Rifle Magazines: Common Questions and Answers

For repeaters and autoloading platforms, the magazine is one of the most critical pieces of firearm operation. Without a functioning magazine, that action will be relegated to single-shot operation until the mag has been restored.

Given that, we’ve rounded up some of the most common questions about rifle magazines and compiled the answers here. See if your question is on this list, along with an answer - and if not, feel free to get in touch with us.

What Is the Difference Between a Rifle Magazine and a Clip?

The rifle magazine is the component that stores ammunition and feeds it directly into the rifle’s action. A clip is a component that stores ammunition; they are typically used to charge rifle magazines. However, a clip is not designed to feed ammunition directly into the rifle’s action.

What’s the Difference Between a Stripper Clip and an En Bloc Clip?

A stripper clip is a component that stores ammunition and is used to charge a rifle’s magazine. Some clips are used to charge internal magazines that are fixed within the rifle.

An En Bloc clip, such as an M1 Garand’s clip, is inserted directly into the magazine and feeds the ammunition into the magazine internally. When the rifle is emptied, the En Bloc clip is ejected.

What Types of Rifle Magazines Are There?

Today, the most common rifle magazines are detachable box magazines. These magazines are roughly cubic and are typically inserted through the floor of the forend, underneath the action.

Some rifles also feature tube magazines; for instance, many lever action rifles feed from tube mags. For obvious reasons, tube mags are only commonly used with round-nose ball ammo, such as .22LR and .30-30 Winchester, not spitzer bullets.

Some rifles also have fixed internal magazines. There are also helical mags, such as those featured on and used by the Lewis Gun, which are somewhat rare nowadays, as well as drum mags, which are another type of detachable magazine, like a box mag, except that drum mags tend to have higher capacities.

What’s the Difference Between a Single and Double Stack Mag?

Single and double-stack terminology are mostly associated with pistol magazines, but since there are still some rifles that use single-stack mags, it’s worth a quick explanation.

In a single stack magazine, the ammunition sits in a single stack within the mag, one cartridge on top of the other. In a double stack rifle magazine, the ammunition is staggered and sits in two stacks or columns within the mag. As a result, double stack magazines have greater capacities than comparable single stack mags.

Can Rifle Magazines Be Left Loaded?

Yes, rifle magazines can be left loaded, effectively indefinitely. It is not compression of the mag spring that wears it out and causes fatiguing, it is the compression and decompression cycles. Therefore, you can leave the mag loaded for as much as you like. If anything, loading and reloading constantly is worse than just leaving the mag loaded.

Do Rifle Magazines Need to Be Broken in?

Rifle magazines do not need to be broken in, but when they are new, they might be a little stiff and gritty. You may need to wear out the surfaces through use before the mag will feed fluidly and smoothly.

The process of rifle magazine break-in can be done organically, through normal time shooting at the range. It can also be accelerated by loading and stripping the mag with rounds, and by charging the (empty) mag into the rifle and then dropping it repeatedly.

However, the easiest way is just to shoot a few rounds through the new mag at the range. This will break in the magazine over time.

What Are Some Common Magazine Issues That Can Cause Jams?

There are many common magazine issues that can cause jams:

• If the rifle is not properly seated in the magwell/chute, it will likely jam.
• Deformed feed lips can also cause a variety of jams and failures to feed.
• Damaged, deformed or missing followers can cause issues with feeding.
• A fatigued mag spring may lack the pressure necessary to feed rounds up to the top of the mag where they can be stripped off into the chamber.

How Often Do Rifle Mags Need to Be Cleaned?

That depends heavily on the conditions under which you shoot, the type of ammo you shoot, and the action of your firearm.

Ultimately, the best thing to do is clean your rifle’s mag after every few hundred rounds, or even better, just clean all of your magazines when you clean your gun. That will keep them on the same schedule and simplify maintenance.

How Do You Clean a Rifle Mag?

To clean a rifle mag, disassemble it if possible by removing the base plate, then removing the following and spring.

Clean each component with warm water and a mild detergent, using a bore solvent if necessary to remove dirt and fouling.

Thoroughly dry each component, then apply a very light coating of oil, only to stall corrosion, not to lubricate. Lubricant within a rifle magazine will likely only attract fouling and other dirt.

Then reassemble the mag and you should be good to go.

Looking for a Rifle Magazine?

Here for a new rifle magazine for one of your favorite platforms? Take a look through our collection. We carry a wide range of rifle magazines, especially for historically significant models. See if you can find what you need in our collection, and if not, get in touch with us directly and we will help you out.