Ammunition magazine and resilient member
View Patent ↗A magazine for storing and feeding ammunition cartridges to a small arms weapon which comprises a casing, a floor plate, a follower, and a magazine spring inside the casing. The magazine spring may comprise a first end connected to the follower, a second end connected to the floor plate, and a plurality of coils. Each of the plurality of coils may include a first segment having a first radius, a second segment having a first length adjoining the first segment, a third segment having a second radius adjoining the second segment, the second radius being greater than the first radius, and a fourth segment having a second length adjoining the third segment, the second length being approximately equal to the first length.
1. A magazine configured for storing and feeding ammunition cartridges to a weapon comprising:
a casing which comprises an upper end and a lower end;
a floor plate situated near the lower end;
a follower adjacent the floor plate; and
a magazine spring inside the casing which comprises
a first end connected to the follower,
a second end connected to the floor plate, and
a plurality of coils, each of the plurality of coils including
a first segment having a first radius,
a second segment having a first length adjoining the first segment,
a third segment having a second radius adjoining the second segment, the second radius being greater than the first radius, and
a fourth segment having a second length adjoining the third segment, the second length being approximately equal to the first length,
wherein the second radius divided by the first radius defines a coil ratio, and the coil ratio is between approximately 1.1 and approximately 1.5.
2. The magazine of claim 1 , wherein the magazine spring is preloaded for a force of approximately 15 N at a reference length of approximately 180 mm.
3. The magazine of claim 2 , wherein the magazine spring has a solid height that is less than or equal to approximately 25 mm.
4. The magazine of claim 1 , wherein the second radius is approximately 8.1 mm.
5. The magazine of claim 4 , wherein the first radius is approximately 6.5 mm.
6. The magazine of claim 5 , wherein the magazine spring is formed from a round wire.
7. The magazine of claim 6 , wherein the round wire has an outer diameter of approximately 1.5 mm.
8. The magazine of claim 7 , wherein the round wire is music wire per ASTM A228.
9. The magazine of claim 1 , wherein the magazine spring is preloaded for a force of approximately 15 N at a reference length of approximately 75 mm.
10. The magazine of claim 9 , wherein the magazine spring has a solid height less than or equal to approximately 20 mm.
11. The magazine of claim 9 , wherein the second radius is approximately 8.1 mm.
12. The magazine of claim 11 , wherein the first radius is approximately 6.1 mm.
13. The magazine of claim 12 , wherein the magazine spring is formed from a round wire.
14. The magazine of claim 13 , wherein the round wire has an outer diameter of approximately 1.5 mm.
15. The magazine of claim 14 , wherein the round wire is music wire per ASTM A228.
16. The magazine of claim 1 , wherein the casing is configured and dimensioned to store a plurality of ammunition cartridges for a small arms weapon.
17. The magazine of claim 16 , wherein the casing is configured and dimensioned to store 30 or fewer ammunition cartridges.
18. The magazine of claim 16 , wherein the casing is configured and dimensioned to store 10 or fewer ammunition cartridges.
19. The magazine of claim 16 , wherein the casing is configured and dimensioned to store 5.56×45 mm NATO cartridges.
20. The spring of claim 16 , wherein the casing is configured and dimensioned to store .223 Remington cartridges.