No true Scotsman... Really - this is a matter of taste (what slang you prefer). As a former arms dealer / in a family of government weapons contractors and servicemen, we all use "clip" as slang.
Really? I am in the Canadian Forces infantry, and if anyone ever used the term "clip" in reference to a magazine, and was actually serious, I'm pretty sure they would get beat up. May I ask what country you are affiliated with and in what branch of the military those servicemen are? It is interesting to see such a basic difference in terminology.
USAF and small weapons / ammo manufactures. You're right - military nomenclature (US) uses very precise (and verbose) terminology: "magazine" is always used strictly. Though the words "gun" and "rifle" are dropped in favor of "weapon" in some cases. What I find is that the longer you're out, the more the language becomes civilian - unless you're a hardcore / die-hard kind of person.
