Lee-Enfield stripper clips

[Victor Six Bravo]

Not to sound like an idiot, but I generally know how Mauser types work.

Is there some special trick on L-E strippers that I am missing? The two dozen or so I picked up about 10 years back have a dull grey finish, feel very "dry" if that makes sense and do not strip rounds cleanly into the action, almost like they needed to be waxed or polished on the inside.

I know the rimmed bases need to be staggered but I don't know if there's a particular way to do it.

Also, where do I get more?

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[PrinzEugen]

The stagger goes: _-_-_ if you see what I mean.
In the UK I think in the last gun mart Henry Kranks was selling them reasonably cheaply if I recall correctly.

[smle-man]

Chargers are for sale on Gunbroker and Ebay all the time. You can smooth the inside of the charger with a fine grit abrasive cloth. Seems like a lot of the chargers have been refinished over the years with a phosphate coating which makes them 'sticky' when stripping the rounds into the magazine. Of course like everything else LE connected, the chargers themselves are becoming collectible! The earlier versions are selling for several dollars each.

[Alan de Enfield]

Not to sound like an idiot, but I generally know how Mauser types work.

Is there some special trick on L-E strippers that I am missing? The two dozen or so I picked up about 10 years back have a dull grey finish, feel very "dry" if that makes sense and do not strip rounds cleanly into the action, almost like they needed to be waxed or polished on the inside.

I know the rimmed bases need to be staggered but I don't know if there's a particular way to do it.

Also, where do I get more?

[Victor Six Bravo]

Thanks!

That's how I'd assumed it went and tried several times, but mine must be of the phospated type because they're very, very gritty the times I've tried to strip rounds into the action. You'll get maybe 2 cleanly out and the other 3 hang up. Guess I get to sandpapering.

Considering they're just bits of metal, I'm surprised nobody makes new ones.

[Alan de Enfield]

Thanks!


Considering they're just bits of metal, I'm surprised nobody makes new ones.

There are many on ebay which are 'as new' - it seems that someone (rumour has it that its the Italians) is making new ones. Again, the reports I've seen say that they are harder / more difficult to use than the originals.

Get some sandpaper or wire wool and just take off the burrs, a very light smear of oil will help, they will 'polish' up and will get better and better with use.

[jona]

I doubt the strippers are being made new. However, the Italians did make a lot at the end of WW II and after. They were to be used with all those Enfields now being sold in the E.U. Since they are not considered a firearm, they can be exported. Picked some up, and they do have a rough finish and would need some polishing to work properly.

[Fletch]

Some advice I got from another thread suggests that:

When loading the rounds into the rifle, put your thumb near the base of the cartridges and not in the middle or near the end.

I hope this makes sense:

[Victor Six Bravo]

Yeah, I tried that (having used Mauser clips before) but they were so rough it didn't help.

These came out of a large ammo can, I picked up about a dozen in California around 1999, the can held around a thousand clips.

[villiers]

I put my chargers in with the brass overnight when polishing. It gives them a shine and the rounds drop into the mag much quicker.