High capacity magazine for weapons

Abstract

A magazine for a weapon having a barrel extending in a firing direction iudes a cartridge storage drum which stores a multiplicity of cartridges in a spiral path with a longitudinal axis of the cartridges lying perpendicularly to the firing direction. If the weapon is an automatic rifle, the storage drum can be mounted in or under the stock of the rifle. A guide made up of curved rods extends from the drum and defines a guide path along which the cartridges are fed and rotated from their respect to the firing direction. A feed box is connected to the end of the guide rods at a location remote from the drum for feeding the cartridges to a bolt and chamber area of the weapon. Along the guide path the cartridges engage each other at pivot points so that the cartridges are somewhat free to pivot within the confines of the guide rods but still push each other along the guide path. One or more followers are provided behind the last cartridge. A cable is connected to the last guide follower and extends through the drum and along the guide path. The end of the cable is connected to a spring motor which pulls the cable. The followers is thus pulled which in turn pushes the cartridges through the drum and along the guide path.