magazine : a container in a gun for holding cartridges. clip : a device to hold cartridges for charging the magazines of some rifles from webster.
Webster? We don't need no stinking Webster stuff! We are gun people,
we need SAAMI:
MAGAZINE
1. A building for the storage of either ammunition or its components. 2. A receptacle for a firearm that holds a plurality of cartridges or shells under spring pressure preparatory for feeding into the chamber. Magazines take many forms, such as box, drum, rotary, tubular, etc. and may be fixed or removable.
Unfortunately SAAMI has no definition for "clip".
Seriously, the magazine / clip terminology has always been a popular topic of discussion. I began shooting in 1958 and reloading in 1972. Things like terminology were debated then and nothing has changed in 60 years.
Oh wait, every now and then and again we do get a new controversial term. Among the newer things, while having been around for awhile, is in the family of gauges. Gauges have become, over the years, a reloaders new best friend. The marketing of gauges gets interesting. Now before looking at anything and considering again we are gun people let's look at a few
SAAMI Glossary Definitions:
HEADSPACE
The distance from the face of the closed breech of a firearm to the surface in the chamber on which the cartridge case seats. 1. BELT: A type of chamber design in which the cartridge seats in the chamber on an enlarged band ahead of the extractor groove of the cartridge body. 2. MOUTH: A type of chamber design in which the cartridge seats in the chamber on the mouth of the cartridge case. 3. RIMLESS: A type of chamber design in which the cartridge seats in the chamber on the shoulder of the cartridge case. 4. RIMMED: A type of chamber design in which the cartridge seats in the chamber on the rim or flange of the cartridge case.
HEADSPACE GAUGE
A device used in a firearm to determine the distance between the breech face and the chamber surface on which the cartridge seats. Also called Breeching Plug.
Also Known As: Breeching Plug
Now, with that in mind, if I Google "Cartridge Headspace Gauge" or even just "Headspace Gauge" I get all sorts of hits leading me to
Hornady Lock-N-Load Headspace Gauge 5 Bushing Set with Comparator. According to definition a cartridge does not have a headspace dimension so how can we measure a dimension which does not exist? Chambers, not cartridges have headspace dimensions. There are gauges to measure chamber headspace. We can even look at both cartridge and chamber drawings and while chamber drawings reflect a headspace dimension the cartridge drawings do not call out a headspace dimension.
It doesn't really matter and eventually, as someone mentions, becomes a matter of semantics. While I do favor correct terminology and good (not great) grammar I figure as long as what is needed to be known is understood it really doesn't matter. Guy walks into a shop and wants a 20 round clip for his AR I hand him a 20 round magazine and life goes on. I likely have more pressing things to worry about.
I have some really great neighbors, have known them for decades and my wife has known them their entire lives. They always use the term "We seen" which bugs me to no end. "We seen some deer in the yard". No, you saw not seen. While it bugs me it matters not as I can conclude there were some deer in their yard.
Ron