I recently put all my 5.56 on stripper clips because it loads into magazines so easily while at the range. I had the thought to do the same for my 7.62x39 for AK mags but apparently the only modern issue clips are from NCstar and they get endless bad reviews. I'd rather not have that big and bulky Podavach loader in my range bag, so is there any good clip option out there at this point for AK ammo/mags?

Not that I have found, but I liked the maglula it’s definitely faster then loading without

Buy surplus on strippers
SG Ammo has some.

Ebay has real strippers.

Yeah I've dealt with corrosive ammo before and I vowed never to use it again. There's always a spot I'd miss that would end up with rust. I guess eBay it is. Thanks.

That doesn’t really solve the problem of loading the stripper clips into the mags

I think I've found a good enough loader guide, but the "falls off the clips" reviews of the ncstar clips themselves were so far the limiting factor.

I’m pretty sure the BXN marked Czech stripper clips are fairly highly thought of…

They are usually more expensive, but you can usually find them on eBay

There was a stripper clip guide on the market back in the day that was made in China. I had to tweak the fit a little but they are somewhat serviceable. I'd love to see a setup like the Russian one used for 5.45 mags.

I'm also curious if there is anything better out there that will work with mil-spec clips.

BXN or the Yugo strippers that the surplus M67 came with are your best best.
Yugo strippers used to be plentiful as they were almost throwaway when surplus was cheap. That’s where all mine came from.

Chinese of course are the best but there’s so many cheap knockoffs I only order BXNs.

FWIW I only use strippers in my SKS and sometimes the VZ. More for the novelty. If rapid reloads are your goal, the answer is lots of loaded mags on hand.

I tried the NC Star loader and wasn’t impressed and gave it away. That person wasn’t impressed either. If anyone makes a loader as good as the el cheapo GI loader for AR mags I’ve not seen it.

I use a Maglula loader for my AK mags...