Guest Post: ‘Stripper Clips’ by Doc
Guest post from Doc, who was referred to in several of the recent AAR’s for the concurrent activity class he presented on TC3 during the Jungle Walk time slot on the Dec 14/15 CRCD;
While attending a CRCD class, I noticed that the majority of participants were reloading mags from loose ammo in cans or boxes. While this is fine in training, the time and mess involved is significant under more pressured circumstances.
The answer is stripper clips, the way the military reloads. If you have plenty of ammo stored up for the future, and it is not loaded in strippers, then you are not really ready. The principle is simple – ammunition is placed in (usually) 10-round spring-loaded clips that grip the base of the cartridges. These are then stored in bandoleers holding 2 or 3 clips per pocket along with a stripper guide (or spoon) that is used to rapidly feed the rounds into an empty magazine.
As knowledgeable enthusiasts, we know that magazines are not called “clips” – doing so is the mark of a newbie or the uninterested. Clips are (except for the Garand) open devices used for storing ammo outside of a magazine. Stripper clips keep ammo organized and ready to load. In fact, the M14 (M1A) has a clip guide for reloading a magazine without removing it from the weapon. What could be quicker or more convenient?
Strippers are somewhat hard to find, but they are out there – AR “repack kits” include strippers, cardboard inserts, and a reloading spoon with a bandoleer that will hold 120-150 rounds. This is a very portable way to resupply yourself or a buddy. Some sources are CTD and Amazon.
So, the final word is: get your ammo onto strippers in bandoleers and into ammo cans; and, know how to reload with them – it is easy and fast (10 sec per mag with practice),
Doc
Doc’s website is TACMEDICINE