Single column magazine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In a single column magazine, the rounds are stacked one on top of the other, in a single straight line. The slang term single stack magazine is also sometimes used.
Early semiautomatic pistols (e.g. the Luger, M1911) had single-column magazines, which were easier to manufacture with early pistol technology than double-column magazines, which came into vogue in the 1930s with John Browning's and Dieudonne Saive's Browning Hi-Power design. Since then, most combat pistols have been designed with double column magazines, which afford firing a greater number of rounds before reloading.
One benefit of single-column magazines, however, is that they allow a handgun to be designed more narrowly than double-column designs. This is particularly evident in the M1911, which despite its large overall size and weight, has a flat profile, even by today's standards, making the gun easy to conceal for discreet carry. Many modern pistols designed for concealed carry use single stack magazines (e.g. the Kel-Tec P3AT, Kel-Tec P-32, Kahr PM9, Glock 36 and many others).
Another advantage of single-column magazines (in comparison to double-column magazines) is that single-column designs are more resistant to dirt and sand. Blocks can occur more easily when the rounds must slide against each other (as they must at the point where the two columns meet in a double-column design); single stack magazines do not have to do this.
