Glock 30 (sub-compact .45)
magazines are not clips
One of the most misused terms in firearms is "Clip".
A Clip is a very different thing to a magazine and the terms are not interchangeable.
Saying "Clip" when you mean "magazine" is rather like talking about socks when you mean boots.
In small arms terms magazine usually refers to a box, drum or tube with a spring inside to help feed the rounds. Magazines can be a fixed part of the weapon, or detachable. Most detachable magazines can be removed and replaced with a full one to reload the weapon, but there are guns such as the Lee Enfield where the magazine is only removed for cleaning, and is refilled by a different mechanism. (more of this in a moment).
The ammo Clip was invented in 1885 by Mannlicher and provided a way to place a full load of rounds into a magazine in one action. What many people do not appreciate is that the Clip also forms an integral part of the gun's mechanism. If the rounds are not held in a Clip the gun cannot go through the full cycle of chamber, fire and eject.
This is why the two terms should not be confused.
Firstly because the Clip actually fits inside a magazine. Some Clip-loading automatic cannon don't appear to have any magazine, the Clip slotting onto the top of the weapon and the rounds feeding down. For simplicity we'll restrict our discussion to small arms.
Secondly, when you say an arm is clip-loading you are describing a specific type of mechanism. When I say the Home defence shotgun should be a clip-loader, I'm specifying that it SHOUDN'T be capable of being loaded with loose rounds.
One of the most famous and widely used clip-fed weapons is the M1 Garand rifle. It may be the wide use of this weapon that has caused so many Americans to confuse reloads with Clips. You might argue that you can hand-load a single round into the chamber of a Garand and fire it, but you are performing the loading part of the firing cycle instead of the Clip, so the above definition still holds.
One of the most misused terms in firearms is "Clip".
A Clip is a very different thing to a magazine and the terms are not interchangeable.
Saying "Clip" when you mean "magazine" is rather like talking about socks when you mean boots.
In small arms terms magazine usually refers to a box, drum or tube with a spring inside to help feed the rounds. Magazines can be a fixed part of the weapon, or detachable. Most detachable magazines can be removed and replaced with a full one to reload the weapon, but there are guns such as the Lee Enfield where the magazine is only removed for cleaning, and is refilled by a different mechanism. (more of this in a moment).
The ammo Clip was invented in 1885 by Mannlicher and provided a way to place a full load of rounds into a magazine in one action. What many people do not appreciate is that the Clip also forms an integral part of the gun's mechanism. If the rounds are not held in a Clip the gun cannot go through the full cycle of chamber, fire and eject.
This is why the two terms should not be confused.
Firstly because the Clip actually fits inside a magazine. Some Clip-loading automatic cannon don't appear to have any magazine, the Clip slotting onto the top of the weapon and the rounds feeding down. For simplicity we'll restrict our discussion to small arms.
Secondly, when you say an arm is clip-loading you are describing a specific type of mechanism. When I say the Home defence shotgun should be a clip-loader, I'm specifying that it SHOUDN'T be capable of being loaded with loose rounds.
One of the most famous and widely used clip-fed weapons is the M1 Garand rifle. It may be the wide use of this weapon that has caused so many Americans to confuse reloads with Clips. You might argue that you can hand-load a single round into the chamber of a Garand and fire it, but you are performing the loading part of the firing cycle instead of the Clip, so the above definition still holds.
Last edited by pocketaces; Apr 17, 2008 at 04:01 PM.
I’m sorry that I had made such a careless mistake! If I have offended you I don’t really give a shit! You can go copy and paste your un useful bullshit on someone elses forum. Thanks!
Last edited by Silver EK9; Apr 17, 2008 at 04:29 PM.







