While you have some choice in brand, material, and capacity your gun, whether it be a pistol, rifle, or shotgun, is made to accept a certain type of magazine.
These types are not quickly detachable like box, rotary, and drum magazines and are only changed out by taking apart the firearm. Other firearms utilize internal or integral magazines, which are located inside and are a part of the gun. The capacity varies, but they most commonly hold 50 to 100 rounds. Shaped like a small drum, these magazines can be used with rifles, shotguns, and handguns. Drums are the granddaddy of all “large capacity” magazines and are probably most well-known for their iconic pairing with the Tommy gun. Rotary magazines have a cylinder shape with the bullets arranged around the center. Typically found on rifles and less commonly found on shotguns. Other types are rotary and drum magazines. Single-stack magazines allow for the slimmest grip and double-stack designs provide a greater capacity. For most pistols, the arrangement of the bullets in the magazine will determine, in part, the size of the grip. One-column models are referred to as single-stack and two column models are called double-stack. The bullets in box magazines are automatically arranged internally in one or two columns.
They are rectangular and box-like in shape, hence the name. And while some magazines are compatible with multiple firearms, a firearm will not function properly without the right kind of magazine.ĭetachable box magazines are the most common type of mag and are used with various handguns, rifles, and shotguns. There are several different types of magazines, and they are typically made of metal or synthetic polymer. While magazines are sometimes called clips, this is technically an incorrect term. A magazine, sometimes called mag for short, is a device that holds and feeds bullets to a firearm.