Ammunition magazine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10393457-B2
Application number	US-201816100460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2018
Priority date	Jun 1, 2007
Publication date	Aug 27, 2019
Grant date	Aug 27, 2019

Abstract

The present invention is an ammunition magazine, preferably made of a reinforced polymer, utilizing a structurally enhancing ridge, angular guide rails and a follower made to interface with said guide rails to reduce wobble. The preferred embodiment also features a protective cover that distributes forces from the spring to more structurally sound areas of the magazine, thus reducing feed end splay, and an ammunition indication system comprised of at least one window and a noticeable marker on the follower spring. The follower and magazine casing are also designed to interface to prevent the follower from popping out of the feed end and the floor plate of the magazine utilizes a locking plate and sliding relationship between the floor plate, locking plate and magazine to secure the floor plate onto the magazine casing. The cover features built in tools for, among other things, unloading and disassembling the magazine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ammunition magazine comprising:
a casing with fore and aft sides and two longer lateral sides longer than the fore and aft sides and first or second open ends;
a first notch arranged adjacent to one of the first or second open ends and on the aft side of the casing;
a second notch arranged adjacent to another one of the first or second open ends and on the aft side of the casing; and
a protective cover with a latch configured to flexibly couple into the first notch and the second notch, though not at the same time, thereby removably securing the protective cover to either of the first or second open ends of the casing.

2. The ammunition magazine of claim 1 , wherein the protective cover further comprises a cover hinge opposite to the latch.

3. The ammunition magazine of claim 2 , wherein the casing further comprises a hinge base arranged on the fore side of the casing adjacent to the one of the first or second open ends, opposite to the first notch, wherein the cover hinge is shaped to removably couple to the hinge base.

4. The ammunition magazine of claim 3 , wherein the cover hinge has a concave shape that wraps around the fore side and portions of the two lateral sides of the casing.

5. The ammunition magazine of claim 1 , wherein the protective cover further comprises an underside spacer that forces ammunition in the casing downward when the protective cover is removably affixed to the one of the first or second open ends of the casing.

6. The ammunition magazine of claim 1 , wherein the protective cover includes a gauge arranged above a tip of the latch, wherein a width of the gauge is greater than a width of the latch, and wherein a width of undamaged feed lips of the casing is between that of the gauge and the latch.

7. An ammunition magazine comprising:
a casing with fore and aft sides and two longer lateral sides longer than the fore and aft sides and first or second open ends;
a hinge base protruding at least partially from sides of the casing adjacent one of the first or second open ends of the casing and adjacent the fore side of the casing; and
a protective cover with a cover hinge, the cover hinge extending roughly perpendicularly to a platform of the protective cover, the protective cover configured to flexibly couple around the hinge base thereby removably securing the protective cover to the one of the first or second open ends of the casing.

8. The ammunition magazine of claim 7 , wherein the protective cover further comprises a latch on an opposing end of the protective cover from the cover hinge.

9. The ammunition magazine of claim 8 , wherein the cover hinge has a concave shape that wraps around the fore side and portions of the two lateral sides of the casing.

10. The ammunition magazine of claim 8 , wherein the latch is configured to flexibly couple into the first notch and the second notch, though not at the same time, thereby removably securing the protective cover to either of the first or second open ends of the casing.

11. The ammunition magazine of claim 7 , wherein the protective cover further comprises an underside spacer that forces ammunition in the casing downward when the protective cover is removably affixed to the one of the first or second open ends of the casing.

12. The ammunition magazine of claim 7 , wherein the protective cover includes a gauge arranged above a tip of the latch, wherein a width of the gauge is greater than a width of the latch, and wherein a width of undamaged feed lips of the casing is between that of the gauge and the latch.

13. The ammunition magazine of claim 7 , further comprising:
a first notch arranged adjacent to the one of the first or second open ends and on the aft side of the casing; and
a second notch arranged adjacent to another one of the first or second open ends and on the aft side of the casing.

14. An ammunition magazine comprising:
a casing with fore and aft sides and two longer lateral sides longer than the fore and aft sides and first or second open ends;
a first notch in the casing arranged adjacent to one of the first or second open ends and on the aft side of the casing;
a hinge base protruding at least partially from sides of the casing adjacent one of the first or second open ends of the casing and adjacent the fore side of the casing; and
a protective cover with a latch and a cover hinge arranged on opposing ends of the protective cover, the latch configured to flexibly couple into the first notch and the cover hinge configured to flexibly couple around the hinge base.

15. The ammunition magazine of claim 14 , wherein the protective cover further comprises an underside spacer that forces ammunition in the casing downward when the protective cover is removably affixed to the one of the first or second open ends of the casing.

16. The ammunition magazine of claim 14 , wherein the protective cover includes a gauge arranged above a tip of the latch, wherein a width of the gauge is greater than a width of the latch, and wherein a width of undamaged feed lips of the casing is between that of the gauge and the latch.

17. The ammunition magazine of claim 14 , further comprising a second notch arranged adjacent to another one of the first or second open ends and on the aft side of the casing such that the protective cover is removably secured to the another one of the first or second open ends of the casing.

18. The ammunition magazine of claim 14 , wherein the cover hinge has a concave shape that wraps around the fore side and portions of the two lateral sides of the casing.

Assignees

• Magpul Ind Corp

Inventors

• Fitzpatrick Richard M
• Mayberry Michael T
• Nakayama Brian L
• Burt Eric C

Classifications

• F41A9/65

  Box magazines having a cartridge follower · CPC title

• F41A9/62

  having means for indicating the number of cartridges left in the magazine, e.g. last-round indicators (last-round safeties F41A17/40) · CPC title

• F41A9/69

  characterised by multiple-row or zigzag arrangement of cartridges · CPC title

• F41A9/67

  having means for depressing the cartridge follower, or for locking it in a depressed position · CPC title

• F41A9/83

  Apparatus or tools for reloading magazines with unbelted ammunition, e.g. cartridge clips · CPC title