\ AIR MINISTRY February, 1945 9 in the List of of the ap. after title of HISPANO 20 mm. GUNS ALL. No. 9 to A.P.IG4IF, Vol. I nd Edn.) ‘A.L.9” in the outer Chapters, chapter, and make an entry in the Amendment Record Sheet. RESTRICTED ( (For official use only) ( This leof issued with AL. No. 9 February, 1945 A ALD) Chapter 9 BELT FEED MECHANISMS AIR PUBLICATION 1641F VOLUME | LIST OF CONTENTS Introduction ‘Mechanism briefly expl ‘Action of the mechanism Action during loading... Action during firing of the gun . Loading and unloading instructions ‘Making up a belt by hand Belt for right-hand feed Belt for left-hand feed Loading operations... Positioning the mechanism on the gun Loading the belt into the mechanism Inserting a second belt Joining a belt... Unloading operations ‘Removing the mechanism from the gun... Unloading the mechanism... ... Description of components ‘Case components ... Driving mechanism Shaft assembly LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Mk. It bel feed mechanism, right-hand feed, in postion on the zun Underside view of the belt feed mechanism Belt feed mechanism with case removed Mechanism, case and front cover removed, in approximate position... ... Action of the link ejector Action of the feed levers and last round retainer ‘Action of the rack-operating lever... Belt partly assembled for right-hand feed Belt partly assembled for left-hand feed Part sectional view of the belt feed mechanism, Mk.* Covers and mouth Driving mechanism components Shaft assembly ... 2 Shaft components dismantled” a ARMAMENTChapter 9 Belt Feed Mechanisms Introduction 1, The belt feed mechanism is an alternative feed to the 60-round magazine, and it is similarly mounted on the magazine carrier and held by the magazine catch, Any of the mechanisms listed in para, 5 can be fitted to any mark of gun, 2. Belted ammunition is fed into the belt feed mechanism and the function of the mechanism is to draw the belt from the ammunition container, separate the rounds from the links, and position the rounds one after the other into the mouth of the mechanism, from where they are pushed into the breech of the gun by the breech block. If the belt is fairly long, the ‘movement of the belt along the guides may be assisted by an additional drive of some kind reference for this should be made to the relevant turtet or aircraft handbook. 3. ‘The belt is made up with links having loops which ate open at one side to permit dis- integration of the belt as it passes through the mechanism. The belts must be assembled for cither right-hand or left-hand feed as required and the shape of the links is such that they can be sed for making up either form of belt. 4. To prevent the last link from becoming caught up inside the feed mechanism, its single loop is closed by a bridge or strip secured across the open side of the loop. Special links with a closed loop of this kind are provided for use when the belts are made up. 5. The following belt feed mechanisms may be found in service:— Belt feed mechanism] Stores Ref. No.| Weight Mk.I (left-hand) | 76/200 ip p MME: rghehane) | 7e/202 129 tb, Mk. I* (left-hand) | 76/517 Mk. I* (right-hand) | 76/518 eae Mk. IV (leftchand) | 76/1031 MCI (ignehana) | eftona jf 189 Mk. V (left-hand) | 76/924 Mk: ¥ (righthand) | 76/925 Bae Mk. V* (lefechand) | 76/983, vais Mk. V* (right-hand) 76/984 Mk. Il (left-hand) Mic Ill (righthand 7G/1040 7G/1041 ‘The Mk. III mechanism is different from the others listed above and will be found illustrated and described in Chapter 13. 6. The Mk. I* mechanism is described and illustrated in this chapter, and apart from the differences detailed in para. 7 to 10, the information given applies also to the Mk. I, IV, V and V* mechanisms. 7. ‘The Mk. I mechanisms are being converted to Mk. I* by the addition of another sprocket as detailed in leaflet A.P.1641F/K.7. Some mechanisms may be found which are marked “1*” but still carrying the Stores Ref. No. 7G/200 or 202; these are, however, identical with 7G/517 or 518 respectively. 8. The Mk. IV mechanisms are similar in construction to the Mk. V, the only difference being that the link chute is positioned at a different angle to suit a particular aircraft installation, 9 The Mk. V mechanisms are similar in construction to the Mk. I*, the only differences being in the material used for various com- ponents to reduce weight, and the sizes of the sprockets. The components are mostly not interchangeable between Mk. II* and Mk. V mechanisms. The Mk. V mechanism is intended for use with the Mk. V gun, but will of course fit any Mk. of gun. 10. The Mk. V* mechanisms are identical with Mk, V except that, to facilitate manu- facture, certain components have been made ofThis leaf issued with AL. No. 9 February, 1945 heavier material than that used for the Mk. V components. As this is only temporary, few ‘Mk, V* mechanisms will be found in service. 