Why is a gun' clip' also referred to as magazine?

Answer 1

While some people use the terms interchangeably, the proper term IS magazine, Magazine comes from a French word for storage. A clip holds cartridges, so that they may be quickly loaded INTO the magazine. Example- an AR 15 rifle may have ammunition loaded in 10 round "clips". The cartridges are pushed from the clip into the magazine. The MAGAZINE is then loaded into the rifle. However, some rifles, such as the M1 Garand, used an "en bloc" clip. This held the cartridges, and the entire clip was inserted into the rifle magazine. Confused now?