High capacity firearm magazine
A high capacity magazine for high powered rimfire cartridges comprises a header portion that has a form factor to be received in a rotary magazine receptacle and an arcuate cartridge bank portion that holds a column of cartridges. A pair of clamshell halves define an arcuate cartridge bank and a lower portion of the header potion. A header caps the upper ends of the clamshell haves securing the clamshell halves together. The head and clamshell halves define the cartridge pathway to the magazine exit to be fed into the rifle chamber.
1. A magazine for holding and dispensing a plurality of cartridges, comprising:
a magazine body including a first body portion and a second body portion, the magazine body defining a cartridge receiving volume in the magazine body that extends along a cartridge path;
the second body portion comprising a first wall, a second wall, and a third wall extending between the first wall and the second wall, the second body portion further comprising a first rail and a second rail that are supported by the second wall;
the first body portion comprising a first channel wall, a second channel wall, and a third channel wall extending between the first channel wall and the second channel wall, wherein inside surfaces of the first and second channel walls define a channel and the third channel wall defines a slot communicating with the channel;
a header disposed proximate to an end of the first body portion and the second body portion, the header defining a depression, the end of the first body portion and the second body portion extending into the depression defined by the header;
a follower assembly comprising a follower arm and a follower base that are slidingly received in the cartridge receiving volume, the follower arm is pivotally coupled to the follower base so that the follower arm is free to pivot about a pivot axis relative to the follower base as the follower assembly moves along the cartridge path;
the follower base comprising a post portion extending into the channel walls of the first body portion,
a user-accessible lever comprising a button portion, a retaining portion, and a shaft portion extending therebetween, the button portion of the user-accessible lever being disposed outside of the magazine body, the retaining portion of the user-accessible lever engaging the base portion of the follower assembly, the shaft portion of the user-accessible lever extending through the slot defined by the third channel wall and through a groove defined by the post portion of the follower base; and
the follower assembly further comprising a roller disposed about an outer surface of the post and a spring disposed about an outer surface of the roller.
2. The magazine of claim 1 wherein the cartridge path has an arcuate shape.
3. The magazine of claim 1 wherein the header comprises a metal material and each of the first body portion and second body portion comprise a polymer material.
4. The magazine of claim 1 wherein the spring comprising a ribbon biased to form a roll when the ribbon is in an unstressed state with no external forces acting thereon.
5. The magazine of claim 4 wherein the ribbon rolls and unrolls during relative translational motion between the follower assembly and the magazine body.
6. The magazine of claim 1 wherein the header has a cartridge exit slot disposed therein.
7. The magazine of claim 1 wherein the first body portion and second body portion comprise clam shell portions that are couplable together to form the cartridge receiving volume.