11.())_ The Stores Ref, numbers given in para. 5 (except 7G/1040 and 1041) include a separate assembly of rack-operating lever and bracket, which is secured to the gun to operate the belt feed mechanism. ‘The assembly con- sists of the following items:— Bracket (left-hand) - 76/248 or (right-hand) 7G/249 Rack operating lever 7G/274 Lever pivot pin 7G/286 Roller 7G/310 Roller pivot pin 7G/287 (ii) ‘The Stores Ref. No. of the left-hand assembly of the above five items is 7G/361, and that of the right-hand assembly is 7G/362. (iii) The brackets are at_ present being ‘modified by the incorporation of a spring-loaded plunger to hold down the rack operating lever AIR PUBLICATION 1641F VOLUME | CHAPTER 9 (Mod. 87): when modified, the left-hand bracket becomes Mk. IT, Stores Ref. 7G/1050, and the left-hand assembly becomes 7G/1039. The right-hand bracket becomes Mk. IT, Stores Ref. 7G/1051, and the right-hand assembly becomes 7G/1043. 12, Left-hand and right-hand mechanisms are provided so that the belt can be fed to the left or right-hand side of the gun as convenient in the installation. Components which are not centrally disposed in the mechanism and are not symmetrical in shape are handed for left cr right-hand mechanisms respectively. ‘The following components are not inter- changeable between left-hand and right-hand mechanisms:— Front cover Rear cover Front feed lever Rear feed lever Last round retainer Link ejector bracket Driving spring hub Tensioning ratchet Actuating segment Rack operating lever bracket MECHANISM BRIEFLY EXPLAINED 13. The belt feed mechanism consists of a spring-driven shaft enclosed in a cylindrical metal case, the ends of which are closed by front and rear covers held by three tie rods, see fig. 1 and 2. Fixed to the shaft are four sprockets (the Mk. I mechanism has only three sprockets) and the ends of the shaft rotate in bearings in the front and rear covers. A link ejector bracket is pivoted on the hub of the front sprocket; a front feed lever, carrying a last round retainer, is pivoted on the hub of the centre sprocket, and a rear feed lever is pivoted on the hub of the rear sprocket. Fig. 2.Underside view of the belt feed mechanism.REAR COVER REAR CARTRIDGE RAMP Fig. 3. Belt feed mechanism with case removed EAR SPROCKET EXTRA SPROCKET DRIVING SPRING HUB \ centre serocker \ oavine sprine SPRING CASE COVER XN FRONT serogxer \ | Bano BRaKe ACTUATING SEGMENT \ x i | \ PAWL AND / SPRING BH) TENsioNING RATCHET FOR CASE EDGE LAST ROUND’ BETAINER, Unk EcTOR BRACKET RACK OPERATING LEVER BRACKET, (FixeD TO GUN BY N°ZsPISTON GUIDE) Fig. 4—Mechanism, case and front cover removed, with rack-operating lever in approximate positionThis leaf issued with AL. No. 9 February, 1945 14. The shaft is rotated by a driving spring. of clock pattern which is enclosed in a driving spring case riveted t the front sprocket, A slipping spring band between the spring and the case limits the tension of the spring to a pre-determined maximum, 15. The driving spring is tensioned initially bby rotating the hexagonal end of a tensioning ratchet_ which protrudes through the front cover, The tensioning ratchet is fixed to a hub which engages the inner end of the driving spring. A spring-loaded pawl engages ratchet teeth on the tensioning ratchet to prevent the spring unwinding. 16. To maintain the tension of the driving spring during the firing of the gun the tension- ing ratchet is rotated by a rack and actuating segment. The rack is moved vertically each time the gun is fired, by the rack operating lever which, being fixed to the gun body, moves rearward as the gun recoils. Movement of the rack rotates the actuating segment which in turn rotates the tensioning ratchet; the actuating segment and tensioning ratchet have mating ratchet teeth on their adjoining faces and are mointained together by a thrust spring. AIR PUBLICATION 1641F VOLUME | CHAPTER 9 17. The belt enters the belt feed mechanism through a belt guide, and the rounds are engaged by the sprockets and carried round between the sprockets and circumferential guides which are riveted inside the case. The noses of the bullets ride up a cam groove formed inside the front cover and the rounds are forced rearwards, the links being prevented from moving towards the rear by the teeth of the centre sprocket. When each round has been pushed back approx. 