One of the main characteristics of small arms is magazine capacity. This parameter determines the time during which the shooter will be able to fire without reloading and, as a result, the overall effectiveness of the use of the weapon. The need to achieve an optimal balance of characteristics and ergonomics of weapons leads to some compromise solutions, including certain restrictions on the capacity of magazines. As a consequence, there may be a need for new high-capacity ammunition systems. Let's take a look at some of the ways to increase the size of a ready-to-use ammunition load.
Handicraft
Obviously, the most logical and reasonable way to increase the ammunition load is to use special magazines or other large-capacity ammunition supply systems. So, machine guns often use belt feed, which allows you to make about 50-100 rounds without reloading. In addition, drums and the like are used. shops that are large in size and appropriate capacity. Nevertheless, it is not always possible to obtain and use a capacious store, which leads to the emergence of original ideas with handicraft implementation.
Connecting magazines with retaining devices and tape. Photo Otvaga2004.ru
Even during the war in Afghanistan, Soviet shooters realized the importance of a large store capacity and a minimum time for its replacement. The regular stores of Kalashnikov assault rifles for 30 rounds did not quite suit the shooters, which led to the emergence of several specific trends. So, many shooters tried in one way or another to get magazines from Kalashnikov machine guns. RPK products were equipped with box magazines for 40 rounds and drum magazines with a capacity of 75 rounds 7, 62x39 mm. Newer RPK-74 machine guns were equipped with magazines for 45 rounds. The magazine mounts were unified, which made it possible to use them together with machine guns chambered for the corresponding cartridge.
However, not all shooters who wanted to increase their ammunition managed to get machine-gun magazines. In addition, such stores, due to their size, could not fit in the existing pouches. All this led to the emergence of a new idea, which implied the use of regular box stores and soldier's ingenuity. As a result of their use, the magazine capacity remained the same, but the time for its replacement was noticeably reduced.
The original proposal involved combining two box magazines into a single assembly. To do this, you had to take a couple of stores, place a small plate or other separator between them, and then wind them together with ordinary electrical tape. The use of such an assembly of magazines made it possible to insert one of them into the receiving window of the machine, use all the cartridges, and then relatively quickly remove an empty magazine and put a paired full magazine in its place. The time required to resume fire was greatly reduced.
Connecting stores with tape. Photo Yaplakal.ru
The advantages of this solution include ease of manufacture and an increase in the total magazine capacity up to 60 rounds. In addition, the replacement of the store was significantly accelerated. At the same time, there were also disadvantages. Due to the greater thickness, the twin magazines were less convenient from the point of view of carrying in pouches. It was also heavier than the regular store and could have some effect on the parameters of the fire. Nevertheless, in terms of the totality of characteristics, this version of the ammunition supply system was considered good and was used quite widely.
Over time, two main options for home-made twin stores appeared, differing in the location of individual units. In the first case, the magazines had to be installed in parallel, with the feed mechanism in one direction. The second version of the assembly suggested connecting the magazines in a different way and placing them with a "jack" - on each side of the twin there should be a feeder of one magazine and the bottom of the other. Both build options have their own pros and cons, and are usually chosen based on the personal wishes of the fighter.
NATO stores connected with a rigid retaining device. Photo Slickguns.com
Since the advent of twin stores, attempts have been made to create a larger structure of similar architecture by linking three or more in-house stores. However, in this case, there is a significant increase in the size and weight of the assembly, which can hardly be justified by an increase in the total capacity. Thus, more than two stores are currently connected only for demonstration performances, but not for actual use.
Industry developments
Domestic and foreign machine gunners who used paired stores were first forced to assemble such products literally from scrap materials. Electrical tape, wooden, metal or plastic spacers were used. Over time, the arms industry took into account the wishes of the shooters and established the production of kits for connecting stores. The range of products of almost any well-known company that produces accessories for small arms includes means for connecting stores.
Rifle Gilboa Snake DBR (Israel) with twin magazines connected by a belt system. Photo Gilboa-rifle.com
The systems offered can be divided into two classes, hard and soft. In the first case, it is proposed to connect standard automatic or rifle magazines using H-shaped devices with latches. Due to their size and shape, these products rigidly hold the magazines in the desired position and at the required distance from each other. An alternative to rigid systems are special belt-based devices. In this case, several straps are attached to the rigid central separator element, into which the magazines are placed. Both types of devices for connecting shops are very popular among fighters of various structures and amateur shooters.
Connecting magazines using electrical tape or special devices solves the task, but still is a makeshift way to increase the ammunition load, even when using factory-made systems. Therefore, it was quite logical and expected to have stores that were originally adapted to connect with each other. The developer of the first such system, which was relatively widespread, was the German company Heckler & Koch, which presented the G36 automatic rifle in the early nineties.
G36 rifle magazines with integrated mounts. Photo Hlpro.com
Taking into account the peculiarities of the operation of weapons and the main wishes of the shooters, HK specialists have created a new store that meets NATO standards and has a number of interesting features. The magazine body is made of transparent plastic, which allows the shooter to control the consumption of cartridges. In addition, there are special latches on both side surfaces of the case. If necessary, the shooter can combine two magazines and fix them in the desired position using latches. The design of these devices allows any number of magazines to be connected, although in practice the arrows are limited to only doubles.
