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Clip (firearms)

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AnM1 Garanden blocclip (left) compared to anSKSstripper clip (right)

Aclipis a device that is used to store multiple rounds of ammunition together as a unit for insertion into themagazineorcylinderof afirearm.This speeds up the process by loading the firearm with multiple rounds simultaneously, rather than individually, as with loose rounds of ammunition. There are several types, most made of inexpensivestampedsheet metal,generally they are intended to be disposable, but they are more often retained and reused.[citation needed]

Types

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Stripper

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Loading a7.92×57mm MauserKarabiner 98krifle with a five-round stripper clip.

A stripper clip (American English) or charger clip (Commonwealth English) is a speedloader that holds several pistol or rifle cartridges as a unit for easier loading into a firearm'sinternal box magazine.After the bolt is opened and the stripper clip is placed in position (generally in a slot on the receiver or bolt), the cartridges are pressed down, removing or "stripping" them off the clip and into the magazine. The clip is then either removed and tossed away, or the bolt is thrown forward, expelling the clip automatically. However, some weapons, such as theMosin–Nagant,require the operator to manually remove the empty clip. Some weapons designed for stripper clip use include theMannlicher M1894,Mauser C96,Roth–Steyr M1907,Lee-Enfield,Mosin–Nagant,Gewehr 98,M1903 Springfield,SKS,Vz. 58andT48 rifle.Detachable magazines may also be loaded with stripper clips provided they have a special guide attached, as in theM14 rifleorM16 rifle.

En bloc

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Anen blocclip of8×56mmRis inserted into aSteyr M95carbine.

Severalrifledesigns utilize anen blocclip for loading. With this design, both the cartridges and clip are inserted as a unit into afixed magazinewithin the rifle, and the clip is usually ejected or falls from the rifle upon firing or chambering of the last round. Theen blocclip was invented byFerdinand Mannlicherfor use in his Model 1885,Model 1886,and1888 rifles.

Other rifles utilizingen blocclips include the GermanGewehr 88(since 1905 replaced bystripper clips), the MexicanMondragón,the FrenchBerthier Mle 1890andRSC Mle 1917,the ItalianM1870/87 Vetterli-Vitali,andM1891 Carcano,the various (Romanian, Dutch, and Portuguese) turn-bolt Mannlichers, the Austro-Hungarian straight-pullSteyr-Mannlicher M1895,the HungarianFÉG 35M,and the AmericanM1895 Lee Navy,M1 Garand,andPedersen T1E3.Original Austrian Mannlicher clips were often uni-directional, but already the Gewehr 88 and subsequently the M1891 Carcano used symmetrical clips.John Pedersenat first developed a irreversible clip[1]for his rifle, later he redesigned the clip to be reversible.[2]This design was also utilized for the competingdesignsbyJohn Garand.[3]

Moon and half-moon

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Full moon and half-moon clips forM1917revolvers. The.45 Auto Rimcartridge may be used in a revolver's cylinders without the clips.

A moon clip is a ring-shaped or stellate piece of metal designed to hold a full cylinder of ammunition for arevolver(commonly 6 rounds) together as a unit. Therefore, instead of loading or extracting one round at a time, a full cylinder of ammunition or spent cases can be loaded or extracted at once, speeding the loading process. A similar device known as a "half-moon clip" is semi-circular and designed to hold a half cylinder of ammunition (commonly 3 rounds) in which case two clips are necessary to fully load the cylinder. Such devices have most often been used to chamber rimlesssemi-automatic pistolcartridges into a revolver, but they can also be used with rimmed cartridges to allow for the faster loading and/or unloading of a revolver.

List of clip-fed and/or magazine-fed firearms

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Below is a list of firearms regardless of form (IE: Pistol, Rifle, Machine gun, etc.) that fires ammunition fed from en-bloc/stripper clips and/or detatchable magazines.[4][5]

Clip only (fixed/integral magazine)

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Dual usage (clip and detachable magazine)

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See also

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References

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  1. ^"Cartridge clip".
  2. ^"Reversible en bloc clip for cartridges".
  3. ^Hogg, Ian V.; Weeks, John S.: (2000)Military Small Arms of the 20th Century, 7th Edition;Krause Publications,ISBN0-87341-824-7
  4. ^Walker, Robert E. (2013).Cartridges and Firearm Identification.CRC Press. p. 419.ISBN978-1-4665-8881-3.
  5. ^Muramatsu, Kevin (14 July 2014).Gun Digest Guide to Maintaining & Accessorizing Firearms.Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. p. 111.ISBN978-1-4402-3989-2.
  6. ^SKS Rifle: Simonov Type 56Archived24 December 2012 at theWayback Machine| TC 9–56, Department of the Army Training Circular, SKS RIFLE, Simonov Type 56, Headquarters, Department of the Army, October 1969
  7. ^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.ISBN978-0-89689-678-9.
  8. ^"Springfield Armory M1 Garand Operating Manual"(PDF).Springfield Armory.2001. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 9, 2006.RetrievedOctober 3,2008.
  9. ^"FM 23-5".Department of the Army.1965.RetrievedOctober 3,2008.
  10. ^Ramage, Ken (2006).Guns Illustrated 2007.Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 123.ISBN0-89689-426-6.
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