Belt (firearms)
An ammunition belt is a
Variants
Feed Strip
The "feed strip" (also referred to as an "ammo strip" or "feed tray") was initially designed in 1895, based on initial designs by Captain Baron Adolf Odkolek von Ujezda of
Articulated Feed Belt
Though the feed strips were replaced by most militaries with machine guns using either disintegrating or non-disintegrating belts and detachable magazines, the Hotchkiss feed strip design actually pioneered an early 50-round articulated fed belt mechanism, made up of articulated pieces of metal that folded together, resembling conventional feed strips, this feed device has only been used with the
Disintegrating Belt
Many modern ammunition belts use disintegrating links. Disintegrating links retain a single round and are articulated with the round ahead of it in the belt. When the round ahead is stripped from the belt and fed into the feed system or chamber, the link holding it is ejected and the link holding the following round is disarticulated. Many disintegrating belt designs allow two pieces of belt to be connected by a cartridge, it applies even to non-disintegrating belts. When done by assistant gunner in combat, linking a new belt to the end of the belt already being fed in the weapon allows for continuous fire without the need to open the feed tray and reload.[citation needed]
Non-Disintegrating Belt
This type of belt consists of a design that can be reused, as it does not fall apart during function, similar to a feed strip. This is found only on a few types of machine guns still in use, such as the Soviet
Feed variants
Pull out – Push through
Most often required by cloth belts, hence found on mostly early machine guns.
Push through
Found on mostly modern machine guns. The push through cartridge feed system has the cartridge pushed directly forward into the barrel. Examples are the non-disintegrating Patronengurt 33, 34, or 34/41 used by the
External
Some weapons such as the
Container device
Flexible belts tend to hang downwards with gravity and randomly whip around with recoil during continuous firing, which can sometimes kink/twist and cause feeding malfunctions. Free-hanging belts can also get dirty/messy with exposure to the elements, be clumsy to handle, and entangle to other objects especially when the shooter tries to maneuver around. To minimize such issues, ammunition belts are sometimes carried in container devices designed to be attached to the firearm either by inserting like a drum magazine or just conveniently mounting to the side (for larger weapon systems). When loading ammunition, one end of the belt is pulled out of an opening on the container and inserted into the gun normally, and the belt progresses out of the container in a controlled fashion. These containers also often have a supporting/guiding bar which enables the belt to enter the weapon at an optimal (more perpendicular) angle, rather than bending down more acutely.[citation needed]
See also
- Bandolier
- Clip
- Magazine
- Stripper clip
Notable firearm belts
References
- ^ a b Legendre, Jean-François (18 January 2009). "French Feed-Devices and Strip Loader for Hotchkiss Model 1914 Machine Guns". Small Arms Review.
- ^ "Ordnance". American Defense Preparedness Association. 1943.
- ^ ""Feeding the beast": Belt-feeding systems for automatic weapons".
- ^ Legendre, Jean-François (March 2005). "Ammunition Belts for German MG 34 and MG 42 Machine Guns". Small Arms Review.
External links
- How's It Made: A Giant Machine That Makes MG Links Forgotten Weapons