Re:How a Handgun Works: 1911 .45
by stan_rogers on Saturday February 21, 2015 @09:03PM
(#9087872)
5.56mm and 7.62mm (both NATO) in stripper clips are still standard issue formats used for reloading non-disposable magazines, and weapons that allow clip reloading of an installed magazine are not rare on the ground. The Garand was only unusual in that the clip was inserted into the weapon and not removed prior to firing.
What's really fun, and probably even more confusing to the casual observer, is that most (all?) of the clip-fed firearms you'd remove the clip from after loading also had an internal magazine. So you're absolutely right! Especially when the terms refer to two completely different parts.
Some samples that come to mind:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannlicher_M1895
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauser_C96 (the old "broom-handle" mauser)
I'm sure there's a few others. I saw a couple on Forgotten Weapons (they have a really great Youtube channel--check it out sometime) besides these two, but their names escape me.
Almost no modern weapons use clips; the last popular one was the M1 Garand (standard issue US infantry rifle in WW2).
It's a more than a semantic difference because there are some weapons that are capable of accepting both magazines and clips. Though such weapons are rare and I can't think of a modern example, there is a good reason for being picky.