Stripper clip
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(January 2017) |
Astripper clip(also known as achargerorcharger clip,especially inCommonwealth Englishmilitary vocabulary) is aspeedloaderthat holds severalcartridges(usually between 5 and 10) together in a single unit for easier and faster loading of afirearm magazine.[1]
Stripper clips were originally employed in infantrybolt-actionrifles, such as the RussianMosin–Nagant,the BritishLee–Enfield,and the GermanMauser Model 1889,Gewehr 98,and its variant theKarabiner 98k,the related AmericanM1903 SpringfieldandM1917 Enfield,SwissK31,and many others. Stripper clips were also employed in newer,semi-automatic rifleswith internal box magazines, such as the SovietSKSand the EgyptianHakim Rifle.Semi and full automatic firearms using both stripper feed inserts and detatchable box magazines are the USOA-96 carbineandT48 riflesand the ChineseType 63andType 81 assault rifles.
Currently, they are used to top off detachable box magazines for semi-automatic and automatic rifles. Amagazineloader 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.
Details[edit]
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 thereceiverorbolt), the user presses on the cartridges from above, sliding them into the magazine and stripping them off the clip.[2]
Depending on the firearm, magazine, and cartridge, stripper clips come in a variety of shapes, some are quite complex, though most are either straight or crescent-shaped pieces of stamped metal—usually brass, steel (oftenblued,parkerized), or plastic.
Stripper clips differ fromen blocclipsin that they are not designed to be inserted into the weapon itself, but only to load it or its magazine. After the magazine is loaded, the stripper clip is removed and set aside for reloading, or simply discarded during combat. On the other hand, en bloc clips are loaded inside the weapon while shooting. Generally, a weapon that can use a stripper clip for loading can also be loaded one round at a time, while a weapon designed for an en bloc clip can only be used when it is loaded into the magazine and all of the remaining rounds must be either fired or ejected before being another full en bloc clip can be loaded.
History[edit]
Stripper clips or charger clips have been used since 1889 (in the form of theMauser Model 1889), whileen blocclips have been used since the mid to late 1880s. Stripper clips are intended purely to load ammunition into themagazine,whileen blocclips, as used in theM1 Garand,M1891 Carcano,andMannlicher M1895,are designed to be inserted into the magazine itself, essentially forming part of the loaded working magazine.
The M1891 Three Line Rifle (the first "Mosin-Nagant") utilized stripper clips; however, the design was improved upon later and gradually refined byMauser.Mauser clips are inherently smoother and are ejected automatically upon closing thebolt,while Mosin-Nagant clips require a special technique to get anywhere near the same efficiency and must be manually removed before the bolt can be closed. Still, both are faster than reloading with single cartridges. Moreover, once some but not all rounds have been fired, en bloc clip format guns are, as a rule, difficult or impossible to top-up to their maximum capacity again with additional cartridges as the remaining rounds must be either fired or ejected before a new fully loaded en bloc clip can be loaded, which is generally easy with stripper-clip loading weapons.
Stripper clips were originally employed in infantrybolt-actionrifles, such as the RussianMosin–Nagant,the BritishLee–Enfield,and the GermanGewehr 98and its variant theMauser K98k,the related USM1903 Springfieldand many others.[3]Stripper clips were also employed in newer, semi-automatic rifles with internal box magazines, such as the SovietSKSand EgyptianHakim Rifle.[4]Many early semi-automatic pistols also used stripper clips to reload, including theMannlicher M1894,theRoth–Steyr M1907,and theMauser C96.
In modern use, strippers are used to fill detachablebox magazinesfor semi-automatic and automatic rifles. A magazine loader is placed on the lip of the box magazine, a full clip is inserted in the loader and the rounds are pushed into the magazine.
See also[edit]
- List of clip-fed firearms
- Clip (firearms)
- Magazine (firearms)
- Belt (firearms)
- Glossary of firearms terms
- Speedloader
References[edit]
- ^Walker, Robert E. (2013).Cartridges and Firearm Identification.CRC Press. p. 419.ISBN978-1-4665-8881-3.
- ^Muramatsu, Kevin (14 July 2014).Gun Digest Guide to Maintaining & Accessorizing Firearms.Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. p. 111.ISBN978-1-4402-3989-2.
- ^Walter, John (2006).Rifles of the World.Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. p. 346.ISBN0-89689-241-7.
- ^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.
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