14 replies to this topic

[cheesypiza001]

According to wikipedia, the word "turret" means the following:


1. A little tower, frequently a merely ornamental structure at one of the corners of a building or castle.

2. A movable building, of a square form, consisting of ten or even twenty stories and sometimes one hundred and twenty cubits high, usually moved on wheels, and employed in approaching a fortified place, for carrying soldiers, engines, ladders, casting bridges, and other necessaries.

3. An armoured, rotating gun installation, on a fort, ship, aircraft, or armoured fighting vehicle.

4. The elevated central portion of the roof of a passenger car. Its sides are pierced for light and ventilation.


My question is why do we use the word turret when referring to a rotating group of multiple barrels?

Examples: AT2K Turret, SM1500 Turret, Maverick Turret, ect.

Edited by cheesypiza001, 16 June 2009 - 08:47 AM.

[UberKuhlMan]

According to wikipedia, the word "turret" means the following:


1. A little tower, frequently a merely ornamental structure at one of the corners of a building or castle.

2. A movable building, of a square form, consisting of ten or even twenty stories and sometimes one hundred and twenty cubits high, usually moved on wheels, and employed in approaching a fortified place, for carrying soldiers, engines, ladders, casting bridges, and other necessaries.

3. An armoured, rotating gun installation, on a fort, ship, aircraft, or armoured fighting vehicle.

4. The elevated central portion of the roof of a passenger car. Its sides are pierced for light and ventilation.


My question is why do we use the word turret when referring to a rotating group of multiple barrels?

Examples: AT2K Turret, SM1500 Turret, Maverick Turret, ect.

We refer to them as turrets because the barrels rotate similar to definition 3.
Also similar to a gatling gun or minigun.
Hope this helps but it IS in need of some more details.I'm sure someone can do it.

-UberKuhlMan

[cheesypiza001]

We refer to them as turrets because the barrels rotate similar to definition 3.
Also similar to a gatling gun or minigun.
Hope this helps but it IS in need of some more details.I'm sure someone can do it.

-UberKuhlMan

Okay but I think that the key word the definition #3 is installation. It's talking about a little area where there is someone shooting...similar to definition #1.

Edited by cheesypiza001, 16 June 2009 - 08:59 AM.

[Roy]

I've often wondered this too. Multi barrel or cylinder in many cases would be more appropriate.

Edited by Roy, 16 June 2009 - 09:29 AM.

[Doom]

While I don't know precisely the source of the word turret in the Nerf context, I can say such use is not specific to Nerf. Some old movie cameras had a similar setup for lenses. For example, I have an old 16mm camera called the Kodak K100 turret. Here's an old Kodak advertisement that refers to it as such. The camera has 3 lenses that rotate in a manner that is very similar to Nerf turrets. This indicates to me that the word was used in a similar context back to the 50s and maybe earlier.

Someone more familiar with Nerf history might be able to shed more light. I don't think the word turret was used by the Nerf brand ever, though, the only check I did was searching NerfCenter for the word turret.

Edited by Doom, 16 June 2009 - 10:46 AM.

[atomatron]

It seems to be a combination of definitions #1 and #3.

[Carbon]

Doom's example reminded me that microscopes use the same terminology for their rotating array of lenses. I looked up the definition that Google provided a link to, and interestingly, it lists a fifth definition:

5. A rotating device holding various lenses, as for a microscope, allowing easy switching from one lens to another.

Swap in barrel for lens and you got it. Nerf always plays a bit fast and loose with proper terminology (like the whole magazine/clip discussion), but then, it's Nerf.

[Echnalaid]

Because a Rotating Barreled 3K sounds no where near as good as a Turreted 3K.

[Sk0rpion 777]

http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Gun_turret
Second paragraph down.

A turret is a rotating weapon platform.

[Wisp]

I was just playing Fable II, and there were turret guns that are pretty much our definition of them, multiple barrels that rotate.

[bigred1rifleman]

Honestly, I don't call them turrets. Infact, I call them cylinders. Cylinder is the term used for the "turret" of revolving firearms.

Finn

[CaptainSlug]

Because we do.

[cheesypiza001]

http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Gun_turret
Second paragraph down.

A turret is a rotating weapon platform.

You are obviously still on the same page that UberKuhlMan was on. The turret in that case is not referring to the rotating cylinder on a firearm, but is referring to a gunners seat or a platform on which a firearm is mounted.

Because we do.

You know, I was starting to think it was because of this.

Edited by cheesypiza001, 16 June 2009 - 08:31 PM.

[Sk0rpion 777]

You are obviously still on the same page that UberKuhlMan was on. The turret in that case is not referring to the rotating cylinder on a firearm, but is referring to a gunners seat or a platform on which a firearm is mounted.

Well, I did a little more searching and found this on Thefreedictionary.com.

1. A small tower or tower-shaped projection on a building.
2.
a. A low, heavily armored structure, usually rotating horizontally, containing mounted guns and their gunners or crew, as on a warship or tank.
b. A domelike gunner's enclosure projecting from the fuselage of a combat aircraft.
3. A tall wooden structure mounted on wheels and used in ancient warfare by besiegers to scale the walls of an enemy fortress.
4. An attachment for a lathe consisting of a rotating cylindrical block holding various cutting tools.
5. A rotating device holding various lenses, as for a microscope, allowing easy switching from one lens to another.

Almost all of them mention rotating. Maybe thats why the first nerfer to call it a turret did.

Also here. http://www.merriam-w...ctionary/turret

2 a: a pivoted and revolvable holder in a machine tool.

A gun could be considered a "machine tool".

[Blacksunshine]

Because we do.

Indeed. Welcome to the beauty of a living language. This means that as we evolve and apply new terms to new inventions they then are added to the definition of what that word means. So therefore a rotating barrel system either via automation or human powered interaction shall be termed as a turret.

That is why we call it a turret. It is because we have made it so. Those definitions are incomplete. No outside examples are needed to add precedence to this term.

Edited by Blacksunshine, 16 June 2009 - 09:29 PM.