For various reasons, such a technical solution, implying the standard equipping of stores with fasteners for connection, did not become widespread. Such magazines are produced only for the G36, although compliance with NATO standards allows them to be used with a number of other types of weapons.
Drums
Several other systems are offered as an alternative to standard box magazines. In particular, drum systems are still quite popular among designers and shooters. Due to the placement of cartridges in a cylindrical body, they represent a fairly successful combination of capacity and dimensions. Naturally, a loaded drum magazine weighs significantly more than a box magazine, but in some situations it can be more useful.
Using a rifle with a Beta C-Mag. Photo Betaco.com
A further development of the drum magazine was the design of the C-Mag of the American firm Beta Company. Such a magazine holds 100 rounds and can be produced in several modifications for different ammunition. The C-Mag consists of a central T-block and two side drums. The central block is placed in the receiving shaft of the weapon and provides the supply of cartridges directly to the ramming line. The ammunition is arranged in two rows and is located both in the drums and in the central block. Due to special springs and pushers of the original design, a reliable supply of all cartridges is ensured until the ammunition is completely consumed.
Four-row systems
High capacity box systems can be an alternative to conventional box and drum magazines. Attempts have been made repeatedly to create a box magazine in which the cartridges would be placed in four rows, rather than two. Similar systems have been developed both in our country and abroad. Consider domestic projects.
Stores for the machine gun 2B-P-40. Above - a four-row product for 75 rounds. Photo Berserk711.livejournal.com
According to reports, the first project of a four-row box store in the USSR was developed by A. S. Konstantinov for the 2B-P-40 light machine gun in the second half of the fifties. For this weapon, two magazine options were offered: a two-row for 40 rounds of 7, 62x39 mm and a four-row for 75. The machine gun with new magazines showed fairly high performance, but as a result of comparative tests it lost to other weapons. As a result, the 2B-P-40 with promising magazines did not go into production, and the original design of the ammunition supply systems was temporarily forgotten.
Full-fledged work on the theme of four-row stores resumed only in the late nineties. So, on March 1, 1999, the work led to the fact that the employees of "Izhmash" Yu. A. Shirobokov, V. N. Paranin and N. A. Bezborodov applied for a patent concerning a box-type automatic magazine with a four-row placement of cartridges. To date, this project has been finalized and improved. In addition, the finished store has already received the GRAU 6L31 index and, according to some reports, has been adopted by the Russian army.
From the point of view of design, the 6L31 product is an enlarged regular magazine for Kalashnikov assault rifles, equipped with new cartridge supply systems. By increasing the length and width, it was possible to fit 60 rounds into it - twice as much as in a standard device. In the design of the new store, an original cartridge supply system was used. The spring feeding system received two hinged rammers. In addition, several curly protrusions appeared inside the store that control the movement of parts and cartridges. In the lower and middle parts of the store, the cartridges of the required type are arranged in four rows, in a checkerboard pattern. In the upper part, the so-called mixing is carried out. feed streams and converting four rows to two. On the feed line, respectively, the cartridges are output one at a time.
Shop 6L31 (center) and Kalashnikov assault rifles. Photo Berserk711.livejournal.com
During the development of the new four-row store, the specialists had to face some difficulties. For example, there were problems with the operation of mechanisms under certain conditions, leading to a skew of the cartridges. With a vertically directed impact with an incomplete magazine, the cartridges were turned to a vertical position - the so-called. overlap of the feed streams, leading to the termination of the normal operation of the mechanisms. According to reports, this problem has been successfully resolved.
Path to the troops
To date, a large number of various high-capacity stores have been developed in the world, based on certain original ideas. However, they have not yet been able to supplant the existing systems of the old types. Moreover, this is unlikely to ever happen. The widespread use of high-capacity stores is hampered by several factors of a technical, economic and other nature.
The main problem in this context is the economic difficulties of transferring armies to new ammunition supply systems. For the complete replacement of stores, large costs are required, which can hardly be considered justified only because of the increase in ammunition. From this point of view, the most progressive armed forces are the Bundeswehr, which uses G36 rifles with original magazines with latches to connect. Other armies continue to use older types of magazines that meet basic requirements, and are in no hurry to put into service new unusual designs. Nevertheless, systems are often used to connect stores, both handicraft and factory production.
Drawing from a patent for a domestic four-row store. Figure Berserk711.livejournal.com
Various attempts are being made to equip some divisions of the armies with new stores. So, in our country, a 6L31 four-row store was created for these purposes, and the US armed forces are mastering products of the C-Mag type and other systems in limited volumes. A complete transfer to the new systems, however, is not planned. It does not make sense from an economic and operational point of view, but it can be implemented on a smaller scale. Promising stores are of great interest to special units from the armed forces or security forces. To solve specific tasks, the fighters of such units can use stores of increased capacity of one type or another.
In addition to special forces, such developments may be of interest to amateur shooters, athletes, etc. Manufacturers of such products have long entered a wide market and sell their products not only to the armies or security forces, but also to everyone. Thus, in the civilian arms market, new stores can open up great prospects, if, of course, legal restrictions do not interfere with the sale of such products.
The development of small arms and their ammunition systems continues. New options for high-capacity magazines are offered, as well as additional accessories to enhance existing products. All such developments attract the attention of shooters and gain a certain distribution. However, there is no talk of a complete replacement of the "classic" box magazines yet. This means that until a certain time the existing standard stores will dominate, sometimes supplemented with special means.
