Hello all,<br><br>Do any of the more "gunny" people here know if it's possible to machine a stripper clip slot into a Ruger MKII? I played with an old Springfield last week and learned to love the feature. I can't afford a Springfield (who can these days? Hell, I can't afford a BB gun right now...), but I have plans to buy a Ruger rifle eventually. Thanks in advance.<br><br>Take care,<br><br>Andy

Ade, I have used several mausers with the stripper clip bridge in both military and sporterized configurations. It is a nice feature that lost favor with scope use. It would be extremely difficult to mill a Ruger. There isn't a lot of material to stabilise the stripper ( which often were very different with each model inspite of the near universal headcase of the 8x57-.30-06 cartridge family) and it would certainly destroy all warranties and resale value. You could buy a clean surplus mauser and sporterize it, or seek an older custom sporter. Either route can easily cost as much , if not more than a off the shelf Ruger. Military chamberings are every bit as efffective, but cost of ammunition can be expensive. The few F.N. and Columbian .30-06 service rifles are very expensive. The 7x57 mauser can be found with an excellent supply of ammunition. I've owned both. A timney trigger and Lyman reciever peep site made for extremely accurate and robust field rifles.

Andy,<br><br>Hmmm... yeah, what Chris said. M96 Swedes are pretty cheap and they work great with stripper clips - and turn into nifty Scout Rifles. <br><br>The only MkII I have is a heavy bbl in .223, but I doubt that the action is significantly different: No. The bolt stop is such that the face of the bolt is slightly protruding from the bridge when it's fully retracted.<br><br>I also checked one of my M77 (originals) and it might actually be possible - but just barely, and it would probably take out too much of the factory 'scope mount to leave it functional.<br><br>I *think* I could make one as a separate piece and attach it - two different ways appear feasible. Of course, a conventional 'scope mounting would take the use of stripper clips out.<br><br>Sorry to bear the bad tidings...<br><br>Regards,<br><br>Tom<br><br>PS - the MkII that I have is super super accurate - well, heck, all my M77s are - but this one is eye-opening. It at LEAST shoots with the Remington M700s in the same caliber - maybe even better.

Andy,<br><br>I don't have any definite knowledge but I do like the idea of adapting your prospective bolt gun to stripper clips. Let me further qualify this advice (or is grand speculation) by noting that I don't have any bolt actions that are usable with stripper clips or Ruger bolt actions for that matter. However, I wonder if it would be possible to devise a fixture that would hold the stripper clips and clamp onto the scope mounting indentations on the Ruger action. In fact it seems as if something like a one-piece scope base, if any are made for that model, could be adapted to hold stripper clips for charging the gun. I assume that someone makes a one-piece scope base, for some reason, for Ruger bolt actions. Furthermore you might even be able to use say a side mount to scope the gun if you wish. Conceivably such a glorified stripper clip holder could easily grow high enough to block your view of the metalic sights.<br><br>Good luck,<br><br>John<br><br>

I really doubt a gunsmith would recommend this. It would entail cutting a hole in an area which probably would affect the strength of the receiver mechanism/bolt assembly. The only rifles I'm familiar with that have stripper clips are particularly robust above the magazine. I also can't help think about the problems with Jungle Enfields. These were made smaller and lighter by the manufacturer making modest cuts into various "unimportant" metal on a standard Enflied. It resulted in a weapond which was lighter, but of very suspect accuracy. I know people who bought these very cheap recently from Dunhams and found that they could not be reliably sighted in, even when bolted down, the mechanics of the weapon were just too dynamic. The best theory was that there was simply too much flex.<br><br>I would also second the motion about just buying a surplus rifle. A good Mauser 48/48A can be purchased for about $100. Surplus ammunition is very cheap and the rifle has fine accuracy. 8mm is basically useless for small game, but the cost is cheaper than a good quality BB gun.

The jungle carbines have two cuts at the barrel/receiver junction. This is what causes the wandering zero. If you reload, most any centerfire can workup "squib" loads of a light lead bullet with a modest charge good for 25 yards. Just don't grab a squib instead of a RWS 196 grain TUG when the moose charges!

