Magazine (firearms)

A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device for a repeating firearm, either integral with the gun (internal or fixed external) or detachable. The magazine functions by holding several cartridges within itself and sequentially pushing each one into a position where it may be readily loaded into the barrel chamber by the firearm's moving action. The detachable magazine is sometimes colloquially referred to as a "clip," although this is technically inaccurate since a clip is actually an accessory device used to help load ammunition into the magazine or cylinder of a firearm.

Magazines come in many different shapes and sizes from integral tubular magazines on lever-action and pump-action rifles and shotguns that may hold more than 5 rounds to detachable box magazines and drum magazines for automatic rifles and light machine guns that may hold more than 50 rounds. Various jurisdictions ban magazines over a certain capacity – for example, in Canada, more than five rounds for rifles or shotguns and more than ten rounds for handguns.

Nomenclature

With the increased use of semi-automatic and automatic firearms, the detachable magazine became increasingly common. Soon after the adoption of the M1911 pistol, the term "magazine" was settled on by the military and firearms experts. Although the term "clip" is often used to refer to detachable (never fixed) magazines, this usage remains a point of strong contention. The defining difference between a clip and a magazine is the presence of a feed mechanism, typically a spring-loaded follower, which a clip lacks.

History

The earliest firearms were loaded with powder and a lead ball in paper, and to fire more than a single shot without reloading required multiple barrels, such as in pepper-box guns, double-barreled rifles, double-barreled shotguns, or multiple chambers, such as in revolvers.