Stripper clip
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A stripper clip or charger (not to be confused with the revolver clip or plain clip) is a speedloader that holds several cartridges together in a single unit for easier loading of a firearm's magazine. A stripper clip is only for loading the magazine and is not necessary for the firearm to function. It is called a 'stripper' clip because the cartridges are 'stripped' off the device when the ammunition is loaded. Depending on the magazine and cartridge, stripper clips can come in a variety of shapes, some quite complex, though most are straight or crescent-shaped.
19th and 20th Century usage
Many bolt action rifles have used stripper clips. For example, the French M1890 Cavalry Carbine had a three-round box magazine fed from a stripper clip. 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 later designs, including the Springfield 1903 rifle and post-WWII Russian/Chinese SKS, also used stripper clips. The SKS is perhaps the most-common example of a rifle using direct loading stripper clips in America. Often rifles with a tubular magazine (such as the Lebel Model 1886 rifle), could not use a stripper clip, although there were some chargers for tube magazines. The Krag-Jørgensen, which was adopted by Denmark, Norway and the US in 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 a stripper clips. The system has also been used in pistols, such as the Steyr Mannlicher M1894.
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), as all modern 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.
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