US20110094137A1 - Plastic magazines for use with firearms - Google Patents
Plastic magazines for use with firearms Download PDFInfo
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- US20110094137A1 US20110094137A1 US12/283,519 US28351908A US2011094137A1 US 20110094137 A1 US20110094137 A1 US 20110094137A1 US 28351908 A US28351908 A US 28351908A US 2011094137 A1 US2011094137 A1 US 2011094137A1
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- Prior art keywords
- canceled
- front wall
- magazine
- plastic
- magazines
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F41—WEAPONS
- F41A—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS COMMON TO BOTH SMALLARMS AND ORDNANCE, e.g. CANNONS; MOUNTINGS FOR SMALLARMS OR ORDNANCE
- F41A9/00—Feeding or loading of ammunition; Magazines; Guiding means for the extracting of cartridges
- F41A9/61—Magazines
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F41—WEAPONS
- F41A—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS COMMON TO BOTH SMALLARMS AND ORDNANCE, e.g. CANNONS; MOUNTINGS FOR SMALLARMS OR ORDNANCE
- F41A9/00—Feeding or loading of ammunition; Magazines; Guiding means for the extracting of cartridges
- F41A9/61—Magazines
- F41A9/64—Magazines for unbelted ammunition
- F41A9/65—Box magazines having a cartridge follower
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F41—WEAPONS
- F41A—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS COMMON TO BOTH SMALLARMS AND ORDNANCE, e.g. CANNONS; MOUNTINGS FOR SMALLARMS OR ORDNANCE
- F41A9/00—Feeding or loading of ammunition; Magazines; Guiding means for the extracting of cartridges
- F41A9/61—Magazines
- F41A9/64—Magazines for unbelted ammunition
- F41A9/65—Box magazines having a cartridge follower
- F41A9/69—Box magazines having a cartridge follower characterised by multiple-row or zigzag arrangement of cartridges
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F41—WEAPONS
- F41A—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS COMMON TO BOTH SMALLARMS AND ORDNANCE, e.g. CANNONS; MOUNTINGS FOR SMALLARMS OR ORDNANCE
- F41A9/00—Feeding or loading of ammunition; Magazines; Guiding means for the extracting of cartridges
- F41A9/61—Magazines
- F41A9/64—Magazines for unbelted ammunition
- F41A9/65—Box magazines having a cartridge follower
- F41A9/70—Arrangements thereon for discharging, e.g. cartridge followers or discharge throats
Definitions
- This patent relates generally to plastic magazines and, more specifically, to plastic magazines for use with firearms.
- magazines are used with various types of firearms. Typically, all magazines include sidewalls that guide the cartridges as well as prevent the cartridges from falling out of the magazine. Some magazines such as box magazines and drum magazines have been made of plastic. However, other types of magazines, such as pan magazines that may be used in connection with Lewis machine guns, may also be made of plastic.
- plastic magazines have become popular for use with semiautomatic rifles, in part, because of their favorable price and high reliability.
- sheet metal magazines Prior to the rise in popularity of plastic magazines, sheet metal magazines were commonly used. However, as a result of an impact, sheet metal magazines have a tendency to dent, which may not be readily detectable to marksmen and, thus, the marksmen may not identify this defect.
- sheet metal magazines instead of denting from an impact, the elasticity of plastic enables most dents to pop out of plastic magazines and, thus, the plastic magazine is again in its substantially original form. Alternatively, plastic magazines may break from an impact, which makes the defect readily apparent to the marksmen.
- plastic magazines such as described in EP 0 154 356 A2
- an intermediate layer is injected into and/or added onto an upper part of sidewalls to strengthen the lip of the magazine and to ensure that the size of the lip corresponds to a slot of a receiver of the firearm.
- a piece of sheet metal forms a lip of a magazine by coupling the sheet metal to the top of the magazine's body.
- plastic magazines Some difficulties were encountered when plastic magazines were initially experimented on for use with, for example, the 1947 Kalashnikov rifle, because sand or other derby would enter and jam the feed mechanism and the cartridges within the magazine.
- modern plastic magazines eliminate at least some of the problems encountered during these early experiments with plastic magazines.
- Modern plastic magazines are in fact as reliable as sheet metal magazines, but, in some instances, are firmer, lighter and more moldable.
- Some firearms are configured to use 7.62 ⁇ 51 mm cartridges (e.g., a NATO round) that are each slightly tapered and, thus, the front edge of a stack of these cartridges is also tapered.
