Clips vs Magazines

I have been asked many times in the past few weeks, “What’s the difference between a magazine and a clip?”. Some people will tell you nothing at all. Some will say it really doesn’t matter. Yet others will even get bent out of shape and yell at you until you do understand the differences. What do I think? I think that despite the way some people act when this topic comes up, that the world in fact will not come to an end when a clip is called a magazine and a magazine called a clip. However, that being said, there IS a difference. For instance. If you place a real clip in your AR, release the bolt, and attempt to fire, you will only hear a click and wonder why the rounds and little metal thingy fell out of the magazine well. To be taken seriously at some ranges and around some shooters you must know the difference and when to use what term.

The differences between the two are vast. The American Heritage Dictionary’s definition for a clip is: Any of various devices for gripping or holding things together; a clasp or fastener, a cartridge clip. A clip for a rifle or revolver grips or holds the cartridges in place. For most rifles, the bolt is opened all the way, a clip is inserted into grooves in the receiver and the rounds are pushed into the rifle, then the clips discarded. Yet other rifles have the full clip inserted into it and once the last round is fired, the clip falls out the bottom or pops out the top. Some revolvers have what is called moon or half-moon clips. They hold in a circular pattern however many rounds the cylinder takes(moon) or half that number in a half circle(half-moon). They are all very simple consisting of one or two pieces of stamped metal.

The American Heritage Dictionary says a magazine is “any of various compartments attached to a machine used for storing or supplying necessary material” and “ a compartment in some types of firearms, often a small detachable box, in whi ch cartridges are held to be fed into the firing chamber”. A magazine is slightly more complex then a clip. It normally consists of a body, spring, follower and a floor plate. The magazine when inserted into a rifle or pistol will actively feed rounds into the chamber by the force of the spring as the rounds are fired off. The fixed magazine on a rifle such as the Russian M91 series is one that can not be detached. The fixed magazine still incorporates a spring that is needed to feed the rounds into the chamber when the bolt is cycled. Many military detatchable magazines can be loaded with the aid of the correct clips.

Well there you have it. The whos who and the whats what about clips and magazines. Now get out there! Go to the range and use your new found knowledge to impress a friend! Or at very least, avoid a scolding from an uppity shooter. Stay safe and happy shooting!