Just to confuse things, some stripper clips, primarily Mauser-style clips, have springs. These are used only to keep tension on the rounds and keep them from rattling, not to aid in feeding.
The SKS stripper clip does away with the separate springs and has springy fingers cut into the back of the stripper clip that perform the same function.
A couple of definitions for clip types...
Stripper clip -- a clip which simply holds the ammo, normally by the extractor groove, until it is needed. It is normally fitted into cuts in the top of the rifle's receiver, and the ammo is pushed into the magazine by finger pressure.
Weapons that have used stripper clips include: Mauser rifles and their many derivatives, including Springfield and Arisaka rifles. Also, Moisin-Nagant and British rifles used stripper clips, as did the Roth-Steyr and Mauser C96 pistols.
Enbloc clip -- a clip that is inserted into the magazine, and is necessary for the proper functioning of the weapon. When the clip is empty, it is ejected from the rifle, and another inserted.
Weapons that have used stripper clips include: Mannlicher-Carcano rifles, the M 1 Garand, and the German 1888 Commission Rifle.
TRIVIA QUESTION!!!
When was a stripper clip an enbloc clip, too?
[Edited by Mike Irwin on 05-02-2001 at 10:51 AM]