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Subject: "Single vs. Double Stack Magazines"     Previous Topic | Next Topic
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Gryphonadmin
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18601 posts		 Mar-22-17, 01:50 AM (EDT)
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"Single vs. Double Stack Magazines"
 
   I've mentioned this a few times, and it should be fairly self-explanatory, but now that I have some dummy ammunition I figured I would provide a visual demonstration.

This is a Walther P-38 magazine, which is called a single-stack magazine because that's exactly what's going on. There's a single column of cartridges, one on top of another, feeding out the top.


These are not sapphire bullets of pure love, they're just mildly artsy dummy rounds.

This has the advantages of relative simplicity (for a detachable magazine) and compactness. The frames, and thus the grips, of single-stack auto pistols can be slimmer, and are often considered more comfortable as a result.

Compare that with the magazine from a Browning Hi-Power:

This is a double-stack magazine. As you can see, there are two columns of cartridges in there, somewhat overlapping to make the best use of the space. The advantage of this arrangement is that it can fit more ammunition into the same vertical distance, which in handguns means that given two pistols of comparable size, the one with the double-stack magazine will have a higher capacity. The downsides are that they're a little more complicated to make and they tend to make the grips of the pistols they're fitted to a bit fatter, which some shooters (particularly those with smaller hands) find less comfortable.

Technically, what the Hi-Power here has is a double-stack single-feed magazine—you can see that it has a taper at the top so that it only presents one cartridge in the center. It is possible to design a firearm that can feed from either side instead (double-stack double-feed); a number of modern self-loading rifles and SMGs work that way, but as far as I know it's still pretty rare in handguns.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.


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  Subject     Author     Message Date     ID  
  RE: Single vs. Double Stack Magazines Pasha Mar-22-17 1
     RE: Single vs. Double Stack Magazines Gryphonadmin Mar-22-17 2
         RE: Single vs. Double Stack Magazines Pasha Mar-22-17 3
             RE: Single vs. Double Stack Magazines Peter Eng Mar-22-17 4
                 RE: Single vs. Double Stack Magazines Pasha Mar-22-17 5

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Pasha
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938 posts		 Mar-22-17, 02:54 AM (EDT)
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1. "RE: Single vs. Double Stack Magazines"
In response to message #0
 
   >the grips of the pistols they're fitted to a bit fatter, which some
>shooters (particularly those with smaller hands) find less
>comfortable.

My shooting buddy and I have literally exactly the opposite experience with this. I have relatively small hands (esp considering I'm not exactly a tiny dude) where as he has giant orangutan paws. This means that a single stack pistol is perfect for me and literally too small for him to get a comfortable grip on, and I can't safely hold his G20 with the big backstraps on it.

--
-Pasha
"Don't change the subject"
"Too slow, already did."


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Gryphonadmin
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18601 posts		 Mar-22-17, 09:36 AM (EDT)
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2. "RE: Single vs. Double Stack Magazines"
In response to message #1
 
   >>the grips of the pistols they're fitted to a bit fatter, which some
>>shooters (particularly those with smaller hands) find less
>>comfortable.
>
>My shooting buddy and I have literally exactly the opposite experience
>with this. I have relatively small hands (esp considering I'm not
>exactly a tiny dude) where as he has giant orangutan paws. This means
>that a single stack pistol is perfect for me and literally too small
>for him to get a comfortable grip on, and I can't safely hold his G20
>with the big backstraps on it.

... How is that "literally exactly the opposite" when it's what I said?

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.


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Pasha
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938 posts		 Mar-22-17, 12:33 PM (EDT)
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3. "RE: Single vs. Double Stack Magazines"
In response to message #2
 
   >>>the grips of the pistols they're fitted to a bit fatter, which some
>>>shooters (particularly those with smaller hands) find less
>>>comfortable.
>>
>>My shooting buddy and I have literally exactly the opposite experience
>>with this. I have relatively small hands (esp considering I'm not
>>exactly a tiny dude) where as he has giant orangutan paws. This means
>>that a single stack pistol is perfect for me and literally too small
>>for him to get a comfortable grip on, and I can't safely hold his G20
>>with the big backstraps on it.
>
>... How is that "literally exactly the opposite" when it's what I
>said?

No, he and I have literally the opposite experience in "single stack are more comfortable" and "double stack are more comfortable" but yeah, that could have been phrased better


--
-Pasha
"Don't change the subject"
"Too slow, already did."


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Peter Eng
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1330 posts		 Mar-22-17, 12:40 PM (EDT)
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4. "RE: Single vs. Double Stack Magazines"
In response to message #3
 
   >>
>>... How is that "literally exactly the opposite" when it's what I
>>said?
>
>No, he and I have literally the opposite experience in "single stack
>are more comfortable" and "double stack are more comfortable" but
>yeah, that could have been phrased better
>

Oh. So you have both experience with the "single stack vs. double stack" debate as far as comfort goes, but you and your friend approach it from different directions.

I think that's what you were trying to say, anyhow.

Peter Eng
--
Insert humorous comment here.


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Pasha
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938 posts		 Mar-22-17, 01:15 PM (EDT)
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5. "RE: Single vs. Double Stack Magazines"
In response to message #4
 
  
>Oh. So you have both experience with the "single stack vs. double
>stack" debate as far as comfort goes, but you and your friend approach
>it from different directions.
>
>I think that's what you were trying to say, anyhow.

Exactly.

--
-Pasha
"Don't change the subject"
"Too slow, already did."


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