- Some magazines used with NATO rounds are curved.
- sheet metal magazines have straight sides because curved sheet metal magazines are significantly more expensive to produce and may pose issues associated with production defects.
- curved plastic magazines may be produced for use with NATO rounds that are more reliable and less expensive to manufacture.
- plastic magazines are relatively thicker than the walls of sheet metal magazines. While the relatively thicker walls of plastic magazines do not effect a staggered zigzag arrangement of cartridges within the magazine, the relatively thicker walls do increase the plastic magazine's width.
- the plastic magazine's width is associated with the thickness of the walls and the necessary space between a tip of a cartridge and the front side of the magazine. The space between a tip of a cartridge and the front side of the magazine substantially prevents the cartridges from jamming.
- the size difference between plastic magazines and sheet metal magazines leads to incompatibilities between plastic magazines and rifles manufactured solely for use with sheet metal magazines.
- the G3 rifle which began production in the 1950's. As with all firearms manufactured during this era, the G3 rifle was manufactured for use with sheet metal magazines, as plastic magazines were not a feasible production option at the time. As such, the dimensions of the slot of the receiver of the G3 rifle corresponds to the dimensions of a sheet metal magazine and not the dimensions of a plastic magazine, even though both the sheet metal magazine and the plastic magazine are sized to hold the same size cartridge (e.g., NATO cartridges). While the G3 rifle began production decades ago, the G3 rifle, as with other such rifles, is still widely used throughout the world.
- FIG. 1 depicts a plate to protect a first sidewall of an example magazine for use with firearms.
- FIG. 2 depicts a top view of the example magazine.
- FIG. 3 depicts a partial cross-sectional side view of the example magazine and the plate positioned adjacent the first sidewall of the magazine.
- FIG. 4 depicts another view of the example magazine.
- a magazine is attached substantially vertically into a slot on the bottom of the firearm.
- the magazine may be in a different position relative to the firearm such as, for example, the Bren machine gun in which a magazine is attached substantially vertically into a slot on the top of the firearm or the Sten submachine gun in which a magazine is attached substantially horizontally into a slot on the side of the firearm.
- the methods and apparatus described herein are associated with magazines (e.g., box magazines) for use with firearms such as rifles (e.g., obsolete rifles) that substantially eliminates problems encountered with known plastic magazines.
- the methods and apparatus described herein are associated with plastic magazines for use with rifles that were manufactured for use with sheet metal magazines.
- plastic magazines due to the material properties of plastic, plastic magazines have thicker walls than sheet metal magazines that are configured to hold the same size cartridges (e.g., NATO cartridges, 7.62 ⁇ 51 mm cartridges) and, thus, there is less space between the tip of the cartridge and the front side of the magazine.
- known plastic magazines typically maximize the effective internal dimensions of the magazine to maintain an adequate distance between the tip of the cartridge and the front side of the magazine.
- the methods and apparatus described herein actually decrease the effective internal dimensions of the plastic magazine by inserting a plate within a chamber into which the cartridges are positioned.
- the methods and apparatus described herein eliminate issues encountered with known plastic magazines and are compatible with rifles manufactured for use with sheet metal magazines.
- the example methods and apparatus described herein substantially prevent cartridges from carving grooves within a front face of plastic magazines as the cartridges move within the magazine. If the grooves were to form, the cartridges may become jammed and/or the firearm may malfunction.
- the plastic magazines have a plurality of sidewalls along which cartridges move while the firearm is reloading. At least one of the sidewalls has a metal coating that faces the cartridges positioned within the magazine.
- FIG. 4 depicts a plastic magazine 400 (e.g., a plastic box magazine) having a body 1 (e.g., a plastic body) that is provided with a plurality of ribs 11 (e.g., a first rib and a second rib) and a groove 402 that corresponds to a plate 5 .
- the plate 5 e.g., a metal plate, a leaf spring, a steel spring sheet metal plate
- the plate 5 is positioned within the groove 402 and is substantially parallel to a first surface 302 ( FIG. 3 ) of a front wall 3 (e.g., a first sidewall) of the plastic magazine 400 .
- the plate 5 has a lip 7 that at least partially covers and protects a second surface 304 ( FIG. 3 ) on an end 306 ( FIG. 3 ) of the front wall 3 that, in some examples, is substantially perpendicular to the first surface 302 ( FIG. 3 ).
- the lip 7 is best depicted in FIG. 1 .
