cartridge clip
Noun: A detachable metal frame or container designed to hold multiple cartridges (ammunition rounds) in an orderly fashion, ready for feeding into the firing mechanism of a firearm. It is designed to be inserted into and removed from a compatible automatic or semi-automatic gun.
A "cartridge clip" is a device used to store and feed ammunition into a firearm. It is a critical component for quickly reloading many types of modern guns. The term is often used interchangeably with "magazine" in informal contexts, though technically, a clip is often a simpler device that holds rounds together for loading into an internal or detachable magazine.
- The soldier swiftly replaced the empty cartridge clip with a full one.
- He loaded the cartridge clip with ten rounds of ammunition before inserting it into the pistol.
- The design of the cartridge clip allows for rapid firing and reloading.
- "Stripper clip": A specific type of clip used to quickly "strip" cartridges into the internal magazine of a rifle.
- He used a stripper clip to rapidly load the bolt-action rifle's fixed magazine.
- Clip (n): A common shortened form of "cartridge clip."
- Magazine (n): A more precise term for an ammunition storage and feeding device, which may be internal or detachable. While often confused, a magazine typically contains a spring mechanism to feed rounds, whereas a simple clip does not.
- Ammunition clip (n): A synonymous phrase.
- Ammunition clip
- Clip
- Mag (informal abbreviation for magazine)
The term "cartridge clip" is sometimes used generically to refer to a detachable box magazine. However, in strict firearms terminology, a clip is a device that holds cartridges together for the purpose of loading a magazine (e.g., a stripper clip for an M1 Garand or an en-bloc clip), while a magazine is a device that both holds cartridges and feeds them into the firearm's chamber. The common usage of "clip" for a detachable magazine is widespread but technically a misnomer.
- a metal frame or container holding cartridges; can be inserted into an automatic gun