BELL: To flare a case mouth to receive a bullet easily.

BULLET: A piece of metal formed into a projectile. Available in a variety of shapes and weights.

BULLET SWAGING: The forming of a bullet using pressure in a die instead of casting molten lead in a mould.

CALIBER: The approximate diameter of a bullet or gun bore.

CARTRIDGE: A completely loaded, ready-to-fire round of ammunition.

CASE: A metal cylindrical container which holds the primer, powder and bullet. Also called brass.

CASE FORMING: To form cases of one caliber into a different caliber.

CHAMFER: To bevel the inside of a case mouth. The bevel allows bullets to start into the case mouth without crushing the case.

CHRONOGRAPH: An instrument used to measure the velocity of a bullet.

COMPONENTS: The parts that make up a cartridge. The case, primer, powder and bullet.

CRIMP: To bend inward the mouth of a case to grip the bullet. Used only with bullets having a cannelure or crimping groove.

DEBURR: To remove the small metal burrs from inside and outside of a case mouth.

DECAPPING: Removal of the spent primer from a fired case.

DECAPPING PIN: The slim needle-like rod in the sizer die which pushes out the spent primer.

EXPANDER: The part of a die that expands the case mouth to receive the bullet.

FLASH HOLE: The hole through which the primer ignites the powder charge in a case.

HANDLOADING: Another term for reloading.

HANGFIRE: Slang term for any detectable delay in cartridge ignition.

IGNITION: The action of setting a powder charge on fire.

JACKET: The cover or "skin" of a bullet.

MISFIRE: The failure of a cartridge to fire after the firing pin strikes the primer.

NECK: That portion of a case which grips the bullet. In a bottlenecked case, that portion of the case in front of the shoulder.

NECK SIZER DIE: A die used to resize only the neck portion of the fired case back to approximately its original dimensions.

POWDER: The substance that ignites in the cartridge and propels the bullet.

POWDER CHARGE: The amount of powder loaded into a case.

PRIMER: The small cap containing a detonating mixture used to ignite the powder charge in the case.

PRIMER POCKET: The cavity in the bottom of a case into which the primer is seated.

PRIMER POCKET SWAGING: The "smoothing out" of the crimped primer pocket found in military cases.

PRIMING: Installing a new primer into a case.

RAM: The steel rod running through the center of the press that holds the shell holder and drives the case into the die.

RELOADING PRESS: The tool which performs the major tasks of reloading.

RESIZE: To restore a fired case to approximately its original size.

ROUND: A military term for one complete cartridge.

SEATER DIE: The die that seats the bullet into the mouth of the powder charged and primed case.

SEATING DEPTH: The depth to which a bullet is seated in the case mouth.

SHELL HOLDER: The part that holds the case in proper alignment while the case is being run into the die.

SIZER DIE: A die used to resize a fired case back to approximately its original dimensions.

SPENT PRIMER: A primer that has been fired.