Jul 28, 2026

US12693086 - Manually assisted belt fed machine gun drum assembly

A cylindrical machine gun ammunition carrier drum device with hand crank and spindle, which allows operator to regulate belt-fed ammunition at a proper cyclic rate of fire and reload linked ammunition in an efficient, accelerated manner. This retract and release belt-fed ammunition method would provide proper tension and uniformity to the linked rounds, preventing the weapon from malfunctioning and improve cyclic dispersion of ammunition. This method applies to all calibers of belt-fed personal and crew-served automatic weapons. The external hand crank and internal spindle would work in unison to recover the belt if it is yanked from the cylindrical drum container prematurely. A flexible warning device ribbon connected by ammunition links would ensure all rounds are expended from within the drum when abridged from spindle to belt. Additionally, this internal warning device can be linked between belts at operator's preference.

Inventors: Sebastian John DiGiovanni
Filing date: 2024-11-19

machinegunammunitiondrumassemblybeltfed

The patent describes a manually assisted drum assembly for belt-fed machine guns, featuring a hand crank and spindle that allow for efficient regulation and reloading of ammunition. This design aims to enhance the reliability and performance of automatic weapons by maintaining proper tension and providing a warning mechanism to ensure all rounds are utilized.

Claim 1

1 . A belt fed machine gun drum comprising: a cylindrical container including an interior and a removable lid disposed over a rear of the cylindrical container, the interior configured to house an ammunition belt; a spindle extending centrally through the interior of the cylindrical container; a hand crank disposed externally at the rear of the cylindrical container and in communication with the spindle such that manual winding of the hand crank winds the ammunition belt around the spindle; and a warning ribbon comprising a flexible material having a first end opposite a second end, wherein the first end is configured to attach to one of the spindle and an ammunition cartridge on the ammunition belt, and wherein the second end is configured to attach to a trailing end of the ammunition belt. a cylindrical container including an interior and a removable lid disposed over a rear of the cylindrical container, the interior configured to house an ammunition belt; a spindle extending centrally through the interior of the cylindrical container; a hand crank disposed externally at the rear of the cylindrical container and in communication with the spindle such that manual winding of the hand crank winds the ammunition belt around the spindle; and a warning ribbon comprising a flexible material having a first end opposite a second end, wherein the first end is configured to attach to one of the spindle and an ammunition cartridge on the ammunition belt, and wherein the second end is configured to attach to a trailing end of the ammunition belt.

Google Patents

https://patents.google.com/patent/US12693086

USPTO PDF

https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/12693086