2 ms·
The biggest difference is that a clip need not remain in the weapon to fire it. A magazine has an active feed mechanism (I.e. a spring) that forces the ammuniti
by exelius 12y ago
The biggest difference is that a clip need not remain in the weapon to fire it. A magazine has an active feed mechanism (I.e. a spring) that forces the ammunition into the breach of the weapon.
Almost no modern weapons use clips; the last popular one was the M1 Garand (standard issue US infantry rifle in WW2).
It's a more than a semantic difference because there are some weapons that are capable of accepting both magazines and clips. Though such weapons are rare and I can't think of a modern example, there is a good reason for being picky.
- stan_rogers 12y ago5.56mm and 7.62mm (both NATO) in stripper clips are still standard issue formats used for reloading non-disposable magazines, and weapons that allow clip reloading of an installed magazine are not rare on the ground. The Garand was only unusual in that the clip was inserted into the weapon and not removed prior to firing.
- Zancarius 12y agoWhat's really fun, and probably even more confusing to the casual observer, is that most (all?) of the clip-fed firearms you'd remove the clip from after loading also had an internal magazine. So you're absolutely right! Especially when the terms refer to two completely different parts. Some samples that come to mind: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannlicher_M1895 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannlicher_M1895 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauser_C96 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauser_C96 (the old "broom-handle" mauser) I'm sure there's a few others. I saw a couple on Forgotten Weapons (they have a really great Youtube channel--check it out sometime) besides these two, but their names escape me.