[PaleHawkDown]

I've always made it a point that there was a distinction between the two terms, but apparently even the U.S. military, specifically the department in charge of small arms, used to use the terms interchangeably. Check out this video at the 3:57 mark.

 

[Brandhard]

My Granddad, dad, and uncles are all vets, they all called magazines clips. Especially in the Army old lingo dies hard. By the time my generation came around, "mag" was the accepted term. But, in many other cases, equipment and programs get called by the name of the thing it replaced. Troops that have never seen a deuce and a half call the 10 ton dump currently in service "deuce and a half".
You'll still hear "Strac" even though that went away in the early '60s. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Army_Corps

 

[jedwil]

Not sure I understand the issue. Seems he was describing what features some folks wanted and clip feeding was on of those, The M1 Garand is clip fed and the M14, though having a detachable magazine, can be clip fed.

 

[jpndave]

The definitions I use are:

A "clip" holds ammunition in a specific way that allows delivery to the gun or magazine. Examples include the Enbloc clip for M1 Garand, stripper clips, and moon clips for revolvers.

A "magazine" holds and delivers or feeds ammunition to the gun.

I use my Garand when teaching classes, whether Hunter's Education, concealed permit or any of the NRA courses going over gun types. That "ping" when ejected grabs everyone's attention and engages even the rising generation of video gamer kids.

There is a difference in definition. Magazines are often called clips even though that's not technically correct we know what's being referenced. That may well come from historical transitions as described above.

 

[BigEd63]

I think the blurring may have occurred early on with regards to handguns. Considering some designs, like the original broom handle Mauser, actually loaded through the top using a stripper clip.
Although for the life of me I don't know how that transferred to American gun culture unless it was early movies and dime novels.

With regards to rifles like has been said the early repeaters loaded via stripper clips and the clip term soldered on.

 

[PaleHawkDown]

Not sure I understand the issue. Seems he was describing what features some folks wanted and clip feeding was on of those, The M1 Garand is clip fed and the M14, though having a detachable magazine, can be clip fed.

The term "Clip" is used for the BAR, and indeed in old government documents they call the BAR mag a "detachable clip".

 

[reverendg]

Lots of “educated people” still get things wrong. That doesn’t make wrong things right.

 

[blaster]

all my life I have heard clip and magazine used indiscriminately. its only been since everyone started getting their info from the computer that anyone started making a big deal about it.

 

[blue fox]

all my life I have heard clip and magazine used indiscriminately. its only been since everyone started getting their info from the computer that anyone started making a big deal about it.

Purists.

 

[PaleHawkDown]

I half wonder if we were wrong all along. "Facts" get on the internet, and get spread, and we all share them as gospel. Online gun circles can be a bit of an echo chamber.

Think about one of the long-standing gun "truths"; that the Germans would listen for the ping of a Garand clip. In a limited encounter, maybe, but once shooting starts no one can hear anything.

 

[John A.]

My Granddad, dad, and uncles are all vets, they all called magazines clips. Especially in the Army old lingo dies hard. By the time my generation came around, "mag" was the accepted term. But, in many other cases, equipment and programs get called by the name of the thing it replaced. Troops that have never seen a deuce and a half call the 10 ton dump currently in service "deuce and a half".
You'll still hear "Strac" even though that went away in the early '60s. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Army_Corps

Yep! And the younger generation says we are wrong called them "clips"! LOL!