The Asylum Guide to: Airsoft Terms
Sometimes it sounds like these Airsofters are speaking a different language, do you have a mate who is into airsoft, but don’t have a clue what they are talking about? Asylum are here to help with this handy guide to Airsoft lingo!
Sure we’ve probably missed a heap out, so why not let us know, add your favourite airsoft terms in the comments and we will add them to the official Asylum Guide to: Airsoft Terms
A
ACR/Adaptive Combat Rifle: Modular style gun with interchangeable parts
AEG/ Airsoft Electric Gun: An electronic airsoft weapon
AEP/Airsoft Electric Pistol: Similar to AEG but in pistol form (as opposed to a Gas Blow Back)
AO: Area of Operations. The Area of Operation is where the game is taking place
AOS: Armed Offenders Squad – New Zealand’s heavily armed police unit
AR: Assault Rifle
ASAP: As Soon As Possible our excuse whenever we haven’t done something on time at the field
ASG: Airsoft Gun, the correct way to refer to an airsoft gun
Asylum: The only place you should be playing
Automatic: A firearm that fires as long as the trigger is depressed (that poor, sad trigger – don’t worry though, shooting cheers it up)
AWOL: Absent Without Leave. Leaving without permission from a commander
B
BB: 6mm simulation ammunition that is shot by Airsoft participants
BDUs: Battle dress uniform, now replaced with ACU
BP: Battle Position, also the petrol station down the road
C
Camos: Camouflage Uniforms
Carbine: Shorter version of a modern firearm for CQB, jungle or mounted warfare
CB: Coyote Brown, a common colour of US webbing and equipment
Clip: What people who have no idea what they are talking about call a magazine
CO: Commanding Officer. He’s your boss.
CO2: Carbon Dioxide
CQB: Close Quarter Battle. Combat at short distances, mostly indoor combat like what we do in the Killing House at Asylum.
D
DPM: Disruptive Pattern Material, what the commonwealth refers to our camo gear as
DCU: Desert Camouflage Uniform, not to be confused with Dessert Camouflage Uniform, which is far tastier
DPCU: Disruptive Pattern Combat Uniform, Australian “Jellybean” uniform, for when you are attempting to assault Willy Wonka’s lair
DZ: Drop Zone, or as we like to call it, the toilet.
E
F
FUBAR: Fucked up beyond all recognition, generally how the Asylum crew feel after a day at work, also a former Auckland night club!
FRAG: Fragmentary grenade, also a gamer term for confirmed kills
G
G&G: A Chinese Airsoft Manufacturer
Gas Gun/GBB: Gas Blow-Back. Gas powered pistol of assault rifle which moves with every shot
Gloves: They go on your hands and convince people you are a real operator, they also stop BBs from damaging your fingernails princess.
Goggles: Stop you from going blind, we only use proper goggles at Asylum.
Green Gas: Propane that powers GBBs, a favourite discussion topic of Hank Hill
Gredo: He shot first in Star Wars
H
Hi-Cap: High Capacity Magazine, for those who don’t care too much about realistic load outs. Because its totally normal to have 200 rounds in a standard sized mag
Hop Up: System which puts a backspin on the BB to make it fly further
I
ICS: Another airsoft manufacturer who is apparently pretty good
IF: British term for an imitation firearm, generally needs to be two tone for regulatory reasons
J
K
L
LBV/Load Bearing Vest: A vest that carries everything you need for combat
Lowcap: “Low capacity” mag that isn’t actually that low!
LMG: Light Machine Gun eg M60 or M249 SAW
M
mAH: The more of these you have the longer your battery on your gun will last
Marpat: The uniform worn by US Marines
Mask: What you wear when robbing a bank, also what your goggles go in
MilSim: Military Simulation
Multicam: Older style camo replaced by Digital ACU
MOLLE: Modular Lightweight Load Carrying Equipment, what you strap way to much gear onto before the game
MWS: Modular Weapon System, similar to ACR allowing you to swap out different firearm parts i.e Barrel or Stock
N
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
NiCad: Nickel-cadmium battery is a popular type of rechargeable battery using the nickel hydroxide (NiOH) and metallic cadmium (Cd) as the active chemicals.
NiMH: Nickel metal hydride battery, abbreviated NiMH, is a type of rechargeable battery similar to a nickel-cadmium (NiCd) battery but has a hydrogen-absorbing alloy for the anode instead of cadmium. A NiMH battery can have two to three times the capacity of an equivalent size NiCd and the memory effect is not as significant. However, compared to the lithium-ion battery, the volumetric energy density is lower and self-discharge is higher.
O
OD: Olive Drab – the standard colour of all military units lacking a fabulous fashion sense
P
Pads: Never used unless you actually plan on getting on the ground once and a while
Plinking: What you do in the backyard when you want an Armed Offenders Squad callout
Picatinny rail: A bracket used on some firearms in order to provide a standardised mounting platform for telescopic sights and other accessories, such as tactical lights and laser sighting modules. The standard was first published by the Picatinny Arsenal and carries the official title MIL-STD-1913. It is also known by the NATO designation STANAG 2324. Can be used to attach a tactical mug to your sidearm for coffee wherever you need it.
Q
R
Real Steel: Actual firearms
Red Gas: What communists use to power their GBBs
RIS: Rail Integrated System, something that allows you to attach an unrealistic amount of accessories to your firearm
ROE: Rules of Engagement, the rules we game by
ROF: Rate of Fire, the speed which you pull the trigger (or your AEG adds shots)
S
SAW: Squad Automatic Weapon e.g.M249 LMG
Semi Automatic: One shot per trigger pull
Skirmish: What the Aussies call airsoft and paintball games, how cute
SMG: SubMachine Gun e.g MP5 and UZI.
SOCOM: Special Operations Command Military – US Special Ops
Springer: Spring powered entry level BB gun, often sold as a toy
STG: Special Tactics Group – NZ’s most hardcore coppers, for when even the AOS aren’t enough
Stock: The part of the gun that attaches to your shoulder when aiming, not used by Third World armies and paramilitary groups
SWAT: Special Weapons And Tactics – heavily armed coppers in the USA (Like the Armed Offenders Squad in NZ)
T
TacSim/Tactical Simulation: A SWAT style CQB game often in buildings
Tango: Callsign for terrorists (or the other side)
U
UCP: Universal Camouflage Pattern which is ideal for all applications… apparently
UW/Unconventional Warfare: Sabotage, guerrilla warfare etc – the way most modern small scale battles are fought
V
W
Weaver Rail: Common sight attachment
X
Y
Z
What did we forget? Let us know in the comments and we will add it to the glossary
You forgot ACU…
March 14, 2014 at 10:30 am