1} in, the, smaller diameter of the round is positioned in the links and the belt is free to disintegrate. ‘The links are pushed clear of the rounds by the teeth of a fout-tooth link ejector, pivoted on the link ejector bracket, and they then fall out of the belt feed mechanism through a link chute, 18. The rounds, after being freed from the links, are conveyed past the feed levers and are guided by the link ejector bracket into a mouth, which is similar to that of the magazine. The last round retainer, mounted on the front feed lever, projects into the mouth, and, when only the Tast two rounds remain in the mouth, prevents the last round from reaching the loading position, ACTION OF THE MECHANISM Action during loading, fig. 3, 4, and 5 19. The belt, which must be correctly made up for either left-hand or right-hand feed as required (see para, 32 to 43), is inserted into the belt guide with the bullets pointing towards the front,-see fig. 1. The links should be entering the belt guide with their double loops leading and the open sides of the loops facing, towards the mouth. 20. Thé belt is pushed by hand into the mechanism and thé rounds engage the sprockets causing the shaft assembly to rotate inde- pendently of the rack and the ratchet actuating, segment. 21. When two or three rounds have entered the belt guide and the first round is held between the feed sprockets and the guides inside the case, the tensioning ratchet pawl prevents the shaft assembly from rotating back- wards so that the belt cannot be withdrawn. 22, The loading is then completed by rotating the hexagonal extension of the tensioning ratchet with a spanner or ratchet wrench, This first draws the belt further into the mechanism, and then tensions the driving spring until its slipping spring band slips. 23. As the belt is carried round by the sprockets the noses of the bullets are in contact with the bottom of the cam groove in the front cover, and the rounds are pushed rearwards. ‘The links are prevented from moving rear- wards by the teeth of the centre sprocket, and when the rounds have been pushed back approx. 1} in. the links are freed from the rounds. 24, As the rounds pass the link ejector they cause the link ejector sprockets to rotate, sce fig. 5, so that the tecth of the ejector sprocket engage the middle portion of each link as it becomes free and push it outwards. The double loops of the link engage the ramp inside the link chute cover, and this causes the link to tilt on the teeth of the ejector sprockets so that the single loop is moved clear of the round. Continued movement of the main sprockets carries the round further forward, and the link falls away through the link chute. After theIH ( Oe CD aot ee? | RS ‘ j : “gl Fig. 5—Action of the link ejector Fig. 6.—Action of the feed levers and last roundThis leof issued with AL. No. 9 y February, 1945 Fig. 7.Action of the rack-operating lev‘ ejection of the link, the spring-loaded plunger in the link ejector bracket holds the link ejector sprockets in the correct position to be engaged by the next round in the mechanism. 25. Each round, after passing the link ejector, comes into contact with the feed levers which are pushed aside against the action of their return springs, see fig. 6. ‘This movement withdraws the last round retainer so that its end is accommodated in the recess in the side of the mouth and does not obstruct the passage of the rounds, which are guided into the mouth by the curved surface of the link ejector bracket. 26. After cach round passts the feed levers the latter are partly returned by their return springs, and when there are two rounds in the mouth the projections on the ends of the levers, bearing on the upper surface of the second round, hold the rounds firmly so that the lower one can be loaded into the gun without risk of a misfeed, ‘The lower round in the mouth rests on the inturned lips, see fig. 6, and can only be removed by being pushed forwards, 27. When two rounds have entered the mouth, the sprockets and shaft are prevented from rotating by the rounds already in the mechanism and further manual rotation of the tensioning ratchet winds up the driving spring, The two rounds in the mouth are then held in position by the pressure of the third round, which is being urged forward by the sprockets, Action during the firing of the gun, fig. 5, 6, and 7 28. When the gun is fired, the breech block trayels forward and hits the base of the round which is held in the lips of the mouth of the belt feed mechanism and drives the round -MACAZING CARRIER BRACKET forward out of the mouth into the chamber of the gun. As each round leaves the mouth, the driving spring rotates the shaft and the feed sprockets, thereby feeding another round into the mouth, 29. As the gun recbils, the belt feed mechanism and the magazine carrier on which it is mounted, remain stationary. The rack- operating