- the plurality of ribs 11 are positioned on interior surfaces 202 and 204 of the body 1 .
- the plate 5 is inserted from above into the groove 402 defined by the body 1 between the plurality of ribs 11 and the first surface 302 ( FIG. 3 ) of the front wall 3 .
- a clip 9 (e.g., a spring strip) is defined by the plate 5 adjacent an end 102 of the plate 5 .
- the clip 9 is manufactured by removing a piece of metal (not shown) bordering the clip 9 from the plate 5 and the clip 9 is then bent such that the clip 9 is positioned towards the first face 302 once the plate 5 is positioned within the body 1 .
- the angle of the bend of the clip 9 transitions into the plate 5 adjacent the end 102 .
- the plate 5 is inserted into the groove 402 of the body 1 , which at least partially deforms the clip 9 to be substantially flush with the plate 5 .
- the clip 9 expands within the recess 13 toward the first surface 302 to position (e.g., substantially lock) the plate 5 within the body 1 .
- the spring (not shown) and the feeding mechanism (not shown) may then be installed into the body 1 of the plastic magazine 400 .
- At least the first surface 320 of the front wall 3 is covered with a metal coatings and/or the plate 5 .
- the interior surfaces 202 and/or 204 and/or an interior surface 206 may also be provided with a metal coating and/or plate (not shown) that is substantially similar to the plate 5 .
- the insertion of the plate 5 into the groove 402 actually decreases the size and/or volume of a chamber 208 into which the cartridges are positioned.
- the methods and apparatus described herein are different from any known plastic magazines, because the problems associated with cartridges jamming within known plastic magazines are attributed to an available internal length 210 being sufficient to hold a particular size cartridge while maintaining a space between a tip of a cartridge and the front wall 3 .
- decreasing the available internal length 210 by inserting the plate 5 into the chamber 208 should only magnify the frequency with which cartridges jam within the magazine.
- inserting the plate 5 decreases the available internal length 210 of the chamber 208 it also eliminates malfunctions associated with known plastic magazines. This unexpected phenomenon has been corroborated by tests and studies.
- the interior surfaces 202 , 204 and 206 and the first surface 302 are all provided with a plate and/or a metal coating.
- the first surface 302 of the front wall 3 e.g., the sidewall facing the direction of fire
- the plate 5 may be relatively thicker and more effective than if the interior surface 206 was also provided with a plate and/or a metal coating.
- pointed military projectiles e.g., NATO rounds or other size cartridges
- pointed military projectiles primarily damage the front wall 3 of plastic magazines and, therefore, providing the plastic magazine 400 with the plate 5 that only covers the front wall 3 prevents a majority of the damage attributed to these projectiles.
- the first surface 302 may be coated using electrochemical means. However, preferably, the first surface 302 is covered by the plate 5 .
- the plate 5 may be manufactured, processed and/or fabricated separately from the plastic magazine 400 .
- the plate 5 may be hardened, bonderized and/or phosphated, which are processes that are often not possible using electrochemical applications. Additionally, the plate 5 may be made of a particularly well suited alloy(s) that may not be applied or whose application may be problematic using electrochemical processes.
- the plate 5 may comprise a steel material, a sheet metal material, a leaf spring or any other suitable material.
- the plate 5 may comprise an iron-carbon mixture that cannot be electrochemically applied.
- the plate 5 may comprise a thin steel plate because of its ability to absorb impacts without marking and its resilience to enable the plate 5 to spring back to its substantially original form after a force applied by, for example, a cartridge, is removed.
- the plate 5 may be glued and/or coupled to the first surface 302 by any suitable means.
- the plastic magazine 400 is provided with the plurality of ribs 11 and the groove 402 into which the plate 5 is inserted.
- the plurality of ribs 11 may be constructed and/or formed on the interior surfaces 202 and 204 because the plurality of ribs 11 do not substantially interfere with and/or impede the movement of the cartridges within the plastic magazine 400 .
- the plurality of ribs 11 may be constructed on the interior surfaces 202 and 204 because a cross-section of the plastic magazine 400 (e.g., a plastic box magazine) is substantially rectangular and the cartridges have a slightly tapered tip.
- the flexibility and/or resilience of the plate 5 enables the plate 5 to be effortlessly inserted into the groove 402 even if the front wall 3 is curved as is the case with some magazines that are configured for use with rimmed cartridges or cartridges with tapered casings.
- the plate 5 may be pressed into the groove 402 from the inside of the chamber 208 .
