magclip

Clips and Magazines

To some folks the constant hounding by firearm enthusiasts about the difference between clips and magazines may sound petty; a semantic argument. To many firearm enthusiasts this response is indicative of one of the very problems of the gun control movement and of hoplophobes--they don't know what they are talking about. Truthfully though, many shooters make the exact same mistake in nomenclature, further frustrating many of the enthusiasts.

Here then is a demonstration of the differences between a clip and a magazine.

This picture features a magazine, a loaded clip, an empty clip, and a spoon (from left to right). Please note the size of the magazine. Magazines usually contain springs and are used to advance fresh rounds of ammunition for loading into the chamber for firing. Magazines may be fixed or detachable. The one shown is a detachable magazine. Magazines are not unique to semi-auto or full-auto firearms, bolt action, lever action, and pump action firearms normally have magazines.

Clips, unlike magazines, normally do not have springs. The purpose of a clip is to load a magazine, not to advance a fresh round of ammunition. To use a clip, often a spoon is needed. The spoon usually fits on the back of the magazine as shown.

The next step is to slide the loaded clip into the spoon.

To put the ammonition into the magazine, simply press down until all the rounds are in. Repeat with a fressh clip until the magazine is full.

Remove the clip and spoon and the magazine is now ready to be loaded into the firearm.

Place the magazine into the magazine well and firmly push it in until it engages fully. A quick tug will confirm that it is correctly seated.

There you have it. The difference between a clip and a magazine. The next time you hear or see someone talking about a "banana clip", you will know the difference. To a firearm enthusiast, it is kind of like the difference between a mallet and a chisel.