US3429220A - Small arms ammunition belt - Google Patents

Small arms ammunition belt Download PDF

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Publication number
US3429220A
US3429220A US584823A US3429220DA US3429220A US 3429220 A US3429220 A US 3429220A US 584823 A US584823 A US 584823A US 3429220D A US3429220D A US 3429220DA US 3429220 A US3429220 A US 3429220A
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United States
Prior art keywords
belt
ammunition
pockets
ammunition belt
weapon
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
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US584823A
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English (en)
Inventor
Basil Wanless Kelley Goode
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Individual
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Individual
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Publication of US3429220A publication Critical patent/US3429220A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
    • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
    • F42B39/00—Packaging or storage of ammunition or explosive charges; Safety features thereof; Cartridge belts or bags
    • F42B39/08—Cartridge belts
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10S102/00—Ammunition and explosives
    • Y10S102/70—Combustilbe cartridge

Definitions

  • This invention relates to small arms ammunition for use with automatic firearms, hereinafter called weapons of small and medium calibre, the invention being particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for use with such automatic weapons as embody one or more open chambers from which projectiles are fired.
  • cartridges of ammunition for automatic weapons commonly comprise a bullet or projectile mounted in or upon a metal case which contains the propellant charge and a percussion cap, and these cartridges before they are fired are usually stored in and fed to the weapon from a magazine or a jointed ammunition belt both of which are commonly made of metal or include metal in their construction. It will be appreciated therefore that after firing, the ejected metal cases and the emptied magazine and belt unless immediately refilled (which is often impracticable) represent a considerable wastage of valuable material, which is also heavy and which has had to be carried on the field of battle.
  • the present invention has been devised with the general object of providing an improved ammunition belt which is more economic in the use of material both in its own construction and in the ammunition which it is intended to receive.
  • the invention thus consists in an ammunition belt for use as aforesaid and which is principally comprised of flexible and resilient non-metallic sheet material moulded to form ammuition pockets integrally therein.
  • the invention also consists in the combination of an ammunition belt as set forth in the preceding paragraph and an automatic small arms weapon having an open chamber and a feed piece which is mounted for pivotal and reciprocal movement and is adapted to engage the pockets of the belt.
  • At least some of said pockets directly support or contain one at least of the following ammunition components, namely a plug, a projectile, a sabot, a propellant charge and an igniting device.
  • the aforesaid feed piece comprises a slotted rotary lever which is adapted to swing about and slide upon a fixed pivot and is connected by conventional means to a rotary crank.
  • FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a preferred form of the ammunition belt with an associated weapon part shown in section;
  • FIGURE 2 is a section of the ammunition belt on line A-A of FIGURE 1;
  • FIGURE 3 is a vertical section through a weapon chamber and ammunition belt feed mechanism showing the ammunition belt in an operative position
  • FIGURE 4 is a section on line B-B of FIGURE 1;
  • FIGURES 5 and 6 are sections similar to FIGURE 4 showing similar forms of ammunition belt with differently incorporated ammunition;
  • FIGURE 7 is an end elevation of an end cap incorporated in an ammunition belt as shown in any of FIG- URES 1 to 6;
  • FIGURE 8 is a vertical section showing a belt in conjunction with a possible alternative weapon feed mechanism.
  • an ammunition belt 1 made of a flexible and resilient material such as synthetic rubber, neoprene, or plastics material and which can conveniently be formed by moulding. Such material should be treated or formed sothat it will not char, burn, melt, or lose its elasticity to any significant extent when it becomes heated.
  • the belt may if required, be internally reinforced by filamentary or woven flexible material and it may incorporate a spring strip so as to be self-coiling.
  • the belt is formed on one side with a plurality of equally spaced smoothly contoured pockets 2, each of which accommodates the components of a cartridge of ammunition. These pockets are conveniently of approximately oval shape for reasons hereinafter explained.
  • the webs 3 between the pockets are as thin as possible whilst the transition portions 4 of the walls of the pockets 2 are relatively thick.
  • FIGURE 3 particularly shows how such an ammunition belt could be used in one particular form of automatic Weapon which has been devised.
  • This gun has an open chamber which is behind the gun barrel and which comprises at the top a hinged locking plate 5 and at the bottom a feed piece in the form of a rotor 6 formed with a series of teeth 7 for driving the belt and with recesses 8 of the same contour as the outside of the belt pockets 2 for accommodating the same successively as they are fed below the concave lower face of the locking plate 5.
  • the rotor 6 can be rotated in stepwise manner, as for instance manually, or by an appropriate gas or recoil operated or auxiliary mechanism, the clearance between the looking plate 5 and the rotor teeth 7 being the minimum necessary for accommodating the webs 3 of the belt.
  • the pockets 2 Whilst it is not essential that the pockets 2 should be oval shape the resultant conformation of the pocket walls contributes to the strength and durability of the belt. Moreover, the transition portions or corners 4 become wedged or squeezed between the looking plate 5 and the rounded or chamfered corners of the rotor teeth 7, thus ensuring an excellent gas-tight seal.
  • FIGURE 4 shows the mode of construction and the components of an ammunition cartridge located in a pocket 2 of an ammunition belt as above described, such round being unconventional in that it does not comprise a separate case whether of metallic or other material for supporting the base of the projectile, the propellant charge and the igniting device.
  • a guide plug 9 a bore-size projectile 10, propellant charge 11, and igniting device 12 comprising a percussive cap, anvil and rear plug are all housed directly in contact with the belt pocket.
  • the guide plug 9 is made of tough heat-resistant material such as the resin impregnated asbestos known as ferobestos and its function is to steady the nose of the projectile until the main body of the latter enters the bore of the weapon.