- pressing the plate 5 into the groove 402 may be difficult because the plastic magazine 400 is extruded as a single piece.
- the groove 402 has an opening 212 that is adjacent an opening 214 of the chamber 208 .
- the openings 212 and 214 enable the plate 5 to be inserted through the openings 212 and 214 and into the groove 402 (e.g., on the top side of a conventional box magazine).
- the plate 5 is coupled to the first surface 302 by a fastener and/or a rivet.
- the front wall 3 defines the recess 13 that corresponds to the clip 9 of the plate 5 .
- the engagement between the clip 9 and the recess 13 substantially prevents the plate 5 from accidently being removed and/or falling out of the plastic magazine 400 .
- the engagement between the clip 9 and the recess 13 positions, secures and/or locks the plate 5 within the groove 402 .
- the plate 5 is inserted into the groove 402 until the clip 9 is adjacent to and expands into the recess 13 .
- the clip 9 and recess 13 substantially form a single part and/or unit as if they were permanently coupled to one another.
- the plate 5 does not include the lip 7 .
- the plate 5 has the lip 7 to cover and/or protect the second surface 304 of the front wall 3 .
- the front wall 3 may be thinner than would be possible without the presence of the plate 5 .
- a curvature and/or resilience of the plate 5 at least partially aids the feed mechanism in delivering the cartridges to the firearm.
Abstract
Description
- This patent is a continuation of International Patent Application Serial No.-PCT/EP2007/002020, filed Mar. 8, 2007, which claims priority to German Patent Application 10 2006 011 278.4, filed on Mar. 10, 2006, both of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
- This patent relates generally to plastic magazines and, more specifically, to plastic magazines for use with firearms.
- Different styles and types of magazines are used with various types of firearms. Typically, all magazines include sidewalls that guide the cartridges as well as prevent the cartridges from falling out of the magazine. Some magazines such as box magazines and drum magazines have been made of plastic. However, other types of magazines, such as pan magazines that may be used in connection with Lewis machine guns, may also be made of plastic.
- In recent years, plastic magazines have become popular for use with semiautomatic rifles, in part, because of their favorable price and high reliability. Prior to the rise in popularity of plastic magazines, sheet metal magazines were commonly used. However, as a result of an impact, sheet metal magazines have a tendency to dent, which may not be readily detectable to marksmen and, thus, the marksmen may not identify this defect. In contrast to sheet metal magazines, instead of denting from an impact, the elasticity of plastic enables most dents to pop out of plastic magazines and, thus, the plastic magazine is again in its substantially original form. Alternatively, plastic magazines may break from an impact, which makes the defect readily apparent to the marksmen.
- In some example plastic magazines, such as described in EP 0 154 356 A2, an intermediate layer is injected into and/or added onto an upper part of sidewalls to strengthen the lip of the magazine and to ensure that the size of the lip corresponds to a slot of a receiver of the firearm. In other examples, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,383,790, a piece of sheet metal forms a lip of a magazine by coupling the sheet metal to the top of the magazine's body.
- Some difficulties were encountered when plastic magazines were initially experimented on for use with, for example, the 1947 Kalashnikov rifle, because sand or other derby would enter and jam the feed mechanism and the cartridges within the magazine. However, modern plastic magazines eliminate at least some of the problems encountered during these early experiments with plastic magazines. Modern plastic magazines are in fact as reliable as sheet metal magazines, but, in some instances, are firmer, lighter and more moldable.
- Some firearms are configured to use 7.62×51 mm cartridges (e.g., a NATO round) that are each slightly tapered and, thus, the front edge of a stack of these cartridges is also tapered. Some magazines used with NATO rounds are curved. However, sheet metal magazines have straight sides because curved sheet metal magazines are significantly more expensive to produce and may pose issues associated with production defects. In contrast, curved plastic magazines may be produced for use with NATO rounds that are more reliable and less expensive to manufacture.
- Some rifles such as, older rifles, were manufactured solely for use with sheet metal magazines. However, in recent years, attempts have been made to manufacture plastic magazines for use with these rifles. In developing plastic magazines, the dimensions of the corresponding sheet metal magazines have to be kept in mind. However, because of the material properties of plastic, the walls of plastic magazines are relatively thicker than the walls of sheet metal magazines. While the relatively thicker walls of plastic magazines do not effect a staggered zigzag arrangement of cartridges within the magazine, the relatively thicker walls do increase the plastic magazine's width. In particular, the plastic magazine's width is associated with the thickness of the walls and the necessary space between a tip of a cartridge and the front side of the magazine. The space between a tip of a cartridge and the front side of the magazine substantially prevents the cartridges from jamming. The size difference between plastic magazines and sheet metal magazines leads to incompatibilities between plastic magazines and rifles manufactured solely for use with sheet metal magazines.
