I've had a number of Lee Enfield 303's for years. I've never had success using the 5 round stripper clips, I always got a jam, so gave up trying. I now think I know the reason for the problem, it's because I have believed what I have seen on the internet. In my opinion, the clips should be loaded with the second round's rim BEHIND the first round's. So now the third round's rim will be in front, and continuing this way of alternate front and back, we have the first and fifth round's rims in front. You can now use the stripper clip any way up and load the magazine. You will see a gap at each end of the clip when loaded this way, which ensures that the second charge of five rounds gets its first round's rim ahead of the top one of the first five already in the magazine. I think (not so ) common sense tells us this way is correct, however I look forward to some feedback.
Using Enfield 303 stripper clips
- Thread starter ehamilton
- Start date
Tikirocker
New member
Here ... I wrote a pictorial tutorial on this very thing a few years back now - it will show you exactly what to do and how to do it.
http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=120&t=85733
Best, Tiki.
http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=120&t=85733
Best, Tiki.
I owned several Lee-Enfields over the years and I must first admit that I only occasionally used chargers. Subconsciously I may have been conserving them for emergencies or something. Even so, I was always rather amazed that they never failed to work, given the loose nature of the thing and the fact that it was a rimmed cartridge. I believe I did learn somewhere along the way there was a proper way to load the charger but I'm sure I managed perfectly well in ignorance, as often happens. I've never seen an official descrition of the procedure but maybe the came already loaded in chargers, same as 7.62mm ammunition came when we had M14s.
I do, however, take issue with the statement that the Lee-Enfield was never intended to be loaded with a full magazine. For a brief period before charger loading was introduced, an extra magazine was indeed carried in a specially shaped buff pouch all of its own, again no doubt intended for emergency use only. That was in the Slade-Wallace equipment. They must have had second thoughts about it and the concept was discontinued, although when charger loading was introduced, the magazine cutoff remained. Jeff Cooper suggested his Scout Rifle have a magazine cutoff, so it must be a Good Thing.
I also owned a Mosin-Nagant carbine, which also used chargers for a rimmed cartridge. Again, it was amazing they worked so well, not to say easily, but the Russian rifles had a little gadget to assist in preventing double feeding. I'm not sure what it was called, maybe an interrupter or something, but it allowed easy loading of four rounds and closing the bolt on an empty chamber. The trick with the Mosin-Nagant chargers was that you had to have a good charger. I had some that were not shaped correctly and they would not strip from the charger at all. I attributed that to aftermarket chargers, a problem that seems to occur a lot with magazines of all sorts. But I never had that problem with any Lee-Enfield chargers.
I've also owned other clip fed rifles, including various Mausers, MAS-36 bolt actions and a Remington Model 8, which actually came with stripper clips. I never successfully loaded it (in .35 Remington) using the stripper clips. All of the others worked just fine, though to say "easily" would be a slight exaggeration. However, the differences between cartridges of the different calibers, from 8mm Mauser, 6.5x55 and 7.5 French, was enough so that there was no interchangeablity of the stripper clips and they weren't all marked as to cartridge, either, though some were. Good idea, just the same, the stripper clip. I think they are just as valuable for what I call "ammunition management" as they are for fast reloading.
I do, however, take issue with the statement that the Lee-Enfield was never intended to be loaded with a full magazine. For a brief period before charger loading was introduced, an extra magazine was indeed carried in a specially shaped buff pouch all of its own, again no doubt intended for emergency use only. That was in the Slade-Wallace equipment. They must have had second thoughts about it and the concept was discontinued, although when charger loading was introduced, the magazine cutoff remained. Jeff Cooper suggested his Scout Rifle have a magazine cutoff, so it must be a Good Thing.
I also owned a Mosin-Nagant carbine, which also used chargers for a rimmed cartridge. Again, it was amazing they worked so well, not to say easily, but the Russian rifles had a little gadget to assist in preventing double feeding. I'm not sure what it was called, maybe an interrupter or something, but it allowed easy loading of four rounds and closing the bolt on an empty chamber. The trick with the Mosin-Nagant chargers was that you had to have a good charger. I had some that were not shaped correctly and they would not strip from the charger at all. I attributed that to aftermarket chargers, a problem that seems to occur a lot with magazines of all sorts. But I never had that problem with any Lee-Enfield chargers.
I've also owned other clip fed rifles, including various Mausers, MAS-36 bolt actions and a Remington Model 8, which actually came with stripper clips. I never successfully loaded it (in .35 Remington) using the stripper clips. All of the others worked just fine, though to say "easily" would be a slight exaggeration. However, the differences between cartridges of the different calibers, from 8mm Mauser, 6.5x55 and 7.5 French, was enough so that there was no interchangeablity of the stripper clips and they weren't all marked as to cartridge, either, though some were. Good idea, just the same, the stripper clip. I think they are just as valuable for what I call "ammunition management" as they are for fast reloading.
