303 stripper clips ?

Best Chargers I've ever used under stress, if you count the eohc milsurp matches, are French berthier 3 round chargers. Super easy to handle.
 
City Boy said:
Did all Lee Enfield models accept the chargers? That rifle was around a long time and I don’t know it’s whole history.
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No, the earliest Magazine Lee Metford and Magazine Lee Enfield (MLE) did not take chargers. Some were adapted to do so around the time of the Charger Loading Lee Enfield (CLLE). You'll also sometimes hear that .303 was originally a black powder round which isn't quite true, it was supposed to be smokeless from the get go but an intermediate BP round was used for a short period while the decisions and development for Crown production of smokeless powder was finalized.
 
BlackPowderBurner said:
No, the earliest Magazine Lee Metford and Magazine Lee Enfield (MLE) did not take chargers. Some were adapted to do so around the time of the Charger Loading Lee Enfield (CLLE). You'll also sometimes hear that .303 was originally a black powder round which isn't quite true, it was supposed to be smokeless from the get go but an intermediate BP round was used for a short period while the decisions and development for Crown production of smokeless powder was finalized.
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Thanks for that info!
 
Basically any Lee Enfield pre-1904 didn't originally have charger loading. This is also why things such as the 1905 Ross with its unique magazine system made sense in the time period as chargers hadn't really been standardized and single round loading was the expectation.
 
Another thing I haven't seen mentioned is the Lee Enfield isn't the only rifle that existed. The p14 only had a 5 round internal mag. With 5 round clips they work with both guns, no additional logistics required.
 
The first Lee Enfield to take chargers was the SMLE Mk1. The CLLE was a retrofit of older rifles that happened after the SMLE Mk1 was in service. It had an odd charger guide assembly attached to the bolt head.
 
Should also mention that a lot of sporterized Lee Enfields had the charger guides ground off, so they sadly aren't a universal feature of the rifle anymore.
 
When I was a young fellow on the rifle range in the 50's, kids were hired to go along the mounds and pick up all the stripper clips. They went in the garbage. And pick up the brass for re-cycling.

I wish I had a few garbage cans full of those clips now. Who would have thunk.
 
Ganderite said:
When I was a young fellow on the rifle range in the 50's, kids were hired to go along the mounds and pick up all the stripper clips. They went in the garbage. And pick up the brass for re-cycling.

I wish I had a few garbage cans full of those clips now. Who would have thunk.
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Imagine having a few cases of that .303.
 
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