Quote:
Originally Posted by Kumabjorn
So you can't load ammunition directly into a weapon using a clip? It has to first go into a magazine? or is that oversimplification in the other direction?
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It depends.
The typical WWI rifle (bolt action) was loaded directly from a stripper clip. You would place the stripper clip, with 5 rounds, into a holder, push down, and the 5 rounds were loaded into the internal magazine.
With the M1 Garand, you push the entire enblock clip of 8 rounds into the firearm, and the clip is ejected after the last round is fired.
For the M-16, you load the detachable box magazines from stripper clips, using a small adapter tool. Each stripper clip holds 10 rounds, and with one push, they get loaded into the magazine. The magazines typically hold 20 or 30 rounds, so 2 or 3 clips worth.
Most magazines are loaded from individual rounds. Put one in the opening, push down and repeat until full. Then there are the drum magazines for the classic Thompson submachine gun. Those, you removed the back cover, dropped in the rounds, replaced the cover and wound up the spring in the magazine to feed the rounds.
And finally, there are clip for revolvers. When the .45 ACP was introduced in 1911, they could not produce them quickly enough, so they produced a revolver that fired the same round. Except that revolvers need a round with a lip (rim) to keep the round from slipping right through, and semi autos require rounds without a rim (rimless). So they made a half moon clip, that was semi circular and would allow 3 rounds of .45 ACP to be snapped into to hold them. Two such clips would be used in the revolver. Later, some people would weld two such clip together, making a full mooon clip, that allowed a very quick reload.