Magazine for cased telescoped ammunition cartridges with side-walls having cartridge orientation ribs

• US 10,337,809 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2018
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Textron Systems Corporation (Textron Inc)
• Original Assignee: AAI Corporation (Textron Inc)
• Inventors: Shipley, Paul Andrew, Ruck, Joshua Stephen, Cole, Benjamin Tyler, Recchia, Brandon Scott, Brand, Cameron Mehdi, Habiak, Gregory Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Eldred, J. Woodrow
• Application Number:
  US16/044,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20190033023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 343 Days
• Field of Search: 42 50, 42 4901
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 15/00 Cartridge extractors, i.e. devices for pulling cartridges or cartridge cases at least partially out of the cartridge chamber; Cartridge ejectors, i.e. devices for throwing the extracted cartridges or cartridge cases free of the gun F41A9/54, F41C9/08 take precedence; Means for removing duds or misfires in rocket throwers F41F3/058
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 15/14 the ejector being mounted on or within the bolt; Extractors per se
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 21/12 Cartridge chambers; Chamber liners F41A3/74, F41A9/46, F41A21/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 3/10 with sliding breech-block, e.g. vertically
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 3/26 semi-automatically or automatically operated, e.g. having a slidable bolt-carrier and a rotatable bolt
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 3/30 Interlocking means, e.g. locking lugs, screw threads
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 3/34 the bolt additionally effecting a sliding movement transverse to the barrel axis
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 3/36 Semi-rigid bolt locks, i.e. having locking elements movably mounted on the bolt or on the barrel or breech housing
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 5/18 gas-operated
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 9/23 mounted within a smallarm
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 9/45 the cartridge chamber or the barrel as a whole being tiltable or transversely slidable between a loading and a firing position F41A9/25 and F41A9/27 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 5/045 of telescopic type F42B5/184 takes precedence

Abstract

A magazine for storing cased telescoped (CT) cartridges. The magazine includes vertically extending side-wall ribs that project inwards into a loading channel. The side-wall ribs are positioned in alignment with a circumferential groove in each CT cartridge. The side-wall ribs prevent a backwards oriented CT cartridge from being pushed from the loading position through the loading channel into a body of the magazine. A moveable lip at the top of the magazine may move out of the way when the magazine is attached to a firearm, to allow the CT cartridge located in the loading position to be fed vertically out of the top of magazine. Each CT cartridge may include a thermal protective insert that provides thermal insulation from heat emanating from a barrel of a firearm when the CT cartridge is located in a chamber of the firearm.

Claims

1. A magazine configured to store cased telescoped (CT) cartridges and deliver the CT cartridges to a firearm, comprising:

two side-walls extending along a length of a loading channel;

two end-walls extending along a width of the loading channel, connecting the sidewalls; and

wherein each one of the side-walls includes a vertically extending side-wall rib that projects inwards into the loading channel, wherein the side-wall ribs are located opposite each other and positioned in alignment with a location of a circumferential groove in each CT cartridge to be loaded into the magazine, such that the side-wall ribs prevent a backwards oriented CT cartridge from being pushed from a loading position in the magazine through the loading channel into a body of the magazine.

2. The magazine of claim 1, further comprising a spring-loaded follower having a predominantly rectangular top shape matching a rectangular profile of the CT cartridges to be loaded into the magazine;

and

wherein the top shape of the spring-loaded follower further includes cutaways corresponding to the side-wall ribs that allow the spring-loaded follower to move upwards and downwards through the loading channel without interference from the side-wall ribs.

3. The magazine of claim 2, wherein a front one of the end-walls defines at least a portion of a loading window through which a CT cartridge can be loaded axially into the loading position;

and

wherein the side-wall ribs are located below the loading position, such that the side-wall ribs do not interfere with loading the CT cartridge axially into the loading position through the loading window.

4. The magazine of claim 3, wherein a back one of the end-walls prevents the CT cartridge from being pushed axially out of the magazine from the loading position.

5. The magazine of claim 4, wherein after loading a CT cartridge into the loading position, the CT cartridge must be pushed downwards past the side-wall ribs to be loaded into the body of the magazine.

6. The magazine of claim 5, wherein the body of the magazine comprises a box.

7. The magazine of claim 5, wherein the body of the magazine comprises a drum.

8. The magazine of claim 1, wherein the magazine further comprises a spring-loaded follower configured to push CT cartridges loaded in the magazine upwards towards the loading position;

wherein each of the side-walls includes a top curved portion adjacent to the loading position and curving inwardly over a top of the magazine; and

wherein the top curved portions of the side-walls prevent a CT cartridge located in the loading position from being pushed by the spring-loaded follower upwards out of the top of the magazine.

9. The magazine of claim 8, wherein the top curved portion of a first one of the side-walls comprises a moveable lip configured to move laterally out of the way of the CT cartridge located in the loading position, in response to attaching the magazine to a firearm, in order to allow the CT cartridge located in the loading position to be fed vertically out of the magazine into the firearm to which the magazine is attached.

10. The magazine of claim 9, wherein the curved portion of a second one of the side-walls comprises a fixed lip that does not move.

11. The magazine of claim 1, wherein each CT cartridge to be loaded into the magazine includes a thermal protective insert located in a front end of the cartridge that provides thermal insulation from heat emanating from the barrel of a firearm to which the magazine is attached when the CT cartridge is located in a chamber of the firearm.