5.56 Stripper clip pain

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41magsnub

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Back in the Army over 10 years ago I remember how easy the 10rd stripper clips made it to load mags. I even had a few stripper clip guides left from there. I was in charge of the ammo shack at an M16 qual range once and in an afternoon loaded hundreds of magazines.

Fast forward to the present day. I own my first AR15. I bought a case of Federal XM193A on stripper clips. I can't get them to load into the mags via the clip. I hook everything up and the clip just pushes down into the guide and nothing happens. I tried bending down the retaining thingy at the end of the clip as well, even cut one off. I ended up pulling the rounds off of the clips and hand loading them. I tried it with several mags from a 1970's vintage Colt branded 20rd to a new Magpul with pretty much everything in between along with several guides and a bunch of attempts with clips.

Do some clips suck or did I just forget "the trick"? I'm pretty sure this isn't rocket science...
 
i noticed that they are very much harder to push down and very much more flimsy than the mosin or swedish strippers I'm used to. i always just push down very close to the head, but being careful not to cut myself in the process.

also my strippers are galvanized steel (i think,not 100%) and brass on the inside part
 
Stripper clips feeding down into the magazine is a pretty common problem with the standard USGI speed loader/clip guide that comes in the bandoleer with ammo.

Solution one would be getting a better loader like the StripLULA or various other ones out there.

Short of that, I find that I usually get better results if I push the rounds into the magazine with sideways force and bullets pointing downward (i.e. pushing against the side of a table). Try to keep the pressure from pushing as close to the stripper clip and back end of the ammunition as possible.

Even then, also keep a Leatherman or pliers handy to yank out the occasional stripper clip that works its way down into a magazine.
 
The cut thing is a reality, the *^$ will slice hell out of your thumb. I took a candle and rubbed it on the strippers I have in a bandelero it makes it a lot easier to shove 'em down.The cardboard silencers keep the parafin from getting all over things.
 
Take the clip in one hand and the noses of the cartridges in the other, and twist your hands in opposing directions to loosen the rounds up in the clip before charging. Tends to help, but most chargers nowadays are crap.
 
Back in the Army over 10 years ago I remember how easy the 10rd stripper clips made it to load mags. I even had a few stripper clip guides left from there. I was in charge of the ammo shack at an M16 qual range once and in an afternoon loaded hundreds of magazines.
Click to expand...

I noticed the same dang thing with mine. I also noticed that some of my clips (that were beat up and nasty) worked great. The only thing I can figure is they stretch and loosen up with use.

I'm trying to find something a can pass through those clips to bend them out slightly.
 
Back in the Army over 10 years ago I remember how easy the 10rd stripper clips made it to load mags.
Click to expand...
I bet your thumbs were harder then Woodpecker Lips when you loaded stripper clips for a living 10 years ago.

No offense, but I bet they ain't now!

rcmodel
 
The plastic Canuck 5.56 strippers and guides work great. The plastic doubles as an emergency fire starter too. No lube needed, no bandaids either.
 
The plastic Canuck 5.56 strippers and guides work great. The plastic doubles as an emergency fire starter too. No lube needed, no bandaids either.
Click to expand...

That's a smart idea to implement. Whoever thought of that is quite the thinker.
 
Just don't google "stripper clips". You might get something else.

I haven't had trouble either with green follower usgi mags.
 
If they get really bad, I take an empty stripper and use it to push the rounds down at the rear. Not only does it give you a little more oomph, but also keeps your thumbs from being cut by the loaded stripper!

The Chimp
 
Back to those Australian stripper clips, in the links to Numrich.

Why in heck do they have different model numbers for M-16, for M-4, and for AR-15????

Same dern magazines used on all three weapons, unless I am very sadly mistaken. ;) (hey, Monday mornings have all sorts of ugly surprises)

Bart Noir
 
For what its worth, I have 5.5 years in the USMC, and I don't recall having ever had a problem with USGI Stripper Clips or Speed Loaders.
 
I did have much stronger thumbs then. I also used to handle concertina wire and cinder blocks (simulated mines) bare handed. Now I have my semi-white collar soft girlish hands. But my problem is not a pain thing, the clip just pushes into the mag.

I'll order one of the fancy guides, I kind of want this to work right for speed purposes when I go to an appleseed shoot next month.
 
I have one of the plastic stripper loaders that came with my beta mag and makes loading all of my mags very enjoyable. It looks like the newcentry model sold by cheaperthandirt.
 
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ARR603-1.html

Just put the stripper clip in it then push down
Click to expand...

Works well, but watch that your small magnets on the plunger/pusher portion don't come loose. If they do, and then feed up into the weapon, you're looking at major PITA stoppages or slam fires (seen both happen on more than one occasion).

One of the merits of the StripLula is the lack of magnets.
 
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