Do Revolvers Use Clips?

Do Revolvers Use Clips

Moon clips hold ammunition in place for insertion into revolver chambers. (Wikimedia image)

TLDR: Yes, revolvers use clips, but write them specifically as “moon clips.”

As covered previously, 99 percent of the time the right term for “detachable thing that holds ammunition” is “magazine,” not “clip.” That’s despite “clip” being used instead of “magazine” in about 99 percent of instances in fiction. It’s an easy fix – just write “mag” or “magazine” whenever you get the itch to use “clip” – but there are a few exceptions. One of those is with revolvers.

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What Are Smart Guns?

Armatix Smart System iP1 Smart Gun

Smart guns use a variety of tech to prevent unintentional use. This German-made Armatix iP1 will only fire if its accompanying watch is within range. The semi-auto pistol itself holds 10 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition. (Armatix photo)

TLDR: Smart guns use emerging technology to limit their use to pre-approved people and/or places. Feel free to explore them in fiction, but don’t expect to see them in reality all that much.

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How a 1911 Pistol Works

Chances are good that if your stories feature a lot of pistol play, one of those handguns is a .45 caliber Colt 1911. This type of handgun’s been around for more than 100 years, and is just as popular today as back then. You’ll instantly recognize it from countless TV shows, movies and references in books. Usually, when writers reference a “.45,” they mean it’s a .45 caliber 1911. Unless it’s a western, in which case they’d likely be talking about the iconic Colt Single Action Army revolver. But that’s for another post. Continue reading

The Best Handgun for Female Detective Characters is Not Pink

Best-Pistol-Female-Detective-Character-Writing-Fiction

Pink firearms and knives are marketing tools whose most practical use is gnawing out a discussion about gender in the sporting goods department. I’ll save that for another day and let writer bud Laura Roberts explain how she settled on a handgun for her female detective character, Venus Delmar. Roberts took the time to research the perfect Glock – and it sure in the red hell ain’t pink.  Continue reading

Semi-Auto Pistol or Revolver? It Can Make a Big Difference

Colt-Model-1911-captionby Dana King

Nick Forte, the protagonist of my PI series, has a bit of a military background, and is old school to boot. His weapon of choice is a classic M1911 .45 caliber Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP). Nick figures, if it was a good enough sidearm to be standard issue for 74 years and five wars, it’s good enough for him. (Some U.S. troops still use the M1911.)

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