  • FIGURES 1 and 4 show that the leading edge of the 3 belt 1 is in direct abutment with the rear face of the barrel 13 of the gun.
  • the ammunition belt according to the invention can also be used to accommodate in its pockets reduced diameter projectiles of the encapsulated type.
  • One such arrangem nt is shown in FIGURE 5 where the rear part of the projectile is encased in a bore-sized sabot 14 made of rubber-ebonite or nylon or similar light material to increase muzzle velocity in known manner.
  • FIGURE 6 shows a somewhat similar arrangement but this is intended as a high velocity projectile high pressure cartridge and is provided additionally with a shouldered heat-insulating sleeve 15, also made of lferobestos, which surrounds the s aling and guide plug 9 and is recessed into the front part of the pocket 2, so that its shouldered part separates the belt material from the hot surface of the arrel or chamber of the weapon during sustained firing.
  • a shouldered heat-insulating sleeve 15 also made of lferobestos, which surrounds the s aling and guide plug 9 and is recessed into the front part of the pocket 2, so that its shouldered part separates the belt material from the hot surface of the arrel or chamber of the weapon during sustained firing.
  • the guide plug, the sabot and the firing device are sealed in the belt pocket by any of various known suitable waterproof cements.
  • FIGURE 7 shows the configuration and arrangement of an anvil 21 and two fireholes 22 in the firing device of an oval section round as above described.
  • the ammunition belt may be of sufiicient length to accommodate for instance twenty rounds of ammunition.
  • a belt may be adapted to be coupled to a compl mentarily formed end of another and similar belt such as a male-female fit, etc. If a blank pocket is used for this purpose the resultant cessation of fire signals that a predetermined number of projectiles have been fired.
  • complementary coupling means would also enable the ends of the same elt to be joined as might well be advantageous wh re the weapon is to be used in a cramped or insufficiently camouflaged location, or transported in a loaded condition.
  • FIGURE 8 there is illustrated open chamber and feed mechanism for a weapon which is particularly suitable for use with the form of ammunition belt which has been described.
  • This d sign differs from the one shown in FIGURE 3 in that the direction of ammunition belt feed is rectilinear and not arcuate and the lower edge of the locking plate 5 is fiat.
  • the feed piece is a slott d rotary lever 16.
  • This lever 16 has at the top a recess 17 of the same contour as the outside of the pockets for engaging the same.
  • the lever can swing about a lower pivot 18 and is coupled by a pin 19 to a rotary crank 20.
  • crank 20 is caused to rotate in synchronism with the operation of a firing mechanism by any appropriate means, as for instanc by a helically coupled spring and recoil or gas operated reciproating rod. Rotation of the crank 20 causes the lever :16 not only to swing about the pin 18 but also to effect reciprocating up and down movements as it approaches and leaves the top dead centre position, the lever 16 sliding on the pin 18.
  • FIGURE 8 shows how th feed lever 16 in moving from the chain dashed position to the upright position moves a cartridge containing pocket 2 opposite the bore of the weapon in replacement of a pocket which has previously been emptied by operation of a firing mechanism, and effects an upward closing movement on the pocket against the locking plate 5, the feed lever eing momentarily stationary to lock the chamber, of which it forms part, when in its top dead center position.
  • the feed lever exerts a powerful closing force on the pockets of the belt against the locking plate 5 so that clearances are eliminated, and each successive pocket is accurately positioned for firing.
  • the crank approaches the lowermost position it brings about a quick return movement of the lever '16, which is of considerable advantage having regard to the time taken up by the wasted half stroke of the lever.
  • the belt may include some metallic material if required for strengthening or other special purposes and the position and shape of the pockets in relation to the webs of the belt may be varied. Also for instance provision could be made for the rounds to be fired electrically or by means of a cap mounted elsewhere than at the rear or base of each round.
  • the ammunition belt which has been described in detail is for use with an open chamber weapon and the cartridges are fired whilst they are located in the pockets of the ammunition belt, it is to be understood that the ammunition belt can be adapted for use with automatic weapons wherein for operation each cartridge is fed out of the belt into a closed chamber before it is fired.
  • the absence or substantial absence of metal in the belt should reduce the noise level of the Weapon in which it is used and also make the belt more compact, less conspicuous and more reliable in adverse battle conditions.
  • an ammunition belt being of resilient synthetic heat-resistant material and having integral pockets molded in spaced relationship along its length which pockets project only from one side, the other side being flush; and an automatic firearm including a barrel,
  • a fixed locking plate with a planar surface adjacent said barrel and against which said flush other side of said belt rides
  • a slotted rotary lever mounted for pivotal and reciprocal movement and having a recess commensurately shaped to said pockets for advancing said belt intermittently linearly along said locking plate and adjacent to said barrel.
  • crank is rotated in synchronism with the firing mechanism of said firearm, and when said lever is in the top dead center position, said recess pressures one of said pockets against said locking plate adjacent said barrel and ignition occurs.
  • An ammunition belt for use with automatic firearms of small and medium calibre comprising a continuous belt of resilient synthetic heat-resistant material adapted to be intermittently linearly fed past the barrel of said firearm; said belt having integral pockets molded in spaced relationship along its length, the pockets projecting from one side of said belt and the other side being flush; said pockets forming the sole casing about propellant charges and contain projectiles, which charges are adapted, when ignited adjacent said barrel to propel said projectile therethrough.
  • each of said pockets is directly attached to an igniting device and said pockets contain at least one of the following ammunition components, namely, a guide plug, or a sabot.
  • An ammunition belt as set forth in claim 9 having a shouldered heat-insulating sleeve in the end of said pocket adapted to be adjacent said barrel.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Portable Nailing Machines And Staplers (AREA)
  • Belt Conveyors (AREA)
US584823A 1965-10-11 1966-10-06 Small arms ammunition belt Expired - Lifetime US3429220A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB43119/65A GB1106754A (en) 1965-10-11 1965-10-11 Improvements relating to ammunition belts