Tikirocker
New member
We are talking about the SMLE here. Feel free to e-mail Skennerton and ask him if the SMLE was intended for anything other than top charger loading. The British regulations state clearly that the magazine is only to be removed in the case of cleaning ... and for no other purpose was it to be removed. The policy was so strong that even in the early days of the No1 there was a short chain keeper that attached between the magazine and the trigger guard assembly!
There was no reason, even in those days, to remove the magazine to load an Enfield, since you could load 10 rounds using the charger guides quicker than you could by removing the magazine, fiddling away pushing each round into the magazine individually, one at a time - and then slapping it back into the action body! It's a complete nonsense to suggest it.
The reason for the chain was so the soldier did not lose it ... without it, the rifle was reduced to a single shot. This is the reason that soldiers had previously been supplied with a spare magazine ... it was not for the purpose of having a loaded spare to slap into the action body as doing so contradicts all the standing regs. Slapping a loaded mag into an Enfield body damages the feed lips and puts stress on the magazine components which eventually leads to poor feeding.
Members of my family going back two generations fought in two world wars with these rifles in both British and Australian armies ... you may take exception but you are wrong.
Tiki.
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Then you're not looking in the right place!
The "correct" method is detailed in several manuals, training pamphlets & so on all liberally scattered across the net.
Actually I'm wondering if we don't have a misunderstanding here?
Fully loaded meaning 10 rounds as opposed to loading an external magazine fully. If that's the case there are some references in Canadian manuals to the capacity being 10 rounds, but only loading 5 at a time. These don't mean loading away from the rifle, just only loading 5 into the rifle.
I was referring to the correct way of loading rounds into a charger, not the way of using a charger to load the rifle. I have not looked for any manual, I grant you, because I no longer own any rifles, Lee-Enfield or any other. I've even given away the Skinnerton books that I had. Good books they were.
For the spare magazine thing, I was only referring to its use with the pre-charger loading rifles. One might be forgiven for assuming that if a spare magazine was carried, it was intended to actually be used. Sort of like the pocket on the side of a Pattern 58 ammunition that was thoughtfully provided as a place to carry your knife, fork and spoon. No such places were provided in the US M-1956 webbing. In any event, the spare magazine was apparently carried only for a short time.
My father (but not his father) fought as an infantryman in WWII but spent more time as a POW in Germany (captured in Italy) than he did in combat. He passed away over ten years ago and I never did ask him a single thing about rifles in the army.
I do have a stack of training pamphlets, mostly Canadian but all from WWII, unfortunately by which time carrying spare magazines were ancient history (History, ancient, Mk. I*{Not to be published}). I'll have to pull them out to see what references there were to rifle training, though I don't remember any at the moment. There were some interesting things about sub-machine gun use, however.
I might add here that many references and instructions in old (pre-WWII) army publications are of a nature that people today will often doubt that such instructions were actually given and the best example I can think of is the instruction in the US Army NCO manual from about 1917 to carry the .45 auto with the hammer down on a loaded chamber. Unfortunately, I have no early manuals on the Lee-Enfield.
For the spare magazine thing, I was only referring to its use with the pre-charger loading rifles. One might be forgiven for assuming that if a spare magazine was carried, it was intended to actually be used. Sort of like the pocket on the side of a Pattern 58 ammunition that was thoughtfully provided as a place to carry your knife, fork and spoon. No such places were provided in the US M-1956 webbing. In any event, the spare magazine was apparently carried only for a short time.
My father (but not his father) fought as an infantryman in WWII but spent more time as a POW in Germany (captured in Italy) than he did in combat. He passed away over ten years ago and I never did ask him a single thing about rifles in the army.
I do have a stack of training pamphlets, mostly Canadian but all from WWII, unfortunately by which time carrying spare magazines were ancient history (History, ancient, Mk. I*{Not to be published}). I'll have to pull them out to see what references there were to rifle training, though I don't remember any at the moment. There were some interesting things about sub-machine gun use, however.
I might add here that many references and instructions in old (pre-WWII) army publications are of a nature that people today will often doubt that such instructions were actually given and the best example I can think of is the instruction in the US Army NCO manual from about 1917 to carry the .45 auto with the hammer down on a loaded chamber. Unfortunately, I have no early manuals on the Lee-Enfield.
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Sorry if I misunderstood, I was commenting on the part that I quoted in my post about fully loading the magazine.
There are 3 ways to load an Enfield charger, 2 of them are incorrect.