- One such rifle is the G3 rifle, which began production in the 1950's. As with all firearms manufactured during this era, the G3 rifle was manufactured for use with sheet metal magazines, as plastic magazines were not a feasible production option at the time. As such, the dimensions of the slot of the receiver of the G3 rifle corresponds to the dimensions of a sheet metal magazine and not the dimensions of a plastic magazine, even though both the sheet metal magazine and the plastic magazine are sized to hold the same size cartridge (e.g., NATO cartridges). While the G3 rifle began production decades ago, the G3 rifle, as with other such rifles, is still widely used throughout the world. Therefore, there is a demand by owners' (e.g., armies that use these rifles) of these rifles to update or replace components on their rifles such as, for example, replacing sheet metal magazines with more cost efficient and reliable plastic magazines. However, while there is a demand for replacement plastic magazines, plastic magazines are thicker and the dimensions of the magazine receiver in the weapon does not change, so there is less room in the magazine for conventional NATO rounds. While known plastic magazines may be configured to hold smaller rounds, which would enable the size of known plastic magazines to be compatible with a G3 rifle, it is extremely unlikely that an army affiliated with NATO supplies would agree to use cartridges that are, for example, a half millimeter shorter than a NATO round (e.g., not a NATO round).
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FIG. 1 depicts a plate to protect a first sidewall of an example magazine for use with firearms. -
FIG. 2 depicts a top view of the example magazine. -
FIG. 3 depicts a partial cross-sectional side view of the example magazine and the plate positioned adjacent the first sidewall of the magazine. -
FIG. 4 depicts another view of the example magazine. - Certain examples are shown in the above-identified figures and described in detail below. In describing these examples, like or identical reference numbers are used to identify the same or similar elements. The figures are not necessarily to scale and certain features and certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated in scale or in schematic for clarity. Additionally, several examples have been described throughout this specification. Any features from any example may be included with, a replacement for, or otherwise combined with other features from other examples. Further, throughout this description, position designations such as “above,” “below,” “top,” “forward,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” etc. are referenced to a firearm held in a normal firing position (i.e., wherein the “shooting direction” is pointed away from the marksman in a generally horizontal direction) and from the point of view of the marksman. Furthermore, the normal firing position of the weapon is always assumed, i.e., the position in which the barrel runs along a horizontal axis. In some examples, a magazine is attached substantially vertically into a slot on the bottom of the firearm. However, in other examples, the magazine may be in a different position relative to the firearm such as, for example, the Bren machine gun in which a magazine is attached substantially vertically into a slot on the top of the firearm or the Sten submachine gun in which a magazine is attached substantially horizontally into a slot on the side of the firearm.
- The methods and apparatus described herein are associated with magazines (e.g., box magazines) for use with firearms such as rifles (e.g., obsolete rifles) that substantially eliminates problems encountered with known plastic magazines. In particular, the methods and apparatus described herein are associated with plastic magazines for use with rifles that were manufactured for use with sheet metal magazines. As described above, due to the material properties of plastic, plastic magazines have thicker walls than sheet metal magazines that are configured to hold the same size cartridges (e.g., NATO cartridges, 7.62×51 mm cartridges) and, thus, there is less space between the tip of the cartridge and the front side of the magazine. To compensate for the thicker walls, known plastic magazines typically maximize the effective internal dimensions of the magazine to maintain an adequate distance between the tip of the cartridge and the front side of the magazine. In stark contrast to known plastic magazines, the methods and apparatus described herein actually decrease the effective internal dimensions of the plastic magazine by inserting a plate within a chamber into which the cartridges are positioned. Surprisingly, while the example methods and apparatus decrease the effective internal dimensions of the plastic magazine, the methods and apparatus described herein eliminate issues encountered with known plastic magazines and are compatible with rifles manufactured for use with sheet metal magazines. Specifically, the example methods and apparatus described herein substantially prevent cartridges from carving grooves within a front face of plastic magazines as the cartridges move within the magazine. If the grooves were to form, the cartridges may become jammed and/or the firearm may malfunction.