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3429220A true US3429220A (en) 1969-02-25

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US584823A Expired - Lifetime US3429220A (en) 1965-10-11 1966-10-06 Small arms ammunition belt

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US (1) US3429220A (GUID-C5D7CC26-194C-43D0-91A1-9AE8C70A9BFF.html)
BE (1) BE688027A (GUID-C5D7CC26-194C-43D0-91A1-9AE8C70A9BFF.html)
CH (1) CH499088A (GUID-C5D7CC26-194C-43D0-91A1-9AE8C70A9BFF.html)
FR (1) FR1496392A (GUID-C5D7CC26-194C-43D0-91A1-9AE8C70A9BFF.html)
GB (1) GB1106754A (GUID-C5D7CC26-194C-43D0-91A1-9AE8C70A9BFF.html)

Cited By (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3625154A (en) * 1968-02-21 1971-12-07 Dynamit Nobel Ag Magazine for propellant charges without cartridges
US3712172A (en) * 1970-07-23 1973-01-23 Us Army Link-seal unit for caseless ammunition
US3762328A (en) * 1969-01-15 1973-10-02 Maremont Corp Caseless ammunition and gun therefor
US4137821A (en) * 1977-05-27 1979-02-06 Tesseract Corporation Article handling belt
US4452123A (en) * 1982-03-01 1984-06-05 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy Composite round/rapid fire gun
CH675473A5 (en) * 1988-07-15 1990-09-28 Oerlikon Buehrle Ag Firearm with housing, barrel, and shell chamber - has each chamber in separate link detachable from chamber groups
EP0422401A1 (de) * 1989-10-13 1991-04-17 Oerlikon-Contraves AG Waffengehäuse für eine Feuerwaffe
US6269729B1 (en) * 1999-04-29 2001-08-07 Heckler & Koch Gmbh Shaft for a driven magazine
WO2003044443A1 (en) * 2001-11-19 2003-05-30 Metal Storm Limited Belt-fed machine gun
US20050081708A1 (en) * 2001-11-12 2005-04-21 O'dwyer James M. Weapons platform construction
US20080052977A1 (en) * 2001-07-11 2008-03-06 Metal Storm Limited Barrel insert and rear barrel section for weapons
WO2011046653A3 (en) * 2009-07-22 2011-09-29 Prometheus Solutions, Inc. High attrition, rapid dispersal x 8 (h.a.r.d. 8) extreme rate of fire weapon system

