shooting iron

American

noun

Informal.

a firearm, especially a pistol or revolver.

shooting iron British

noun

slang a firearm, esp a pistol

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of shooting iron

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s not like in the movies, where the sheriff tells all the buckaroos they can’t ride into town with shooting irons.

From Washington Times

John Lloyd, who was renting the tavern from Surratt at the time, testified that Surratt told him to have the “shooting irons” ready for pickup on the night of April 14.

From Washington Post

Despite their beauty and value, these are fine shooting irons and all three pieces can be custom-fitted to the winner.

From Forbes

Who, as you might guess from that title, possess their share of shooting irons as well.

From Seattle Times

I took down my rope from the saddle-horn, having just missed my shooting irons a few minutes before, and threw it onto a yearling heifer.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023