- In some examples, the plastic magazines have a plurality of sidewalls along which cartridges move while the firearm is reloading. At least one of the sidewalls has a metal coating that faces the cartridges positioned within the magazine.
- Turning initially to
FIG. 4 ,FIG. 4 depicts a plastic magazine 400 (e.g., a plastic box magazine) having a body 1 (e.g., a plastic body) that is provided with a plurality of ribs 11 (e.g., a first rib and a second rib) and agroove 402 that corresponds to aplate 5. In practice, the plate 5 (e.g., a metal plate, a leaf spring, a steel spring sheet metal plate) is positioned within thegroove 402 and is substantially parallel to a first surface 302 (FIG. 3 ) of a front wall 3 (e.g., a first sidewall) of theplastic magazine 400. Theplate 5 has a lip 7 that at least partially covers and protects a second surface 304 (FIG. 3 ) on an end 306 (FIG. 3 ) of thefront wall 3 that, in some examples, is substantially perpendicular to the first surface 302 (FIG. 3 ). The lip 7 is best depicted inFIG. 1 . - Turning to
FIG. 2 , the plurality ofribs 11 are positioned oninterior surfaces body 1. Theplate 5 is inserted from above into thegroove 402 defined by thebody 1 between the plurality ofribs 11 and the first surface 302 (FIG. 3 ) of thefront wall 3. - Turning to
FIG. 1 , a clip 9 (e.g., a spring strip) is defined by theplate 5 adjacent anend 102 of theplate 5. Specifically, theclip 9 is manufactured by removing a piece of metal (not shown) bordering theclip 9 from theplate 5 and theclip 9 is then bent such that theclip 9 is positioned towards thefirst face 302 once theplate 5 is positioned within thebody 1. The angle of the bend of theclip 9 transitions into theplate 5 adjacent theend 102. - Turning to
FIG. 3 , in practice, to assembly theplastic magazine 400, theplate 5 is inserted into thegroove 402 of thebody 1, which at least partially deforms theclip 9 to be substantially flush with theplate 5. Once theclip 9 is adjacent arecess 13 defined by thebody 1, theclip 9 expands within therecess 13 toward thefirst surface 302 to position (e.g., substantially lock) theplate 5 within thebody 1. The spring (not shown) and the feeding mechanism (not shown) may then be installed into thebody 1 of theplastic magazine 400. - At least the first surface 320 of the
front wall 3 is covered with a metal coatings and/or theplate 5. However, in other examples, theinterior surfaces 202 and/or 204 and/or aninterior surface 206 may also be provided with a metal coating and/or plate (not shown) that is substantially similar to theplate 5. - The insertion of the
plate 5 into thegroove 402 actually decreases the size and/or volume of achamber 208 into which the cartridges are positioned. The methods and apparatus described herein are different from any known plastic magazines, because the problems associated with cartridges jamming within known plastic magazines are attributed to an availableinternal length 210 being sufficient to hold a particular size cartridge while maintaining a space between a tip of a cartridge and thefront wall 3. Following this logic, decreasing the availableinternal length 210 by inserting theplate 5 into thechamber 208 should only magnify the frequency with which cartridges jam within the magazine. However, surprisingly, while inserting theplate 5 decreases the availableinternal length 210 of thechamber 208 it also eliminates malfunctions associated with known plastic magazines. This unexpected phenomenon has been corroborated by tests and studies. The tests and studies have indicated that firing a firearm causes cartridges within theplastic magazine 400 to move, which as a result of the availableinternal length 210, causes tips (not shown) of the cartridges to engage a surface 308 of theplate 5. The hardness and/or resilience of theplate 5 prevent the tips of the cartridges from carving grooves within thefront wall 3. These grooves may be associated with cartridges jamming within known plastic magazines. - In some examples, the
interior surfaces first surface 302 are all provided with a plate and/or a metal coating. However, preferably, thefirst surface 302 of the front wall 3 (e.g., the sidewall facing the direction of fire) is the only sidewall that is covered with a plate and/or metal coating and, thus, theplate 5 may be relatively thicker and more effective than if theinterior surface 206 was also provided with a plate and/or a metal coating. In practice, pointed military projectiles (e.g., NATO rounds or other size cartridges) primarily damage thefront wall 3 of plastic magazines and, therefore, providing theplastic magazine 400 with theplate 5 that only covers thefront wall 3 prevents a majority of the damage attributed to these projectiles. - In some examples, the