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
SE331644B (GUID-C5D7CC26-194C-43D0-91A1-9AE8C70A9BFF.html) * 1969-03-17 1971-01-04 G Rausing

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR471995A (fr) * 1913-07-23 1914-11-18 Alphonse Casanova Mitrailleuse pour projectiles explosifs
US1856022A (en) * 1930-06-27 1932-04-26 Blacker Latham Valenti Stewart Machine gun and small arm
FR1224125A (fr) * 1958-01-15 1960-06-22 Bandes de chargement pour dispositifs de tir
US2977854A (en) * 1957-05-29 1961-04-04 Eugene S Wassel Single-sprocket twin-barrel gun
US3046842A (en) * 1959-06-26 1962-07-31 Gen Motors Corp Revolver gun with means for cutting the links of belted ammunition
US3318245A (en) * 1964-08-21 1967-05-09 Ferri Giampiero Ammunition for toy guns
US3328963A (en) * 1962-12-27 1967-07-04 Curtiss Wright Corp Attitude control device for space vehicles

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR471995A (fr) * 1913-07-23 1914-11-18 Alphonse Casanova Mitrailleuse pour projectiles explosifs
US1856022A (en) * 1930-06-27 1932-04-26 Blacker Latham Valenti Stewart Machine gun and small arm
US2977854A (en) * 1957-05-29 1961-04-04 Eugene S Wassel Single-sprocket twin-barrel gun
FR1224125A (fr) * 1958-01-15 1960-06-22 Bandes de chargement pour dispositifs de tir
US3046842A (en) * 1959-06-26 1962-07-31 Gen Motors Corp Revolver gun with means for cutting the links of belted ammunition
US3328963A (en) * 1962-12-27 1967-07-04 Curtiss Wright Corp Attitude control device for space vehicles
US3318245A (en) * 1964-08-21 1967-05-09 Ferri Giampiero Ammunition for toy guns

Cited By (16)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3625154A (en) * 1968-02-21 1971-12-07 Dynamit Nobel Ag Magazine for propellant charges without cartridges
US3762328A (en) * 1969-01-15 1973-10-02 Maremont Corp Caseless ammunition and gun therefor
US3712172A (en) * 1970-07-23 1973-01-23 Us Army Link-seal unit for caseless ammunition
US4137821A (en) * 1977-05-27 1979-02-06 Tesseract Corporation Article handling belt
US4452123A (en) * 1982-03-01 1984-06-05 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy Composite round/rapid fire gun
CH675473A5 (en) * 1988-07-15 1990-09-28 Oerlikon Buehrle Ag Firearm with housing, barrel, and shell chamber - has each chamber in separate link detachable from chamber groups
EP0422401A1 (de) * 1989-10-13 1991-04-17 Oerlikon-Contraves AG Waffengehäuse für eine Feuerwaffe
US6269729B1 (en) * 1999-04-29 2001-08-07 Heckler & Koch Gmbh Shaft for a driven magazine
US20080052977A1 (en) * 2001-07-11 2008-03-06 Metal Storm Limited Barrel insert and rear barrel section for weapons
US7207256B2 (en) 2001-11-12 2007-04-24 Metal Storm Limited Weapons platform construction
US20050081708A1 (en) * 2001-11-12 2005-04-21 O'dwyer James M. Weapons platform construction
US20050262996A1 (en) * 2001-11-19 2005-12-01 Metal Storm Limited Belt-fed machine gun
US7146898B2 (en) 2001-11-19 2006-12-12 Metal Storm Limited Belt-fed machine gun
WO2003044443A1 (en) * 2001-11-19 2003-05-30 Metal Storm Limited Belt-fed machine gun
WO2011046653A3 (en) * 2009-07-22 2011-09-29 Prometheus Solutions, Inc. High attrition, rapid dispersal x 8 (h.a.r.d. 8) extreme rate of fire weapon system
US8763508B2 (en) 2009-07-22 2014-07-01 Prometheus Solutions, Inc. High attrition, rapid dispersal X 8 (H.A.R.D. 8) extreme rate of fire weapon system

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CH499088A (de) 1970-11-15
FR1496392A (fr) 1967-09-29
BE688027A (GUID-C5D7CC26-194C-43D0-91A1-9AE8C70A9BFF.html) 1967-03-16
GB1106754A (en) 1968-03-20

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