JAM RESISTANT AMMUNITION MAGAZINE

• US 20120318128A1
• Filed: 06/15/2012
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dillon Aero Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dillon Aero Inc.
• Inventors: Gotie, Robert Christian
• Granted Patent: US 8,863,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 89/33.14
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 9/31 with cartridge stripping means
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 9/34 from magazines magazines for belted ammunition per se F41A9/79
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 39/002 Cartridge containers provided with cartridge-dispensing means

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for a passive locking device for preventing an ammunition belt from sliding across the top of an internal wall of an ammunition magazine used in conjunction with a belt feed weapon. In one embodiment the passive locking device is movable between a locked position in which a locking end is in close proximity to the top of the internal wall, and an unlocked position in which the locking end is spaced apart from the top of the wall.

Claims

1. An ammunition magazine for storing a continuous belt of linked ammunition rounds and dispensing the ammunition to a belt feed weapon, comprising:

an elongated box comprising an ammunition compartment bounded by walls;

an opening in the box for dispensing the belt of linked ammunition; and

an ammunition lock proximate the opening, and movable between a locked position wherein a locking end of the ammunition lock is in close proximity to an ammunition compartment wall, and an unlocked position wherein the locking end is spaced apart from the ammunition compartment wall.

2. The ammunition magazine of claim 1, wherein the distance between the locking end of the ammunition lock and the ammunition compartment wall in the locked position is less than the thickness of the ammunition belt, and the distance between the locking end of the ammunition lock and the ammunition compartment wall in the unlocked position is greater than the thickness of the ammunition belt.

3. The ammunition magazine of claim 2, wherein the locking end of the ammunition lock is part of a guided slide member adapted for longitudinal sliding movement between the locked and unlocked positions in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the ammunition compartment wall, and wherein the locking end of the ammunition lock is in close proximity to the top of the ammunition compartment wall when the ammunition lock is in the locked position.

4. The ammunition magazine of claim 3, further comprising a spring configured to bias the guided slide member from the unlocked position to the locked position.

5. The ammunition magazine of claim 4, wherein the locking end is a cylindrical roller journaled for rotation about an axis substantially parallel with the top of the ammunition compartment wall.

6. The ammunition magazine of claim 5, wherein the ammunition compartment wall is a first crossover wall dividing the elongated box into a first ammunition compartment extending from the crossover wall to a back wall of the ammunition magazine, and a crossover bay between the crossover wall and a front wall of the ammunition magazine, and wherein the ammunition lock is positioned above the ammunition compartment, and slides forward, toward the crossover wall to the locked position.

7. The ammunition magazine of claim 6 further comprising:

a first longitudinal partition dividing the elongated box into adjacent first and second ammunition compartments extending from a back wall of the box at one end to respective first and second crossover walls at the other end; and

a second ammunition lock associated with the second ammunition compartment.

8. The ammunition magazine of claim 7, further comprising a feeder chute atop a lid, the feeder chute comprising a chute top, a chute floor, and opposed chute sidewalls, wherein the ammunition locks are mounted between the lid and the chute floor, and the opening is in the lid.

9. The ammunition magazine of claim 1, further comprising a second longitudinal partition dividing the box further into adjacent first, second, and third compartments extending from the back wall at one end to respective first, second, and third crossover walls at the other end.

10. The ammunition magazine of claim 9, further comprising baffles subdividing the ammunition compartments into ammunition bays.

11. The ammunition magazine of claim 7, wherein the top of each of the crossover walls comprises flange portions at the sides of the crossover wall projecting above a top edge between the flange portions, creating a notched shape.

12. The ammunition magazine of claim 11, wherein the distance between the locking end of the ammunition lock and the top of the flange portions is less than the thickness of the ammunition belt when the ammunition lock is in the locked position, and greater than the thickness of the ammunition belt when the ammunition lock is in the unlocked position.

13. A passive locking device for restraining an ammunition belt within an ammunition magazine, comprising:

a fixed locking surface with an exposed edge; and

a spring-biased locking member movable between a locked position in which a locking end of the locking member is in close proximity to the exposed edge of the fixed locking surface, and an unlocked position in which the locking end of the locking member is spaced apart from the exposed edge of the fixed locking surface.

16. A passive locking device for preventing an ammunition belt from inadvertently sliding across the top of an internal wall of an ammunition magazine, comprising:

an ammunition lock movable between a locked position in which a locking end is in close proximity to the top of the internal wall, and an unlocked position in which the locking end is spaced apart from the top of the wall.

17. The passive device of claim 16, wherein the ammunition lock comprises a spring loaded locking member disposed for sliding movement in a direction generally perpendicular to the internal wall.

18. The passive device of claim 17, wherein the locking end is a cylindrical roller journaled for rotation about an axis parallel with, and above the top of the internal wall.

19. The passive device of claim 18, wherein the distance between the cylindrical roller and the top of the internal wall is less than the thickness of the ammunition belt when the ammunition lock is in the locked position.

20. A method of preventing unwanted movement of an ammunition belt in a loaded ammunition magazine for use in conjunction with a belt feed weapon, comprising:

providing an ammunition lock movable between a locked position in which a locking end is in close proximity to the top of a fixed locking surface, and an unlocked position in which the locking end is spaced apart from the top of the fixed locking surface; and

passively biasing the ammunition lock toward the locked position.

14. The passive locking device of claim 22, wherein the distance between the locking end of the locking member and the edge of the fixed locking surface in the locked position is less than the thickness of the ammunition belt, and wherein the distance between the locking end of the locking member and the edge of the fixed locking surface in the unlocked position is greater than the thickness of the ammunition belt.

15. The passive locking device of claim 14, wherein the locking surface is a divider wall inside the ammunition magazine, and wherein the locking member moves in a direction substantially perpendicular to the divider wall.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the ammunition lock is passively biased from the unlocked position toward the locked position with a spring.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the ammunition lock is slidable in a direction perpendicular to the locking surface.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein a portion of the ammunition belt is disposed between the locking end of the ammunition lock and the top of the locking surface.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the space between the locking end of the ammunition lock and the top of the locking surface is less than the thickness of the ammunition belt.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the locking end of the ammunition lock comprises a cylindrical roller disposed about an axis that is parallel to the top of the locking surface.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the locking surface is a crossover wall, and the ammunition lock prevents the ammunition belt from spilling out of a storage bay of the ammunition magazine and into a crossover bay at one end of the ammunition magazine.

27. A method of dispensing an ammunition belt from an ammunition magazine to a belt feed weapon, wherein the ammunition magazine comprises a first storage compartment extending between a first end wall of the magazine and a first internal wall, a second ammunition storage compartment adjacent the first storage compartment extending between the first end wall of the magazine and a second internal wall, the method comprising:

applying a continuous tension force to the dispensed end of the ammunition belt;

moving a second ammunition lock disposed about the second ammunition storage compartment to an unlocked position under the influence of the continuous tension force while a first ammunition lock disposed about the first ammunition storage compartment is in a locked position;

maintaining the second ammunition lock in the unlocked position while the ammunition belt is withdrawn from the second storage compartment;

returning the second ammunition lock to a locked position when the second storage compartment is completely unloaded;

moving the first ammunition lock to an unlocked position under the influence of the continuous tension force applied to the dispensed end of the ammunition belt; and

withdrawing the ammunition belt from the first compartment.