first surface 302 may be coated using electrochemical means. However, preferably, thefirst surface 302 is covered by theplate 5. In some examples, theplate 5 may be manufactured, processed and/or fabricated separately from theplastic magazine 400. Theplate 5 may be hardened, bonderized and/or phosphated, which are processes that are often not possible using electrochemical applications. Additionally, theplate 5 may be made of a particularly well suited alloy(s) that may not be applied or whose application may be problematic using electrochemical processes. - In some example implementations, the
plate 5 may comprise a steel material, a sheet metal material, a leaf spring or any other suitable material. In other examples, theplate 5 may comprise an iron-carbon mixture that cannot be electrochemically applied. However, preferably, theplate 5 may comprise a thin steel plate because of its ability to absorb impacts without marking and its resilience to enable theplate 5 to spring back to its substantially original form after a force applied by, for example, a cartridge, is removed. - In some example implementations, the
plate 5 may be glued and/or coupled to thefirst surface 302 by any suitable means. However, preferably, theplastic magazine 400 is provided with the plurality ofribs 11 and thegroove 402 into which theplate 5 is inserted. The plurality ofribs 11 may be constructed and/or formed on theinterior surfaces ribs 11 do not substantially interfere with and/or impede the movement of the cartridges within theplastic magazine 400. Specifically, the plurality ofribs 11 may be constructed on theinterior surfaces plate 5 enables theplate 5 to be effortlessly inserted into thegroove 402 even if thefront wall 3 is curved as is the case with some magazines that are configured for use with rimmed cartridges or cartridges with tapered casings. - In other example implementations, the
plate 5 may be pressed into thegroove 402 from the inside of thechamber 208. However, pressing theplate 5 into thegroove 402 may be difficult because theplastic magazine 400 is extruded as a single piece. As depicted byFIGS. 2 and 4 , thegroove 402 has anopening 212 that is adjacent anopening 214 of thechamber 208. Theopenings plate 5 to be inserted through theopenings - In other examples, the
plate 5 is coupled to thefirst surface 302 by a fastener and/or a rivet. However, in the example depicted byFIG. 3 , thefront wall 3 defines therecess 13 that corresponds to theclip 9 of theplate 5. The engagement between theclip 9 and therecess 13 substantially prevents theplate 5 from accidently being removed and/or falling out of theplastic magazine 400. Specifically, the engagement between theclip 9 and therecess 13 positions, secures and/or locks theplate 5 within thegroove 402. To properly position theclip 9 relative to therecess 13, theplate 5 is inserted into thegroove 402 until theclip 9 is adjacent to and expands into therecess 13. Once theclip 9 engages therecess 13, theclip 9 andrecess 13 substantially form a single part and/or unit as if they were permanently coupled to one another. - In some examples, the
plate 5 does not include the lip 7. However, preferably, theplate 5 has the lip 7 to cover and/or protect thesecond surface 304 of thefront wall 3. As a result, thefront wall 3 may be thinner than would be possible without the presence of theplate 5. Additionally, a curvature and/or resilience of theplate 5 at least partially aids the feed mechanism in delivering the cartridges to the firearm. - Although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.
Claims (21)
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
DE102006011278 | 2006-03-10 | ||
DE102006011278.4 | 2006-03-10 | ||
DE102006011278A DE102006011278B4 (en) | 2006-03-10 | 2006-03-10 | Plastic magazine |
PCT/EP2007/002020 WO2007104473A1 (en) | 2006-03-10 | 2007-03-08 | Plastic magazine |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP2007/002020 Continuation WO2007104473A1 (en) | 2006-03-10 | 2007-03-08 | Plastic magazine |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20110094137A1 true US20110094137A1 (en) | 2011-04-28 |
US7937872B1 US7937872B1 (en) | 2011-05-10 |
Family
ID=38157813
