Clip ( ammunition ) A Stripper clip is a device that is used to store multiple rounds of ammunition together as a unit , ready for insertion into the magazine or cylinder of a firearm . This speeds up the process of loading and reloading the firearm as several rounds can be loaded at once , rather than one round being loaded at a time . Several different types of clips exist , most of which are made of inexpensive metal stampings that are designed to be disposable , though they are often re - used . The defining difference between clips and magazines is the presence of a feed mechanism in a magazine , typically a spring - loaded follower , which a clip lacks . Types . Stripper . A stripper clip or charger is a speed - loader that holds several cartridges together in a single unit for easier loading of a firearm ' s magazine . A stripper clip is used only for loading the magazine and is not necessary for the firearm to function . It is called a ' stripper ' clip because , after the bolt is opened and the stripper clip is placed in position ( generally by placing it in a slot on either the receiver or bolt ) , the cartridges are pressed down , thereby ' stripping ' them off of the stripper clip and into the magazine . En bloc . Several rifle designs utilize an " en bloc " clip to load the firearm . With this design , both the cartridges and the clip are inserted as a unit into a fixed magazine within the rifle , and the clip is usually ejected or falls from the rifle upon firing or chambering of the last round . The " en bloc " clip was invented by two firearms inventors working on parallel lines , James Paris Lee for his Lee rifle of 1890 , and Ferdinand Mannlicher for use in his M1885 rifle . Other rifles utilizing a frequently improved en - bloc clip include the German 1888 Commission Rifle , the French 1890 Berthier Cavalry Carbine and later models ( upgraded to 5 rounds in 1916 ) , the Italian M1870 / 87 Vetterli - Vitali and M91 Carcano , the various ( Romanian , Dutch , Portuguese ) turnbolt Mannlichers , the Austro - Hungarian straight - pull Steyr - Mannlicher M1895 , the M1895 Lee Navy , the Hungarian 35M Mannlicher , and the US M1 Garand . Original Austrian Mannlicher clips were often uni - directional , but already the German 1888 Commission Rifle and subsequently the M 91 Carcano employed symmetrical clips , and much later John Pedersen developed an invertible , double - stacked clip for his rifle . This design was also utilized for the competing design by John Garand . Moon and half - moon . A moon clip is a ring - shaped or stellate piece of metal designed to hold a full cylinder of ammunition for a revolver ( generally six rounds ) together as a unit . Therefore , instead of loading or extracting one round at a time , a full cylinder of ammunition or spent cases can be loaded or extracted at once , speeding the loading process . A similar device known as the half - moon clip is semi - circular and designed to hold a half cylinder of ammunition ( generally three rounds ) — in which case two clips are necessary to fully load the cylinder . Such devices have most often been used to chamber rimless semi - automatic pistol cartridges in a revolver .