The first cartridge loaded into a magazine presses against which component?

• A. Floorplate
• B. Spring
• C. Lips
• D. Follower

Answer: (D)

In a magazine, the stack of rounds rests on a surface called the follower, which sits on top of the spring inside the magazine. The spring pushes upward on the follower to drive rounds toward the top feed lips. When you load the first cartridge into an empty magazine, it lands on that follower, so the cartridge is pressed against the follower as the spring pushes upward. The floorplate at the bottom and the lips at the top don’t bear the weight of the first round in the same way—the follower is the immediate surface that supports and presses against the first cartridge.