OT - Complicated Ammunition Magazines

[kato13]

I have a side project that I have been working on using "Guns, Guns, Guns" to produce next generation weapons.

Of course when anyone looks at such weapons the M41A Pulse rifle usually is something one might use as a touch stone.

I have been trying to do the math on how 99 10mmx24 (caseless) would fit in a mag and the pictures below seem to offer a possibility.




In order to make the "turn" in the "U" at the bottom, I am wondering if something more than a spring would be in use. Given the rounds are square I think a spring would not cut it.

I know the P90 mag (below) moves the ammo 90 degrees before firing.


And I was wondering if there were other real world examples if mechanical or electrical movement of rounds through a mag that I could use for inspiration.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

You should take a look at the HK 5.56mm 150-rd linkless magazine. However my (albeit limited) search found there's not a lot of other info available.
There is a patent info page here for a HK large capacity linkless mag but I couldn't see anything that specifically stated the patent was for the 5.56mm 150-rd mag. http://www.google.com/patents/US4930...page&q&f=false

And it might be worth examining the magazine technology of larger weapons such as those using a continuous chain to deliver rounds to the feed section.
For example, have a look at the following pdf for a linkless magazine for 30mm autocannon
http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2012armamen...14121hearn.pdf

[swaghauler]

Log on to Surefire's website and look at the 60 rnd and 100 rnd STANAG type high capacity mags. They are not reliable but are a good first start. They have a very complex multiple spring assembly that makes a "quad stack" possible. The Military Arms Channel did a piece in the 60 round SureFire and even takes it apart to show you the "spring-stack (for lack of a better term). There are a lot of good video's on the Military Arms Channel on Youtube (I really liked the Armor tests).

[swaghauler]

Are you sure that the Pulse Rifle wouldn't use the electrically ignited projectiles used by Metal Storm's system. Their propelling charges are much smaller (the same diameter as the bullet) and not typical of a normal firearm's explosive propellant. You can stack Metal Storm's "cartridges" nose to tail in the barrel and only ignite the lead round (leaving the others untouched). It IS currently in service with the US Navy as a point defense system. The system can also achieve a rate of fire of ONE MILLION ROUNDS PER MINUTE (this is NOT a typo) if you could muster that amount of ammo. You can see this weapon system reviewed on Future Weapons (now on the Military Channel). Eliminating the powder charge in your illustration (G11 ammo?) would allow you to put even more rounds in your magazine.

[swaghauler]

I know the Pulse Rifle is supposed to be a 10mm, but I question why. It would seem to make more sense that a future battle rifle would be chambered in a very small caliber with an exploding payload. A 4.5mm or 4.2mm round would easily be able to house 100 or even 150 rounds in a standard length magazine. It would be an exceptionally flat shooter (the .17 can easily reach 4000 fps) with a minimum range of at least 100 meters. With an explosive tip, damage could be between 3 and 5 dice. Its Penetration could be 1/2, 1/2, 1, and 1. This would be a deadly round. Combined with a Metal Storm like ignition system, it could have a "programable" Rate of fire. Just set your rate of fire from 1 to say 50 or even 100 per pull (press?) of the trigger. I would go so far as to say you could even configure it to use 2 SEPARATE magazines and selectively fire from either one. You could have normal ammo in mag #1 and say Depleted Uranium rounds in mag #2. Just press a button to switch.

[jester]

Just add a 20mm grenade launcher and an optional flame unit and you are talking about the weapon the Space Marines used in Aliens.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by swaghauler

Combined with a Metal Storm like ignition system, it could have a "programable" Rate of fire. Just set your rate of fire from 1 to say 50 or even 100 per pull (press?) of the trigger. I would go so far as to say you could even configure it to use 2 SEPARATE magazines and selectively fire from either one. You could have normal ammo in mag #1 and say Depleted Uranium rounds in mag #2. Just press a button to switch.

But the Metal Storm system doesn't use anything like a magazine. All the rounds are packed nose-to-tail in the barrel. So effectively the barrel and the magazine are the same thing. If you're talking about electrically-fired instead of impact primer-fired, sure, normal magazine tech applies.