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Magazines and clips

Ohiosam

*Supporting Member*
11,708
191
Mahoning Co.
Sorry, I started typing and this got much more long winded than I planned LOL


OK the use of the terms magazines and clips has become a big issue in recent years. I think mostly because anti-gunners who don't have the foggiest idea about most technical aspects of firearms want to regulate them so when they don't use them correctly it's become a way to undermine their argument. Personally I don't think arguing the semantics of magazines is the best way to beat them but that's another subject.

As I get older and grumpier a LOT of things annoy me, but the misuse of the terms magazine and clips isn't one of them. Call your rifle a gun and I'm annoyed, call your ammo bullets and I'm annoyed. The list goes on.

So before I explain why I'm not bothered by the misuse of the terms maybe we should discuss what is "proper". "Clips feed magazines and magazines feed chambers" is a simplistic way of remembering the difference, but we will see there are exceptions to the rule. Lets start with examples.

These are examples the oldest, basic style magazines. The left (Win M70) is properly called a fixed or integral box magazine. The right (Win 94) is a tubular magazine.

m70 mag.jpg
94 mag.jpg


OK, this is what most people think of as a magazine, your standard AR or Glock mag. Most modern semi-auto rifles (and recently many bolt rifles) and handguns use something similar. However it would most properly be called a detachable box magazine.
ar mag.jpg
glock mag.jpg

Now to clips. Clips were designed as a way to rapidly reload fixed box magazines. There are 2 basic types of clips, en bloc and stripper clips. Stipper clips can also properly be called chargers( more of a British term). The stripper clip only holds the ammo for loading and is removed for firing. With the flood of old mil-surp rifles and ammo in the last 20 years many people have become much more familiar with them. Revolver speed loaders are also an example of a stripper clip. Here are 2 examples SKS strippers on the left and Swiss K31 on the right.
stripper.jpg
clipk31.jpg

The most famous en bloc clips are used in the Garand (PING!) But they were first used in Mannlichers, some early Mausers and other European rifles. En bloc clips are inserted into the magazine and stay there while firing and are removed or ejected when empty. Most don't think of half moon clips used for .45 ACP revolvers as en bloc clips but they are. Revolver speed loaders and half moon clips are examples of the exception that "clips feed mags", because they both feed chambers.
enbloc.jpg
half moon.jpg


So that's the basics. And now my explanation for not being strict about the proper use. Until the First World War most average Americans had little exposure to any magazines other than the tubular mags in their lever rifles and pump shotguns, and revolvers were by far the most common handguns. Even by the time of WWII bolt actions still were't the favored rifle action of most hunters. The average American soldier (and there were many millions) from WW1 thru Korea was issued a rifle with a fixed magazine and fed with some type of clips. Clip became the common term for "a group of cartridges held together" to be inserted into a rifle. That's part of the explanation. The other part is .22 rifles were often the first detachable magazines most people got to use for sporting purposes. Many of American made .22 bolt action rifles from WWI into the 70s were offered with either detachable box mags or tubular mags. Needless to say "detachable box magazine" while proper is cumbersome, especially in advertising, so clip was often used instead. At that time detachable box magazines still weren't in widespread use for sporting centerfire rifles and semi-auto handguns were just starting to make serious inroads into the handgun market. Today detachable box magazines are everywhere and it's easy to think that the magazine/clip difference is obvious but the backstory is a little more blurred. However if you use the terms wrongly at the range or on social media someone will probably be "kind enough" to correct you but it won't be me. LOL
clip22.jpg
 
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Jamie

Senior Member
5,690
177
Ohio
Mike, I don't mean to go off topic here, but since this thread is really about semantics, please explain the difference between a crossbow bolt and a crossbow arrow. I have never seen anything that would have me believe they aren't synonyms. I seriously didn't realize there was a difference. I've been under the impression that bows shoot arrows and crossbows shoot bolts, i.e. that "bolt" is the correct term for the projectile a crossbow shoots.

I'll add that confusing magazines and clips annoys the hell out of me. semantics matter.
 
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Mike

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
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Up Nort
Mike, I don't mean to go off topic here, but since this thread is really about semantics, please explain the difference between a crossbow bolt and a crossbow arrow. I have never seen anything that would have me believe they aren't synonyms. I seriously didn't realize there was a difference. I've been under the impression that bows shoot arrows and crossbows shoot bolts, i.e. that "bolt" is the correct term for the projectile a crossbow shoots.

I'll add that confusing magazines and clips annoys the hell out of me. semantics matter.
This will sum it up.
https://guide.sportsmansguide.com/arrows-vs-bolts/
 
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giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
Haha! I thought this bothered me😂. Even my kids will correct you if you say clip around them. They know it’s easier for them to do it than listen to me go off for an hour😂
 
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