M1A (SA, Inc.) and using stripper clips

I have a fairly plain jane Springfield Armory, Inc. M1A, and recently got some 10rd stripper clips to try with it. If you own an M1A/M14 you know that a stripper clip guide is built into the gun. Anyway, I got the clips to work and loaded a magazine with them, but I had a difficult time getting the clip to slide into the guide. It had to be at a precise, perfectly vertical angle, and still took some effort even then. Is this the norm or does it suggest something is out of whack?

I am wondering if my clips (stripper clips) might be a bit oversize. They are Chinese imports that I got from keepshooting.com*, with a galvanized body and blued spring. I haven't had a chance to try them in any other type of gun - offhand I don't even know what other common .308s will use stripper clips. *This style:

http://www.keepshooting.com/firearmaccessories/add-ons/308-stripper-clips.htm

Also, does anyone know where I can get some genuine USGI, US-made stripper clips at a reasonable price? The few places I've found (like DSA) are selling them for $1 or more each, and I'm not even sure that they are US made or USGI.

 

The Chinese build on the metric standard and the Americans build on the English standard, that should answer your question.
I'll bet they function just fine in a Chinese M14 copy.

 

Try real 5 rounders, I dont think there is a mil-spec 10 round stripper.

FAL strippers work well in M-14s also.

 

Pretty much everybody I know is out of them but there is some Radway ammunition on stripper clips available...your best bet.

 

I have 10 rd clips that I got for $10/pack of 20 at a gun show. They might be repackaged surplus, not sure. I haven't tried it in an M1A but they work fine in an Ishapore 2A.

One problem I had was that the ammo tended to fall out of the clips through the middle (as opposed to at the ends). To remedy that, I took pliers and squeezed the clips to be tighter. Maybe that will help your situation too?

 

Use five round clips. As mentioned still some Radway loaded on them around. Still plenty available in bunches.

 

10 rounds stripper clips = repo..

only USGI clips for M14 are 5 rnd.

 

Seems like some Australian SLR (FAL) clips were 10 round.They suck.But so do USGI 5 rounders when loading them into a rifle.Loading mags with a charger guide is the way I remember mostly doing it.I have around 50 of them but hardly ever use them.

 

Use the USGI 5 round clips , and they will work fine.

 

Even Mauser Clips should work, they fit the base of a .308 perfectly