what is the terms

[joeyj]

''short stroking'' & ''plunking'' mean. keep it clean boys.

[M&P Chris]

Short stroking the press. Plunking is dropping a finished round into your barrel or case gauge.

[daschnoz]

I know what plinking is, but I've never heard the term "plunking".

As for "Short Stroking"
In a semi-auto firearm, the bolt (or slide in the case of a pistol) must cycle far enough back to both eject the spent case, and pick up the next round from the top of the magazine to feed it into the chamber for the next shot. When the bolt does not cycle far enough to do 1 or both of these actions, it is considered a short stroke.

Short strokes where the spent case is ejected but a new round is not picked up are not that bad - you simple pull the trigger on an empty chamber. Short strokes that don't eject the spent case can be a real bitch. Often, the case will get stuck in the chamber and require a bit of physical persuasion (cleaning rod and a light tap with a hammer) to dislodge.

[NathanB]

The plunk test is what you are referring to. Google works well

[cephas]

Plunk (drop round in chamber) 1911

[Brick]

Short stoking can also apply to the bane of revolver shooters, that is not completing the either the full double action trigger to fire a shot or fail to release the trigger fully to "reset" the action for the next shot.

[noylj]

If you drop a round in your barrel, it will make a "plunk" sound. This is the way to determine if the COL is correct and the rounds will chamber. Best to do this with a couple of inert dummy rounds before you ever put powder or primers in the press.

Short stroking a press means that you partially cycle the progressive press. One big problem is, if you use a case-activated powder measure, you can end up putting two or three charges in your case. The problem is people tend to focus on the immediate problem and ignore what the rest of the press is doing. Add NOT looking into every case before you place a bullet on it or use a Lock-Out die, and you have the makings of a KaBoom.