Stripper clip

Stripper clip

A stripper clip (also known as a charger or charger clip, especially in British and in Commonwealth military vocabulary) is a speedloader that holds several cartridges (usually consisting between 3 to 10 rounds) together in a single unit for easier loading of a firearm's magazine.[1]

A stripper clip is used only for loading the magazine and is not necessary for the firearm to function. It is called a 'stripper' clip because, after the bolt is opened and the stripper clip is placed in position (generally by placing it in a slot on either the receiver or bolt), the user presses on the cartridges from above, sliding them down and off the clip, thereby 'stripping' them off the stripper clip and into the magazine.[2] After the magazine is loaded, the stripper clip is removed and set aside for reloading. Depending on the firearm, magazine, and cartridge, stripper clips come in a variety of shapes, some quite complex, though most are either straight or crescent-shaped pieces of stamped metal—usually brass, steel (often blued), or plastic.

Stripper clips were originally employed in outdated infantry bolt-action rifles, such as the Russian Mosin–Nagant, the British Lee-Enfield, and the German Gewehr 98 and its variant the Mauser K98k.[3] Stripper clips were also employed in newer, semi-automatic rifles with internal box magazines, such as the Soviet SKS and Egyptian Hakim Rifle.[4] Currently they are used to top-off box magazines for semi-automatic and automatic rifles. A magazine loader is placed on the lip of the box magazine, the clip is placed inside the loader, and then the rounds are pushed into the magazine.


References

  1. ↑ Walker, Robert E. (2013). Cartridges and Firearm Identification. CRC Press. p. 419. ISBN 978-1-4665-8881-3.
  2. ↑ Muramatsu, Kevin (14 July 2014). Gun Digest Guide to Maintaining & Accessorizing Firearms. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-4402-3989-2.
  3. ↑ Walter, John (2006). Rifles of the World. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. p. 346. ISBN 0-89689-241-7.
  4. ↑ Sweeney, Patrick (2009). The Gun Digest Book of the AK & SKS: A Complete Guide to Guns, Gear and Ammunition. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 127. ISBN 0-89689-678-1.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stripper clip.