Andy,<br><br>with the certainty of increasing my reputation as a total idiot, (but enthusiastic learner),,,what is a stripper clip and what is its function? Thanks<br><br>

Robb, strippers are sheet steel or soft brass devises to hold individual cartridges in a collective row. They are then inserted into a milled slot in older rifles and some pistols. You then load the fixed magazine by pushing ( stripping) the cartridges down with your thumb. Many modern detachable magazines can be rapidly charged with a detachable stripper guide. These are the correct "clips" often erroneously confused with true cartridge magazines. They make for faster reloading and keeping ammunition organized.

Thanks to all who responded. I thought that might be the case, but it was worth a try.<br><br><br>Take care,<br><br>Andy

Tom,<br><br>I had a semi-scout in mind, built on one of the Ruger short barrel, short actions. Your idea of using the scope mount to attach a slot is intriguing. Please think more about that and let me know what your thinking turns up.<br><br><br>Take care,<br><br>Andy<br>

Andy - <br><br>I need to pick up some 45-70 brass anyway, so I'll peep a short action (308 what you have in mind?) and let you know. I think it's possible to do, and as someone else (John?) noted, using the rear scope base as an attachment. It's going to depend on the axial positional relationship of the bolt face fully to the rear, the magazine, and where the front of the bridge lies.<br><br>It may wind up being a little high. BTW, any 7x57, 8x57, or 30-06 5 round stripper clips will work, but what is the magazine capacity of a M77 MkII? (I'm too lazy to check right now). I would NOT be surprised to find out that the magazine capacity is 4 rounds... I have a ton of pre-war 7x57 clips - beautiful, functional, and still shiny. The late-war 8mm clips are pretty junky for re-use IMHO - one-shot clips compared to the pre-war stuff.<br><br>Just a note about slotting: It won't work; not enough metal and not in the right place. However, IF one DID mill a slot in the bridge, it would not affect the strength of the action; that all happens up front on MOST bolt guns. The Enfield is an exception, the Remington M788 is another, and there are a few other rear-lug guns out there.<br><br>IIRC, Winchester at one time made a push-feed M70 for high-power competition that had a stripper clip slot. Perhaps Remington made a similar M40X ? And didn't Ruger make a Palma Match M77 a few years back? Did that M77 have a stripper clip guide on it? Anyone? Pretty sure it was NOT a MkII, tho.<br><br>If a 308 is the "target"... it's pretty simple to convert a M98 variant and if a Scout Rifle is the object, the M98 is a dandy (a bit heavy, but so what). Will it have the accuracy potential of a M77MkII? No. But it would be plenty accurate. Just my 2 cents worth... I'll let you know after I look closer at an actual .308 SA MkII - I don't "trust" any measurements I make off my 223 variant.<br><br>Regards,<br><br>Tom<br><br>

...and - you don't even remove the clip from the slot - when the bolt goes forward, the clip is pushed out of the way and falls clear. Very fast.

There are two classic sporting arms that featured stripper guides; the model 54 Winchester and model 7 Rremington. The 1909 Argentine mauser is virtually identical to a .308 ( 7.65x54) so few if any modifications are neccessary to a action aside from rebarrelling and trigger. It is one of the more desireable actions in terms of finish and the triggerguard features a very modern floorplate release.

Tom,<br><br>I was thinking (dreaming really) of one of the new (relatively) MK II Compacts in .308. I need a new rifle. The Savage 99 I was telling you about months ago was recently sold to provide much needed folding money after the recent blown up car and stolen tools incident. It wasn't the only gun to go....I'm left with a .22 rifle and naught else :(<br><br>At the rate things are going I should be able to afford a new rifle just after the prices on all of them go down when the laser guns come out. But, I still have a roof, a job, a vehicle and the fam is still eating. First things first. Obviously there is no hurry on the stripper clip widget.<br><br><br>Take care,<br><br>Andy<br>

Yes - the Argentine Mauser is a nice one. The original caliber is good, too. If the bbl is good, I think it can be set back a bit and simply re-chambered for 308.

Slight bore difference 7.65 vs 7.62 I wish I had held onto half my mausers!