AR-15

A popular semi-automatic rifle platform. Lots of companies make parts that fit it, so owners often swap pieces like the stock, grip, buffer or handguard.

Battle belt

A wide, stiff belt worn over (or in place of) your regular belt that carries a holster, mag pouches and a med kit, so your gear rides in the same spot every time. Often a two-part system: a thin inner belt plus a padded outer belt.

Buffer and buffer spring

Parts inside an AR-15's stock tube that soak up the bolt's rearward motion when it fires. A heavier buffer (like an H2, which has extra weights inside) or a stronger spring can make recoil feel smoother.

Compensator

A muzzle device that redirects gas from the barrel to reduce how much the gun jumps when it fires.

Cordura

A tough, abrasion-resistant nylon fabric used in pouches, belts and packs. The number before it (like 500D) describes how thick the fibers are.

Cummerbund

The adjustable band on a plate carrier that wraps around your sides and holds the front and back together. Usually closes with hook-and-loop.

Enclosed emitter

A red dot sight where the light source is sealed inside a closed housing, so dust, rain or lint can't block the dot.

Free-floated handguard

A handguard that attaches only at the receiver and doesn't touch the barrel, so pressure on it doesn't push the barrel and change where shots land.

Gore-Tex

A waterproof but breathable membrane built into shoes, boots and jackets. GTX in a product name usually means it has Gore-Tex.

Hook-and-loop (Velcro)

Two fabric strips, one with tiny hooks and one with loops, that grip each other. Velcro is the best-known brand.

IFAK

Individual First Aid Kit: a small pouch with trauma supplies like a tourniquet and bandages, meant to be carried on you.

KeyMod

A handguard attachment system with keyhole-shaped slots. Accessories like sling mounts and grips bolt directly into the slots. M-LOK is a similar system that uses rectangular slots.

Knurling

The textured, cross-hatched grip pattern cut into a barbell's sleeve area. A "center knurl" is a patch in the middle that helps on squats.

Level II retention

A holster that holds the gun with two separate mechanisms, typically friction plus a button or lever you press to draw. Harder for someone else to grab, a bit slower to learn.

MOA

Minute of Angle: a way to measure accuracy and dot size. 1 MOA is roughly 1 inch at 100 yards, so a 2 MOA group is about 2 inches wide at that distance.

MOLLE / PALS

Rows of strong webbing straps on carriers, belts and packs. Pouches weave into the rows so you can arrange gear however you like. PALS is the name of the webbing grid itself.

Open-top mag pouch

A magazine pouch with no flap. The mag is held by friction, an elastic band or a bungee, which makes reloads faster than a flap pouch.

OWB / IWB

Outside the waistband / inside the waistband: whether a holster rides on the outside of your belt or tucked inside your pants. OWB is common on range and duty belts.

Plate carrier

A vest built to hold armor plates (or weight plates for training) in front and back pockets. Used for protection and, in fitness, for weighted workouts.

Ported barrel

A barrel, with a matching cut in the slide, that has slots near the muzzle so some gas vents upward when you fire. That pushes the muzzle down and reduces muzzle flip. It's built into the gun, unlike a separate compensator added to the end of the barrel.

QD (quick detach)

A push-button sling swivel and its matching socket. Press the button and the sling clicks in or out in a second.

Red dot

A sight that shows a small lit dot on a window. You put the dot on the target with both eyes open, which is faster than lining up iron sights.

Rucking

Walking or hiking with a weighted backpack (a ruck). A simple, low-impact way to build strength and endurance.

Single-stack

A pistol magazine where the rounds sit in one straight column instead of staggered side by side. It makes the grip slimmer and easier to conceal, but holds fewer rounds than a double-stack.

Stack height

How much foam and rubber sits between your foot and the ground in a shoe, measured in millimeters. Higher usually means more cushion, lower means more ground feel.

Stovepipe

A malfunction where a fired case doesn't fully eject and gets caught upright in the ejection port, sticking out like a little chimney. The gun won't fire again until you clear it.

Two-point sling

A rifle sling that attaches at two places, front and back, so the rifle hangs across your body and can be tightened or loosened quickly.

Windlass

The rod on a tourniquet that you twist to tighten the band until bleeding stops, then lock in place with a clip and strap.

Zero-drop

A shoe where the heel and the forefoot sit at the same height. Most running shoes have a raised heel; zero-drop feels flatter and works the calves more at first.

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