Magazine for automatic weapons and the like

Abstract

This invention relates to a curved or angled multiple-round rifle cartridge magazine of the type designed for use with ammunition having tapered shell casings necked-down at their small end to accommodate a relatively smaller bullet characterized by a pair of negator springs attached for pivotal movement in spaced substantially parallel relation one behind the other to a sidewall of the shell chamber and a follower having front and rear side-opening spring-coil-receiving pockets for the coiled portions of the springs that permit the coils seated therein to tilt as the follower moves up through the chamber and the uncoiled portions of the springs change their angular relation to the latter and to the shell stack, both of the springs having medial portions lying between their coiled ends and the points of attachment to the magazine sidewall that curl inwardly toward the shell stack with the front spring of the pair being so located relative to the stack that its leading edge lies forwardly of the annular shoulder at the beginning of the necked-down portion of the shell casings at all times in which the follower is coming up from the bottom of the shell chamber and traversing the curve or bend. The coil-receiving pockets in the follower are specially shaped to accommodate the tiltable movement of the coils therein. Moreover, a rib is provided in the wall of the shell chamber to which the spring ends are attached in position such that it engages and holds the leading edge of the front spring into the space ahead of the annular shoulders while, at the same time, twisting the medial portion of the latter so as to lift its trailing edge out of substantial frictional contact with the tapered bodies of the shell casings.