Magazine (firearms) facts for kids
A magazine is a special container that holds ammunition (like bullets) for a firearm. Think of it like a box or a drum that keeps the bullets ready to be loaded into the gun.
Sometimes, people mistakenly call a magazine a "clip," but they are different things. A magazine holds the bullets inside itself, while a clip is usually used to help load bullets into a magazine or directly into a gun.
Magazines can be found in many types of firearms, from small pistols to larger rifles. They help guns shoot multiple times without needing to load each bullet separately.
Contents
What is a Magazine?
A magazine is a device that stores and feeds ammunition into a firearm. It's designed to hold several bullets in a specific way so they can be pushed into the gun's firing chamber one by one. This allows a shooter to fire many rounds quickly.
There are two main types of magazines:
- External magazines can be removed from the gun. You push a full one into the gun when you need to reload.
- Internal magazines are built right into the gun. You can't easily take them out. These are often refilled by hand or with a special tool called a stripper clip.
Different Kinds of Magazines
Magazines come in various shapes and sizes, depending on the type of gun and how many bullets they need to hold.
Box Magazines
The most common type is the box magazine. These are usually rectangular and hold bullets stacked in columns. Some box magazines are straight, while others might be curved, sometimes called "banana" magazines because of their shape.
Box magazines can be:
- Single-stack: The bullets are lined up in a single column.
- Double-stack: The bullets are arranged in two zig-zagging columns, allowing the magazine to hold more bullets without being much longer.
Other Magazine Types
Besides box magazines, there are other designs for holding more ammunition:
- Drum magazines: These are round, like a drum, and can hold a very large number of bullets, sometimes 50 or even 100 rounds.
- Pan magazines: These are flat and round, with bullets arranged in a circle, often used in older machine guns.
- Helical magazines: These are less common and store bullets in a spiral pattern, allowing for a compact design that holds many rounds.
How Magazines Work
Most magazines use a spring and a part called a "follower" inside them. The spring pushes the follower up, which in turn pushes the bullets towards the top of the magazine. When the magazine is inserted into a gun, the bullets are then ready to be fed into the gun's chamber.
Magazines can be made from different materials:
- Metal: Many magazines are made from strong metals like steel or aluminum. These are very durable.
- Plastic: Some magazines are made from tough plastics. A cool thing about some plastic magazines is that they can be partly see-through. This lets the user quickly see how many bullets are left inside without having to remove the magazine.
Loading and Reloading
Loading a firearm means putting a full magazine into it. This makes the gun ready to fire.
Reloading can mean two different things:
- Reloading the gun: This is when you take an empty magazine out of the firearm and put a full one in its place.
- Reloading the magazine: This is when you put more bullets into an empty or partially empty magazine to fill it up again.
Most modern guns that shoot bullets use magazines for loading ammunition. However, some types of guns, like revolvers, do not use magazines. Some shotguns might use special speed-loader magazines to help load shotgun shells faster.
Images for kids
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A staggered-column 9×19mm Browning Hi-Power pistol box magazine. The top image shows the magazine loaded and ready for use, while the lower image shows it unloaded and disassembled
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Loading sleeve open, three Henry Flat cartridges, compare with .44 WCF round
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Diagram of the Spencer rifle showing the tubular magazine in the butt
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En bloc clip and 8mm ammo for the Gewehr 88
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SKS internal box magazine.
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Detachable box magazine for a SIG SG 550 with studs for stacking multiple magazines together.
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Ruger 10/22's BX-1CLR rotary magazine
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50- and 100-round drum magazines plus 20- and 30-round box magazines for Thompson SMG
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Pan magazine as used on a 7.92mm Lewis Gun.
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Calico pioneered the helical magazine design. Pictured is the company's M960 carbine.
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Two STANAG-compliant magazines: A 20-round Colt-manufactured magazine, and a 30-round Heckler & Koch "high reliability" magazine.
See also
In Spanish: Cargador (arma) para niños
