By Travis Bader, founder of Silvercore Outdoors.

Last updated: 28 September 2026

In Canada, a magazine for a semi-automatic centre-fire rifle or shotgun is limited to 5 rounds, with one more allowed in the chamber, and most magazines for semi-automatic handguns are limited to 10 rounds. Magazines for semi-automatic rimfire rifles and for long guns that are not semi-automatic, like bolt, lever and pump actions, generally have no federal capacity limit. (RCMP, Maximum permitted magazine capacity)

The rules turn on what the magazine was designed for. That one fact explains every exception that trips people up, and it is why a legal rifle can come with an illegal magazine.

The short answer

• Semi-automatic centre-fire long guns: 5 cartridges in the magazine, whatever the magazine type, plus one in the chamber.
• Semi-automatic handguns: 10 cartridges for most magazines.
• Rimfire rifles: no limit, unless the magazine is also designed for a semi-automatic handgun.
• Bolt, lever, pump and other non-semi-automatic long guns: no limit, unless the magazine is also designed for a semi-automatic.
• Oversize magazines are prohibited devices unless permanently altered to the legal limit.

Where does the law say this?

Large-capacity magazines are prohibited devices under Criminal Code section 84 when they are prescribed by regulation. The limits are prescribed in Part 4, section 3 of the schedule to the Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons (SOR/98-462), and the RCMP explains them with examples on its maximum permitted magazine capacity page.

Since former Bill C-21 came into force, you also need a valid firearms licence to acquire a cartridge magazine, and altering a magazine to hold more than its lawful capacity is a Criminal Code offence.

What is the limit for rifle magazines?

For a magazine designed to hold centre-fire cartridges and designed or manufactured for a semi-automatic rifle, the limit is 5. For a centre-fire magazine designed for a rifle that is not semi-automatic, there is no regulated capacity.

The catch is the magazine that fits both. The RCMP's example is the Remington 7615, a pump-action rifle in .223 Remington that takes magazines also used in semi-automatic rifles. Its 10-round magazine is prohibited and its 5-round magazine is unregulated, because a magazine designed for both a semi-automatic rifle and a non-semi-automatic rifle takes the semi-automatic limit of 5.

What is the limit for handgun magazines?

For a centre-fire magazine designed or manufactured for a semi-automatic handgun, the limit is 10. The RCMP measures that capacity by the cartridge the magazine was designed for, not by what else it can hold.

The limit follows the magazine, not the gun you put it in. The RCMP's example is the Marlin Model 45 Camp Carbine, a rifle that uses magazines designed for the Colt 1911 handgun, so the 7 and 8-round 1911 magazines are permitted in it.

Do rimfire magazines have a limit?

Not for rimfire rifles, with one important exception. If a rimfire magazine is also designed for a semi-automatic handgun, the handgun limit of 10 applies. The Ruger BX-25 for the 10/22 is the classic case, because it is also designed for the 22 Charger pistol. The RCMP gives the same treatment to the 25-round magazine for the Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 rifle and 15-22P pistol. See our page on whether the Ruger 10/22 is banned.

What is the limit for shotgun magazines?

Shotshells are centre-fire, so a semi-automatic shotgun is held to the same federal limit as a semi-automatic centre-fire rifle: 5 shells in the magazine, with one more allowed in the chamber. The magazine type does not matter. A tube magazine and a detachable box magazine are both limited to 5, and a magazine that holds more must be permanently altered to meet the limit. Pump and break-action shotguns are not semi-automatic, so they have no federal magazine limit.

Hunting adds a second layer. For migratory game birds, the federal Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022 allow only a shotgun that holds no more than three cartridges in the magazine and chamber combined, which means two in the magazine, and a detachable magazine cannot hold more than two. (Environment and Climate Change Canada)

The hunting limit is met with a plug: a one-piece metal, plastic or wood filler that cannot be removed without taking the gun apart. The plug comes out when the season ends, and the magazine goes back to the federal limit of 5. Provincial hunting regulations can set their own limits for other game, so read your province's regulations for the species you hunt.

Are there any exceptions for older rifles?

Yes. The regulations carve out certain magazines. The best known are the magazine for the M1 Garand, loaded with its 8-round en bloc clip, and the Lee-Enfield magazine, which is exempt as long as it holds no more than 10 cartridges.

Can I own a pinned high-capacity magazine?

Yes, if it is permanently altered so it cannot hold more than the legal number of cartridges. The RCMP states that possessing a large-capacity magazine permanently altered this way is legal. The regulations list accepted methods, including indenting the casing, and fixing a plug, sleeve, rod, pin, flange or similar device inside it by welding, brazing or a similar method. For a casing that is not steel or aluminum, a permanent adhesive such as epoxy is also accepted.

Importing an unaltered large-capacity magazine is illegal, and individuals cannot possess one. Our page on whether you need a PAL to buy ammo, magazines or gun parts covers the licensing side.

How this fits with firearm classes

The RCMP states that a magazine's maximum capacity does not depend on the firearm's class and does not change it. A non-restricted rifle can still come with a prohibited magazine. If you are still learning the classes, start with our guide to the difference between non-restricted and restricted firearms.

Learn it properly

Magazine rules are part of what we teach in the CFSC and, for handgun magazines, the CRFSC. Most students take the combined course. Once you are licensed, the Silvercore Club keeps you current on rule changes and includes member liability insurance.

Frequently asked questions

How many rounds can a rifle magazine hold in Canada?

5 in the magazine for a semi-automatic centre-fire rifle, plus one in the chamber. Bolt, lever and pump rifle magazines have no federal limit unless they are also designed for a semi-automatic.

How many rounds can a handgun magazine hold in Canada?

10 for most semi-automatic handgun magazines.

Is there a magazine limit for .22 rifles?

No federal limit for rimfire rifle magazines, unless the magazine is also designed for a semi-automatic handgun. Then the limit is 10.

Are 30-round magazines illegal in Canada?

A 30-round magazine designed for a semi-automatic centre-fire rifle is a prohibited device unless it is permanently altered to hold 5.

Do bolt-action rifles have a magazine limit in Canada?

No federal limit, as long as the magazine is not also designed for a semi-automatic rifle.

Travis Bader, Silvercore Outdoors