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/283,519 Expired - Fee Related US7937872B1 (en) | 2006-03-10 | 2008-09-12 | Plastic magazines for use with firearms |
Country Status (8)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US7937872B1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1994355B1 (en) |
KR (1) | KR101154114B1 (en) |
AT (1) | ATE476633T1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2643978C (en) |
DE (2) | DE102006011278B4 (en) |
ES (1) | ES2349339T3 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2007104473A1 (en) |
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US20160209140A1 (en) * | 2015-01-16 | 2016-07-21 | Emery E. Toth | Rifle Magazine |
US20160282071A1 (en) * | 2013-12-19 | 2016-09-29 | Lancer Systems L.P. | Hybrid magazine for a firearm |
US10337809B2 (en) * | 2017-07-24 | 2019-07-02 | Aai Corporation | Magazine for cased telescoped ammunition cartridges with side-walls having cartridge orientation ribs |
US10634469B2 (en) | 2017-07-24 | 2020-04-28 | Aai Corporation | Cased telescoped ammunition cartridge having a thermal protective insert |
US20220307784A1 (en) * | 2021-03-26 | 2022-09-29 | Strike Industries | Firearm magazine |
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USD804603S1 (en) | 2016-01-15 | 2017-12-05 | Magpul Industries Corp. | Magazine |
US10317153B2 (en) | 2016-07-11 | 2019-06-11 | Sagi Faifer | Apparatus and method for increasing capacity of an ammunition magazine |
US10488136B2 (en) | 2016-09-23 | 2019-11-26 | ArmWest, LLC | Selective fire firearm systems and methods |
USD821533S1 (en) | 2016-12-19 | 2018-06-26 | Magpul Industries Corp. | Magazine |
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DE102017010908A1 (en) | 2017-11-24 | 2019-05-29 | Heckler & Koch Gmbh | Magazine and magazine bottom and self-loading firearm with such a magazine |
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- 2007-03-08 CA CA2643978A patent/CA2643978C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2007-03-08 KR KR1020087022042A patent/KR101154114B1/en active IP Right Grant
- 2007-03-08 ES ES07723113T patent/ES2349339T3/en active Active
- 2007-03-08 EP EP07723113A patent/EP1994355B1/en active Active
- 2007-03-08 DE DE502007004643T patent/DE502007004643D1/en active Active
- 2007-03-08 WO PCT/EP2007/002020 patent/WO2007104473A1/en active Application Filing
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Cited By (14)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US20170097202A1 (en) * | 2012-01-17 | 2017-04-06 | Magpul Industries Corp. | Ammunition Magazine |
US20130180146A1 (en) * | 2012-01-17 | 2013-07-18 | Magpul Industries Corp. | Ammunition Magazine |
US9347720B2 (en) * | 2012-01-17 | 2016-05-24 | Magpul Industries, Corp. | Ammunition magazine |
US9389036B2 (en) * | 2012-01-17 | 2016-07-12 | Magpul Industries Corp. | Ammunition magazine |
US9915487B2 (en) * | 2012-01-17 | 2018-03-13 | Magpul Industries Corp. | Ammunition magazine |
CN110017724A (en) * | 2012-01-17 | 2019-07-16 | 麦格普工业公司 | Ammunition casket |
CN104380029A (en) * | 2012-01-17 | 2015-02-25 | 麦格普工业公司 | Ammunition magazine |
US10066886B2 (en) * | 2013-12-19 | 2018-09-04 | Lancer Systems L.P. | Hybrid magazine for a firearm |
US20160282071A1 (en) * | 2013-12-19 | 2016-09-29 | Lancer Systems L.P. | Hybrid magazine for a firearm |
US20160209140A1 (en) * | 2015-01-16 | 2016-07-21 | Emery E. Toth | Rifle Magazine |
US10337809B2 (en) * | 2017-07-24 | 2019-07-02 | Aai Corporation | Magazine for cased telescoped ammunition cartridges with side-walls having cartridge orientation ribs |
US10634469B2 (en) | 2017-07-24 | 2020-04-28 | Aai Corporation | Cased telescoped ammunition cartridge having a thermal protective insert |
US10935353B2 (en) | 2017-07-24 | 2021-03-02 | Textron Systems Corporation | Magazine with a moveable lip for cased telescoped ammunition cartridges |
US20220307784A1 (en) * | 2021-03-26 | 2022-09-29 | Strike Industries | Firearm magazine |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
KR20080113207A (en) | 2008-12-29 |
EP1994355A1 (en) | 2008-11-26 |
ATE476633T1 (en) | 2010-08-15 |
KR101154114B1 (en) | 2012-06-11 |
ES2349339T3 (en) | 2010-12-30 |
DE502007004643D1 (en) | 2010-09-16 |
WO2007104473A1 (en) | 2007-09-20 |
EP1994355B1 (en) | 2010-08-04 |
CA2643978A1 (en) | 2007-09-20 |
DE102006011278B4 (en) | 2008-01-03 |
CA2643978C (en) | 2010-09-28 |
US7937872B1 (en) | 2011-05-10 |
DE102006011278A1 (en) | 2007-09-13 |
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