Stripper clip
A stripper clip or charger is a speedloader that holds several cartridges together in a single unit for easier loading of a firearm's magazine. 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 cartridges are pressed down, thereby 'stripping' them off the stripper clip and into the magazine. After the magazine is loaded, the stripper clip is often discarded, but some can be reused many times, depending on the total cumulative wear on the individual stripper clip. 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, which are often blued.
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19th and 20th Century usage
Many bolt action rifles have used stripper clips, starting with the 1889 Belgian Mauser. Mauser, who had also been experimenting with box magazines and clips, used the same system to feed the internal magazine on Mauser 93. The Lee-Enfield (and its predecessor, the Lee-Metford) had a detachable box magazine, but after 1904 was virtually always refilled with 5-round chargers, except for the occasional topping off of a magazine by a round or two loaded by hand through the open bolt, as the 10-round magazine was not designed to be removed for purposes of reloading the rifle. Many other designs, including the M1903 Springfield rifle, semi-automatic rifles such as the late-World War II Russian SKS, and even pistols such as the Steyr Mannlicher M1894 and the Mauser C96, also used stripper clips.
Rifles utilizing a tubular magazine, such as the Lebel Model 1886 rifle, generally could not use a stripper clip, although there were some chargers made for tubular magazines. The Krag-Jørgensen, which was adopted by Denmark, Norway and the US in the early 1890s had a magazine that was normally loaded by hand, although a device often referred to as a 'claw' was designed to allow it to use stripper clips.
Late 20th and 21st Century usage
As of the early 21st century, stripper clips are used as a primary form of reloading in few militaries save those still fielding the SKS or the Lee-Enfield, as all modern main battle rifles and assault rifles use detachable magazines. However, they are sometimes used to refill magazines for use later, as this is usually easier on the fingers than doing it by hand. This method generally requires the use of a disposable guide which connects the clip to the magazine. Both the clip and guide must be discarded before the magazine can be attached to the firearm.
