One challenge in many hobby spaces is terminology isn’t always consitant from region to region or across different bits of a fanbase. We have no doubt we won’t be an exception here. As such, we thought it wise to put together a list of common and semi-common hobby terms that we see used in different ways so we’re at least consistent with ourselves.
Terms regarding blaster modes
- Springer
- A blaster that uses stored spring power to channel air for launching ammunition.
- Stringer
- A blaster that uses a length of an elastic material to propel darts by stretching and releasing the material.
- Flywheeler
- A blaster that uses one or more sets of wheels to propel darts.
- AEG
- A springer blaster that uses electromechanical advantage as the priming mechanism.
- Internal LPA
- A blaster that uses a non-removable store of pressurized air to propel darts. Typically 40-60 PSI, but may be slightly higher.
- External LPA
- A blaster that uses a removable store of pressurized air to propel darts. Typically 40-60 PSI but may run up to 100 PSI.
- HPA
- A blaster that uses a more powerful removable store of pressurized air to propel darts. Anything greater than 100 PSI is treated as HPA for our purposes.
Terms regarding blaster form-factor
- Pistol
- Any blaster that may be easily controlled by one hand, typically under 25 cm in length.
- Revolver
- A pistol that stores and fires rounds from a rotating cylinder.
- Machine Pistol
Auto Pistol - A pistol that is capable of firing more than a single round per trigger pull.
- Rifle
- A manually primed blaster with a larger body and barrel than a pistol and a stock. Typically these cannot be easily controlled/aimed with a single hand and are meant to be shouldered, propped, or operated with two hands.
- Battle Rifle
- Any rifle with multiple-fire per trigger pull capability. May have little to no barrel but is otherwise proportioned as a Rifle.
- Masterkey
- A foregrip mounted, secondary firing mode used for emergencies or a specialty game mode, such as shield busting.
Terms regarding onboard ammunition storage
- Magazine
- Any type of round storage that uses a spring or similar advancing system to move rounds to the opening of the magazine.
- Clip
- A type of round storage that moves within the blaster to advance the next round.
- Harmonica Clip
- A clip that moves in a horizontal, rather than vertical path through the blaster.
- Drum Magazine
- A (typically higher) capacity magazine using a drum and stick shape to attempt to fit more rounds in the same cubic space.
- Hopper
- An ordered or unordered storage bin for ammunition that drops the next round into the firing mechanism of the blaster.
Terms regarding design reuse
- Iteration
- This is a blaster design that extends or enhances a previous design but is fundamentally the same design. Typically reuses and iterates the product name but sometimes is done as a silent, running change to an existing product.
- Recolor
- This is an exact duplicate of an existing blaster that has some or all colors of parts and/or paint changed. This may be a running change in the blaster, a new production run, an alternate market run, or in some cases an alternate branding of the blaster.
- Reshell
- This blaster design extends or enhances a previous design but is significantly different in the physical form beyond a new color scheme. Internally, a reshell is essentially identical to a previous design aside from iterative improvements and changes to fit the blaster shell better. Reshells are frequently sold as a new product, often beside the previous version(s) of the blaster.
- Original
- This design holds very little design carried from a previous product. This can be challenging to declare in some spaces as for some activities, there are only so many ways to design some mechanisms and engineering is very much an intellectual recycling process.