Just picked up a govenment model. What is the quality of these?

[Rick McC.]

I've seen lots of reports on quality that vary from good to bad, sometimes based on where they were made. I was wondering what experiences folks on here have had. It shot pretty much like the .45 I had in the Army, which is what I was looking for. I suppose only time and more rounds will tell about this one's quality.

The ones after Kahr took over should be pretty good.

I had an AO in the early ‘80’s that I returned to the store. It wouldn’t even chamber a round from the mag. I took it to a local gunsmith. He looked at it, and told me to return it. He wouldn’t even work on it.

[Spyros]

Nice gun. It's quite recent production, it has a nicely rounded frontstrap, unlike the West Hurley and even some early Worcester MA pistols, and the bottom edge of the slidestop doesn't hang below the corner of the frame. These were the two ways you could tell an older AO from a current one. Pictures of some of the older guns were still on AO's website, last I checked.

And sorry, but someone has to say it: that's not a clip, it's a magazine.

[A34]

Nice gun. It's quite recent production, it has a nicely rounded frontstrap, unlike the West Hurley and even some early Worcester MA pistols, and the bottom edge of the slidestop doesn't hang below the corner of the frame. These were the two ways you could tell an older AO from a current one. Pictures of some of the older guns were still on AO's website, last I checked.

And sorry, but someone has to say it: that's not a clip, it's a magazine.

Thanks. I was under the impression that a clip is internal to the weapon and a magazine is external. Is that incorrect?

[Norton]

A clip loads the magazine, the magazine loads the firearm.
Think loading, stripper clips for a AR, 1903, M14 or garand.

[Rick McC.]

A clip is used to close an open bag of chips. A magazine is loaded with rounds and inserted into a firearm so that it can be fired. Single shot firearms, tubular fed rifles and revolvers don’t have detachable magazines.

[Hawkmoon]

A clip is used to close an open bag of chips. A magazine is loaded with rounds and inserted into a firearm so that it can be fired. Single shot firearms, tubular fed rifles and revolvers don’t have detachable magazines.

But lever action rifles (like The Rifleman's Winchester), pump and semi-auto shotguns, and some semi-automatic rifles DO have magazines -- just not detachable magazines. My grandfather's Winchester Model 1903 .22 had a tubular magazine that ran through the buttstock. The M1 Garand has a magazine -- internal, not detachable -- which is loaded with "en bloc" clips that are inserted into the magazine with the cartridges, and which are ejected when the last round fires.

[Rick McC.]

But lever action rifles (like The Rifleman's Winchester), pump and semi-auto shotguns, and some semi-automatic rifles DO have magazines -- just not detachable magazines. My grandfather's Winchester Model 1903 .22 had a tubular magazine that ran through the buttstock. The M1 Garand has a magazine -- internal, not detachable -- which is loaded with "en bloc" clips that are inserted into the magazine with the cartridges, and which are ejected when the last round fires.

That’s why I noted “tubular fed rifles;” but I did leave out shotguns.

Most of my shotguns, and all of my .22 rifles, are tubular fed. Of course, none of that has anything to go with folks calling magazines clips.

[Rick McC.]

Oh yeah, I also have a 30WCF Model 94 carbine, and an old Remington .22 auto (built on the Browning patent) that loads the tubular magazine through a port in the side of the butt stock and ejects the spent brass out the bottom of the receiver.

That doesn’t have anything to do with removable magazines or chip clips, either.

[Hawkmoon]

All removable_magazines are magazines, but not all magazines are removable. The M1 Garand has a magazine, but it's not removable. The Mauser 98 has a magazine, but it's not removable. The SKS has a magazine, but it's not removable.


Bought to you courtesy of Pedantry-R-Us

[Spyros]

All removable_magazines are magazines, but not all magazines are removable. The M1 Garand has a magazine, but it's not removable. The Mauser 98 has a magazine, but it's not removable. The SKS has a magazine, but it's not removable.


Bought to you courtesy of Pedantry-R-Us

And in case someone thought this wasn't enough pedantry, there's yet another category of magazine-fed guns, whose magazine is removable but YOU ARE NOT TO REMOVE IT PRIVATE!

I don't suppose we have any Brits here..?