1. ///// staggered rounds with the lower lip of each one in front of the upper lip of the round below it in the charger.
This will work, but ONLY if loaded the right way up. Reversing the alignment of the charger will guarantee jams as every rim is now locked behind the on above it in the magazine.
2. -_-_- Up-down-up-down-up.
The exact opposite of what is needed. Usually causes the infamous round 6 rim over rim jam.
3. _-_-_ down-up-down-up-down.
The winner!!
It all has to do with the way the rims jump from the charger's clips into the magazine, pushing the round below them as they do so.
There are 3 ways to load an Enfield charger, 2 of them are incorrect.
1. ///// staggered rounds with the lower lip of each one in front of the upper lip of the round below it in the charger.
This will work, but ONLY if loaded the right way up. Reversing the alignment of the charger will guarantee jams as every rim is now locked behind the on above it in the magazine.
2. -_-_- Up-down-up-down-up.
The exact opposite of what is needed. Usually causes the infamous round 6 rim over rim jam.
3. _-_-_ down-up-down-up-down.
The winner!!
It all has to do with the way the rims jump from the charger's clips into the magazine, pushing the round below them as they do so.
By the way, how was .303 SAA shipped? Already loaded into chargers and in (cloth) bandoliers? That would seem to make it a moot point most of the time. It is interesting how there are frequent complaints or comments about the difficulty of designing firearms using rimmed rifle ammunition, yet it is still being done, the Russians still using their rimmed 7.62 round.
SAA? Do you mean South African .303 Brit? They called it 7.7mm BTW.
If so it came in cardboard boxes with no bandos or chargers. Which may well be why there are so many threads on loading for chargers.
OK, pictorial of how to (& not to) fill your chargers (not strippers) correctly.
Base view:
*sorry about the next bit of inversion I can't enter type inverted, and I had the pic already taken.*
Official MOD diagram:
Hope this helps all those afflicted with enfielditis.
If so it came in cardboard boxes with no bandos or chargers. Which may well be why there are so many threads on loading for chargers.
OK, pictorial of how to (& not to) fill your chargers (not strippers) correctly.
Base view:
*sorry about the next bit of inversion I can't enter type inverted, and I had the pic already taken.*
Official MOD diagram:
Hope this helps all those afflicted with enfielditis.
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Thank you, all you guys. I am so pleased you have sorted me out. My problem has always been the tenth round jamming, and I still can't stop that unless I do what I say below:
I know the solution for me. It is to load the chargers (clips) exactly as you say, (down up down up down). When I am ready to load the second charger into the magazine, I remove the top cartridge, and this allows for a smooth transfer, with my right hand thumb pushing down and pulling to the right, the same feeling as the first five rounds. I can than either accept nine rounds is ok, or add the tenth round by hand, of course placing its rim ahead.
Without your comments and help, I would still be loading magazines with single rounds, always wondering why I was so dumb!
I know the solution for me. It is to load the chargers (clips) exactly as you say, (down up down up down). When I am ready to load the second charger into the magazine, I remove the top cartridge, and this allows for a smooth transfer, with my right hand thumb pushing down and pulling to the right, the same feeling as the first five rounds. I can than either accept nine rounds is ok, or add the tenth round by hand, of course placing its rim ahead.
Without your comments and help, I would still be loading magazines with single rounds, always wondering why I was so dumb!
I am no longer surprised. I was using "SAA" as an abbreviation for "small arms ammunition." I know absolutely nothing about South Africa, except that's where my boss went to university. He has a photo of the town on his wall with the snow covered dragon's mountains in the background.
I shouldn't use abbreviations so much. It causes so much confusion.
I shouldn't use abbreviations so much. It causes so much confusion.
No problem, I just couldn't figure out where Single Action Army as in .45 Colt came into the discussion.
Back on topic.
Have you tried gently & carefully opening up the "U" bends in the magazine springs just a little? It doesn't take much to have a big difference in spring tension & costs nothing unless you go ape when doing it & snap the spring.
Back on topic.
Have you tried gently & carefully opening up the "U" bends in the magazine springs just a little? It doesn't take much to have a big difference in spring tension & costs nothing unless you go ape when doing it & snap the spring.
Tikirocker
New member
These are called "Feed lips" ... here is another tutorial sticky from our forum dealing with correct adjustment of the feed lips --> http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=120&t=78093
Tiki.
I'm thinking about now of just going back to a .303 Martini and avoiding all this new stuff that seems to be so unreliable and the source of so much trouble. Of course, that's a ridiculous thing to do in this day and age, to be truthful. However, I see that Ruger has chambered some of their No. 1 falling block rifles in .303, so there's hope for us conservatives yet. I missed getting a No. 3 in .30-40 back when they were around. These things come and go so quickly.