Ham radio shorthand for“for.”
FEUS: Farmington Electric UtilitySystem.
FFL: Federal firearms license.
FLOPS: Flight operations.
FN/FAL: A 7.62mm NATO battle rifleoriginally made by the Belgian Company Fabrique Nationale (FN), issued to morethan fifty countries in the 1960s and 1970s. Now made as semiauto-only “clones”by a variety of makers. See also L1A1.
FOB: Forward operating base.
Fobbit: Derogatory nickname forsoldiers who rarely go outside the defensive perimeter of a forward operatingbase (FOB).
FORSCOM: U.S. Army ForcesCommand.
Frag: Fragmentation.
FRS: Family Radio Service.
Galiclass="underline" See AK.
GCA: The Gun Control Act of 1968.The law that first created FFLs and banned interstate transfers of post-1898firearms except “to or through” FFL holders.
Glock: The popular polymer-framedpistol design by Gaston Glock of Austria. Glocks are a favorite of gun writerBoston T. Party.
GMRS: General Mobile RadioService, a licensed UHF-FM two-way radio service. See also FRS and MURS.
GMT: Greenwich Mean Time.
Gold Cup: The target version ofColt’s M1911 pistol. It has fully adjustable target sights, a tapered barrel,and a tighter barrel bushing than a standard M1911.
GOOD: Get out of Dodge.
GPS: Global positioningsystem.
Ham: Slang for amateur radiooperator.
HF: High frequency. A radio bandused by amateur radio operators.
HI: Ham radio shorthand for“laugh.”
HK or H amp;K: Heckler und Koch,the German gun maker.
HK91: Heckler und Koch Model 91,the civilian (semiautomatic-only) variant of the 7.62mm NATO G3 rifle.
HOA: Homeowners’ association.
HR: Ham radio shorthand for“here.”
Humvee: High-mobility multipurposewheeled vehicle, spoken “Humvee.”
HW: Ham radio shorthand for“how.”
IBA: Interceptor body armor.
ID: Identification.
IFV: Infantry fightingvehicle.
IPI: Indigenous populations andinstitutions.
IV: Intravenous.
K: Ham radio shorthand for “Goahead.”
Kevlar: The material used in mostbody army and ballistic helmets. “Kevlar” is also the nickname for the standardU.S. Army helmet.
KJV: King James Version of theBible.
KL: Ham radio nickname of KayleeSchmidt.
KN: Ham radio shorthand for “Goahead” (but only the station that a ham isalready conversing with).
L1A1: The British Army version ofthe FN/FAL, made to inch measurements.
LAW: Light anti-tank weapon.
LC-1: Load-carrying, Type 1 (U.S.Army load-bearing equipment, circa 1970s to 1990s).
LDS: Latter-day Saints, commonlycalled the Mormons. (Flawed doctrine, great preparedness.)
LF: The aircraft designation foraircraft from Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.
LP: Liquid propane.
LP/OP: Listening post/observationpost.
LRRP: Long-range reconnaissancepatrol.
M1A: The civilian (semiauto only)equivalent of the M14 rifle.
M1 Abrams: The United States’current main battle tank, with a 120mm cannon (“main gun”).
M1 Carbine: The U.S. Army semiautocarbine issued during World War II. Mainly issued to officers and second-echelontroops such as artillerymen for self-defense. Uses “.30 U.S. Carbine,” anintermediate (pistol-class) .30 caliber cartridge. More than six million weremanufactured. See also M2 Carbine.
M1 Garand: The U.S. Army’s primarybattle rifle of World War II and the Korean conflict. It is semiautomatic,chambered in .30-06, and uses a top-loading, eight-round en bloc clip thatejects after the last round is fired. This rifle is commonly called the Garand,after its inventor. Not to be confused with the U.S. M1 Carbine, anothersemiauto of the same era, which shoots a much less powerful pistol-classcartridge.