SKS stripper clips

[Alex45ACP]

I'm having a lot of trouble loading my SKS with stripper clips. Occassionally it works fine and all the cartridges slide right into the magazine, but most of the time when I push down on the cartridges, nothing happens. I insert the clip into the slot in the bolt carrier and press down on the back of the top cartridge. Is that how you're supposed to do it? Is it possible that my clips are defective? I bought them at a gun show, they came in a bag of 20 for $6 and they're black in color.

 

[Tanfj]

The best way to load via stripper clips to this:
1) insert into rifle
2) press and hold the clip forward with the thumb of the right hand
3) place left hand thumb at the rear of the cartidge and press down
firmly. I find that sometimes it works better if I do a little bit at a
time vs all at once

It could well be that your clips grip too tight, try lighly bending the
inner tab back slightly to make the spring less strong; also check
for rust/gunk inside the tab.

 

[embee]

Make sure you angle your hand forward a little bit too, I always used to get a bunch of little cuts on my palm (from the top corners of the clip) when I first got my SKS.

 

[goon]

I never have a problem when I load with them. I usually sort of wiggle my thumb back and forth and side to side as I push the rounds in. They don't go in all at once for me, usually three or four at a time, but they do all go in without too much difficulty.
It works for me.

 

[heypete]

What ammo are you using?

Alex,

What brand ammo are you using? Some may "stick" a bit to the stripper clips.

I've found that several of my stripper clips had some grease on them which made it a Mighty Pain to operate.

I piled them all in my sink, poured hot water (not boiling, but as hot as I could get the tap -- boiling might work better) on them while agitating them with a stick. I drained all the water, then sprayed all of them with a moderate amount of concentrated Simple Green, filled the sink with more hot water, and agitated more. Drain the water, rinse them off again.

I took the stripper clips to my desk, put down a towel and a bunch of paper towels (about half an inch worth) then sprayed top and bottom of the clips with Remington Action Cleaner (brake cleaner might work too, but I'm not using that inside). Vigorous scrubbing with a bronze brush on all the bearing surfaces and inside the grooves for the cartridge rims got all the goop out. I wiped them all try, then lightly sprayed them with RemOil (it's the only aerosol gun oil I have), let it soak for a minute or so, then wiped them dry.

All in all, it took about 10 minutes for 30 clips. Now they're smooth as silk with Wolf polymer-coated ammo.

 

[XD40Assassin]

Mine work great! I just push it forward a little bit and it slides in perfectly. I oiled the heck out of mine before I used them though and then wiped them down so I probably aided in the smooth functioning.

 

[Alex45ACP]

I'm using Brown Bear ammo.

 

[JA]

You need to check you stripper clips for rust. Then wedge a tooth pick under the spring on each end so it won't touch the cartridge. Slide one round from one end to the other and off the stripper clip. The cartridge should slide easy. Check all your stripper clips to see if they all have the same amount of curve to them. Stack them one on top of the other and the bent and/or twisted ones will be easy to spot.
Any that have rust,tight or ruff spots,bent,or twisted chuck them. At $6/20 they are cheap so buy some more at the next gun show.
I have found that the stripper clips with a grey parkerized finish or dull black finish hold up better than the ones with a shiny black finish on them.

 

[White Horseradish]

The grey parked ones are what my Yugo ammo came with. The shiny ones are from Tapco. That is probably why they work a bit differently.

 

[oldfart]

I found that SKS stripper clips can be rough when new. After you've used them a few times, they get a lot easier. I suppose you could use some sandpaper or something to clean them up if you were in a hurry, but just using them awhile should iron out the problem.

 

[kart racer]

Sometimes mine reloads smooth w/one push,but i've found it is easier an just as fast to make 2 pushes.All i've shot in mine is wolf,although i have some golden tiger i'm gonna try.

 

[MoeMentum]

Try this: push down with your right thumb, near the clip, at the same time, use your right index finger to slightly pick up the top round just under the bullet tip. Sometimes when you push down with your thumb, you slightly cock the round, and it binds. By picking up on the bullet tip, it straightens out , and they slide right in. It works for me.