lever moves rearwards with the gun and the roller of the rack-operating lever rides up the inclined face at the front of the magazine carrier whilst the rack -roller simultaneously rides up the inclined face of the lever, see fig. 7. This causes the rack to rotaté the actuating segment, The actuating segment rotates the driving spring hub through the tensioning ratchet, thus winding the driving spring up to its maximum tension again, 30. When the last two rounds reach the mouth, the feed levers are allowed to move until the.curved end of the rear feed lever engages the last round. This movement of the feed levers causes the last round retainer to ride up the incline at the bottom of its recess and project into the mouth thus wedging the last round and preventing it from reaching the loading position after the round below it has been fed into the gun, see fig. 6. If the last round were not retained it would be loose in the mouth and a misfeed might result, 31. When the last round has entered the mouth, the sprockets are free to rotate and the driving spring unwinds. If a new belt is fed into the mechanism while the last round of the previous belt is still in the mouth, the first round of the new belt becomes the second round in the mouth and the last round of the previous belt can be fired in the normal manner, but the driving spring will need to be re- tensioned as previously described,LOADING AND UNLOADING INSTRUCTIONS Making up a belt by hand 32. Before the belt is made up, the links must, be lightly coated with oil, lubricating, anti- freezing, Type A (Stores Ref, 34A/43, 46 or 141). This is best done by placing the links in a wire basket, dipping them in the oil, then thoroughly shaking them and allowing excess oil to drain off. Work on a clean surface to keep the links and ammunition free from dirt and dust, Do not apply any oil or grease to the ammunition. Fig. 8.—Belt partly assembled for right-hand feed Belt for right-hand feed, fig. 8 33. To make up a belt for right-hand feed by hand, place 27 links in a line along the bench with the double loops to the right and the open side of the loops uppermost, the single loop of each link being between the double loops of the next link on the left. 34, Insert a round of ammunition, with the bullet pointing away from you into’ the loops of cach link, including the first (extreme R.H.) link, and push it in until itis about } in. to j in. short of its final position, 35. Position the rounds accurately in the links. If a positioning machine is not available this can be done by “eye”, ‘The distance from the base of the cartridge cases to the front edges of the double loops should be 3-80 in, (965 mm.---15 mm), It will be found that this dimension can be maintained quite accurately once the correct relation of the cartridge case shoulder to the front edge of the link is known, 36. Test the belt for flexibility by lifting the left-hand loop and drawing it along the back of the belt to the right. In this, way the belt will be turned over so that the backs of the links are underneath, and any faulty links will cause the belt to kink instead of folding over smoothly. Any link which does not hinge freely is to be removed and replaced by another, and the test must then be repeated, ‘37. Repeat the flexibility test detailed in para, 36, starting with the right-hand link and drawing it over to the left. If a stiff link is found, it must be removed and replaced by another, and the test must then be repeated in both directions. 38. ‘Test the belt for the inclusion of oversize links by suspending it by one end loop and tuyisting the lowest link until resistance is felt. If the belt breaks due to the single loop of link jumping off the cartridge case the link is faulty and must be removed and replaced by another, and all the tests must be repeated. 39. Remove the last round at each end of the belt and the corresponding links, leaving a Jength of belt comprising 25 rounds. ‘These lengths may be joined together by inserting a round in the end links or by spapping the Single loop over the round in the next length of belt. 40. When the correct length of belt has been assembled, a special end link (Stores Ref, No. 12C/i41), having its single loop closed by a bridge piece, must be attached at the trailing (single loop) end. The leading double loop must have a round in it, Note—() It depends upon the particular aircraft installation whether it is better to build up the complete length of belt in the filling room or while loading the belt into the aircraft. Gi) Ie is most important that all the operations detailed in para, 32 to 40 are correctly completed, otherwise it may result in a gun stoppage in a moment of emergency. