ROBERT W. SCOTT’S KRAG CLIP LOADING SYSTEM
In January 1901, Robert William Scott, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, filed a patent defending his clip or charger loading system for the US military’s Krag rifle. In December 1900, he had previously patented his design for a metal charger clip.
Scott’s aim was to:
“provide a simple, convenient, and effective form of clip or charger whereby a number of cartridges constituting-the magazine charge for a ‘modern rifle can be conveniently carried and introduced rapidly and with accuracy into a magazine having a side opening-such, for instance, as that of the United States magazine-rifle, caliber .30", and others of the same class.”
Unlike Edward Parkhurst’s earlier system, Scott does not appear to incorporate an additional charger guide. Instead the charger/clip is placed into a notch cut in the loading gate’s wall. In his patent description Scott also suggests another guide system, “a spring arm, mounted upon the gate and having a guide notch formed in it… or the reception of the edge of the clip, the spring-arm being pushed back into its recess when the swinging gate is closed.”
Parkhurst Clip-Loading Device (source)
Scott was a prolific inventor with a large number of varied patents to his name, including everything from textile machines to an early multiple projectile cartridge. While its unclear if the US Army tested Scott’s system, reports do mention the testing of other systems, however, like the Parkhurst system, Scott’s charger system was seen as surplus to requirements by 1901. The Krag would soon be replaced by the Springfield M1903, which incorporated charger loading.