763,630. Feeding ammunition to guns. VICKERS-ARMSTRONG ENGINEERS, Ltd. Feb. 25, 1955 [Feb. 28, 1954], No. 5788/54. Class 92. A magazine for an automatic gun has conveying means arranged intermittently to feed a plurality of rounds of ammunition at a time to a hopper 2, Fig. 11, whence they are fed one after another to the firing mechanism, the driving mechanism for the conveying means comprising two springs arranged to be strained by successive recoils of the gun as described below. In the construction shown the magazine 1 extends horizontally from the gun 3 and receives clips of four rounds 9 which rounds are fed to the hopper whence they are fed to the breach by pawls 6, 8, which are reciprocated vertically at the firing of each shot. At the four corners of the magazine, when viewed in plan, are vertical shafts around which pass upper and lower pairs of roller chains fitted with means for engaging the clips and the noses of the rounds 9. Two of the chains 16, 17, and one of the shafts 23 are visible in the underneath plan of the magazine shown in Fig. 4, which Figure also shows the drive between a pinion 48 and the shaft 23. The pinion 48 is driven intermittently by the action of the two springs in the following manner. Action.-When the first of a group of four rounds is fired the gun recoils and a lever 91, Figs. 4 and 7, is engaged by a recoiling part 3A and rocks about its pivot 94 through an angle of 60‹ to a position in which a roller 92 at its free end rides on the face 3B of the part 3A. The lever 91, by means of a pawl 97, carries with it a segment 95 also pivoted at 94 and the segment, by means of a chain 101 moves a sliding bar 102, see also Fig. 5, which takes with it, during this first recoil, a rack 103. This rack meshes with teeth on an arbor 53 secured to a shaft 52, and movement of the rack thereby serves to stress the first, 54, of the two springs and to rotate a lever 60, Fig. 6, secured to the shaft. The lever is connected to a toggle link mechanism 73, 74, 76 serving to lock the shaft in the rotated position thus holding the spring 54 stressed. In the meantime the pawl 97 on lever 91 has been moved by encountering a hook 100, and the lever and segment 95 have been returned, under the action of springs, to the initial position. The bar 102 is provided with means, Fig. 9 (not shown) whereby on the second recoil it carries with it another rack 104 meshing with an arbor 55 carrying the second spring 56, this arbor being freely mounted on the shaft 52 and carrying a lever 59 which is rotated until a bent 71 thereon is engaged by a pawl 70 on the previously rotated lever 60 ; both of the two springs are thereby held in the stressed condition. During this second recoil a cam surface 124, Fig. 7, on the rack 104 has actuated a lever 126 in such manner as to engage a bent 129 of lever 91, thus holding the latter in a position in which it merely rides on the surface 3B during the succeeding recoils. The hook 100 has, however, engaged the pawl 97 to allow the segment 95 and bar 102 to return to their original positions. As shown in Fig. 11 the rounds in the hopper are engaged by a lever 131. When the uppermost round is clear of the lever the latter pivots under the action of a spring and the shaft 132 on which it is mounted drives by means of levers and rods, Fig. 3 (not shown), a shaft 140, Fig. 4, causing translation of a rod 145 which rocks shaft 147, Fig. 6, carrying a lever 83. Such movement of the lever first serves to disengage a pawl from locking engagement with a bent 84 in the link 76 of the toggle mechanism and subsequently, when a pin thereon reaches the end of a slot 82 in a lever 81 pivoted at 75 to the toggle mechanism, moves the latter to free the shaft 52. The springs 54, 56, now come into action and the shaft 52 rotates to drive the bevel pinions 48, 46, Fig. 4, thus advancing the clips of ammunition in the magazine to position a fresh clip above the hopper. The rounds in the hopper are urged downwards by spring-urged arms 150, Fig. 11, pivotally mounted on lugs depending from a sleeve 149 on a bar 148, there being a hand lever on the sleeve for swinging the arms clear of the rounds when the hopper is to be unloaded. For moving the conveyer by hand, a hand lever is provided, this lever having a yoke 161, Fig. 4, which can be set in an inoperative position, or in either of two other positions for engaging a ratchet wheel 159 to rotate a shaft 156 in one direction or the other. The shaft carries a gear 157 meshing with a gear 158 on the shaft 24 of the conveyer drive. Reference has been directed by the Comptroller to Specification 740,151.