Question about 22's and other automatics

[merh]

Is the proper term for the device that holds the bullets a magazine or a clip?

Would folks who use guns and carry guns all the time be more likely to call the device a clip or a magazine?

Thanks in advance.

[E-Mag]

1. It is actually simple and this picture should clear it up

now people misuse clip all the time.

[merh]

4. thanks - I am never sure

so the 22's device is the magazine.

The question came up because of a book I'm reading - they refer to the device as a magazine, I just can't see a bunch of thugs and robbers calling it that. It just seems weird. But I guess it is right so why shouldn't the guys who love their guns use the right termology.

[krispos42]

21. They call them "mags" for short n/t

[eqfan592]

2. lol, I never thought I'd see THIS show up here!

This topic pops up in any gun forum from time to time, and sometimes starts very lengthy debates, not over which is proper, but over if people should correct others who get it wrong usually. :P

The magazine is the device that holds the "cartridges" (bullets are simply a part of the cartridge ;) ) and clips are used to feed cartridges into the magazines.

For instance, on a AR-15, the magazines are the devices you see placed into the magazine well on the bottom of the gun, and the firearm draws it's ammunition from that. There are "clips" that aid in the reloading of those magazines, and that is the difference.

Hope this helps :)

[merh]

6. thanks, that clears it up

the "bullet" we load is actually a cartridge that has the shell with the powder and then the bullet. (am I close?)

The loaded magazine slides into the but of the automatic.

[eqfan592]

9. Yep, you're getting it!

That's a pretty good description of a cartridge. The shell is called a "casing" and is also called commonly referred to as "brass." There is also a primer in the rear of the cartridge, which is what the firing pin strikes to ignite the powder, thus propelling the bullet. :) (Sorry, I was an education major, so I can tend to give people more info than they want sometimes!)

As for where the loaded magazine slides into, that's dependent on the firearm. Some do indeed slide into the butt end, others slide into a slot that's located on the lower part of the receiver. Others, like many military surplus rifles, have whats called a "fixed box" magazine. In this case, the magazine is basically always attached to the rifle, and you can either load ammo into the magazine one at a time, or you can use a "stripper clip" to quickly load the magazine to capacity. My M1 Garand is interesting in that the clip feeds into the magazine from the top, and actually stays in the magazine while you fire. It is then ejected out the top when the last round is fired, making a loud "ping" noise, and leaving the magazine open and ready to accept another clip.

And again, if that's WAY more than you wanted to know, I apologize, but it's there for you either way. :)

EDIT: The clips pictures in post number 5 on this thread are the clips for the M1 Garand I was speaking of. They are called "en-bloc clips."

[spin]

3. Proper term in most cases is "magazine"...

Clip: A device for holding cartridges together, usually to facilitate loading. Widely used as a synonym for "magazine" (although most firearm authorities consider this substandard usage). Technically, a magazine has a feeding spring, a clip does not.
http://www.thegunzone.com/clips-mags.html

Many experienced shooters use the terms interchangeably.

[Katya Mullethov]

5. Whistle tips go woo-woo

but clips go "ping"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9d01zAmnMY


they even look like some kind of body molding clip or fastener .


The deatchable magazine is what we use today , they dont go flying off on their own after the last round .

[aikoaiko]

7. well, both clips and mags hold cartridges

Generally, magazines are elongated boxes where the cartridges don't extend out. Clips generally hold cartridges together to load into a mag or cylinder.

Here's another picture (albeit heavy on the snark).

[doc03]

8. A question about 22 and

other automatics? Since when is a 22 an automatic? If you had a special permit you could have an automatic 22 or other automatic. The guns readily available that some call (automatic) are actually semi-automatic. Clips or magazines don't hold bullets they hold cartridges.

[eqfan592]

10. No need to be snotty.

He/she came to us asking an honest question, and seems very willing to learn the ropes. You weren't born with all the knowledge already plugged in there. At some point somebody filled you in. We gun owners need to be careful not to scare off new gun owners when they come to us asking us questions.

There is a difference between ignorance and stupidity. One is a state we all begin in when we start a new venture and can be fixed by a willing mind. The other tends to be a permanent condition. We must be careful not to treat one as the other.

I'm not trying to come down hard on you or anything man, I'm just saying go easy on the guy/gal. He's/She's doing the right thing in asking questions in a forum such as this instead of just trying to make it up as he/she goes along. :)

[AtheistCrusader]

12. The OP's reference to Automatic is correct.

It's been differentiated somewhat recently as 'auto-loading' but the term does not necessarily mean a fully-automatic weapon.

[eqfan592]

13. Indeed you are correct.

I was going to mention that in my reply, and somehow managed to completely forget to do so. But thanks for making up for my omission there. :)

[doc03]

16. When someone says automatic many

people not that familiar with guns think that means fully automatic. People that are familiar with guns may call a 9mm pistol an automatic but they know it fires one round for each pull of the trigger and is really a semi-auto. I have seen many posts from anti-guners that seem to think fully automatic assault type weapons are readily available to the average shooter. I remember from army days a M-14 was called a 7.62mm semi-auto weapon (not an automatic).

I wasn't trying to be snotty I was just trying to make it clear the average hunter or shooter is not carrying a fully automatic weapon around.

[benEzra]

19. The term "automatic weapon" always refers to full auto, though. (n/t)

[AtheistCrusader]

11. A rifle that automatically cycles its bolt and loads another round when fired is called an automatic

Not to be confused with the term 'full auto', which is really a colloquialism for one of the possible modes of 'Select Fire'.

If you go back and look at sales and technical literature for something like a Marlin Papoose from the 50's (whatever they called the model back then) you'll see it called a .22 Automatic, even though it has no capability whatsoever for fully automatic fire.

Another example would be the caliber .45 ACP, or Automatic Colt Pistol, which is also, not a fully-automatic weapon.

[eqfan592]

14. I hear those colts can be made full auto with a nail file and tooth picks, though! *snark* (nt)

[ManiacJoe]

15. You are thinking of handguns.

Semi-auto handguns have always been referred to as "automatics" (compared to revolvers) due to sub-machineguns being a relatively recent invention.

When talking about rifles, "automatic" has always referred to "full auto", hence the term "semi-automatic".

[SteveM]

17. Back in the day...

I have a Winchester .22 WAR (Winchester Automatic Rifle, an obsolete round). On the side of the barrel is inscribed "automatic." The weapon was built in 1905. In those days, the term "automatic" had so much cache it was applied to appliances as well.

[benEzra]

18. Colloquially, yes, in some circles...

but such usage is widely considered a bit sloppy these days, particularly since the effort began in the '80s to confuse civilian semiautos with automatic weapons. I think the term is more commonly used by casual shooters (particular those of older generations) than by enthusiasts.

[Recursion]

20. Not all "full auto" weapons select, though

I lugged an M240-G for way more many miles than I wanted to for several years; it's not a selective fire weapon.

[AtheistCrusader]

22. I bet you could if you removed the sear.

Just kidding. Correct, the M240 is a machine gun, not a select-fire weapon. My statement was overbroad.