Enfield charger clip question

[Rumpelhardt]

I read a while ago that there are different types of charger clips for use with the .303 in the Lee-Enfield and that one type is better. I have some but they grip the round so tightly that they dig into the brass making it almost impossible to use them. Could some one please help by telling me how to identify the better chargers?
Is there a way to modify the ones I have to make them work better?
Thank you for your time.

[trooper554877]

rumple,
When I was shooting lee enfields in competition this is what I did to my chargers.
Get some fine emery paper and lightly sand/clean the inside of the clip where the rim sits. Do this all along the clip on both sides. Re-insert the rounds and pull them through with the palm of your hand. Keep cleaning/sanding till they come out smooth.
We cajjed them racing clips because on the reloads they went in smooth as silk and had no hick us, well as much as you can with a rimmed round.

Second thing is make sure you stack your charger the correct way. That is the up, down, up, down up method.
The rim of the first round is firmly against the base of the charger, next round the rim sits on the inside of the first round. the next one goes underneath. there is a pic of how its done somewhere in the abyss of the net, i lost it but someone will chime in with hopefully.

Also the art of using the charger correctly.
Insert the charger against the the guide and down onto the mag, with the thumb against the ribs of the charger push firmly down and insert the rounds into the mag with a single firm movement. if you don't draw blood on your thumb a few times you are not trying hard enough.

Don't pull the charger out, just close the bolt firmly and the charger will flick out.

Best you make some dummy rounds and practice as much as you think you need to then double the effort and you are somewhere close to getting it right.

Cheers
Ned

[Maxwell Smart]

+1 on what Trooper said for smoothing the clips out. You could run them in the brass tumbler for a week, but that takes the blackening off them...

Practice, practice, practice and be sure to mark your clips so no-one else accidentally picks them up.

Something else to consider is the four "pips" that stick out on the widest part at the rear edge of the clip. These little projections are what actually line the clip up in place in the charger guide. Now, not all clips are equal here - some have tiny little round pips, and others larger teardrop shaped ones. My thoughts are that the larger ones hold the clip more squarely, try it and see because your rifle might be different.

[buffdog]

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I have spent many hours selecting, filing and polishing chargers. The posts by TROOPER 554877 and MAXWELL SMART are quite true. The other thing i would suggest is that you select Chargers that are blued, and not phosphated. They work better.

When speed loading 10 rounds into the magazine, load the first 5 and pull the charger out. Then load the second 5 and close the bolt to kick the charger away.

Depending upon what the competition calls for, starting with a full magazine or an empty one, there are several ways to get rapid fire with the Lee Enfield. 15 aimed rounds a minute is relatively easy and many people load 10, fire them off, and reload with a charger of 5 rounds. This has the advantage of having the rifle in the same position for the first 10 rounds, with only one reload. Another popular method, where a LOT of rounds need to get downrange in a hurry is to load 10 and fire 6. Then you load a charger of 5 and fire another 6. You keep doing this until you end up loading 5 rounds at a time from a charger and firing them like that thereafter.
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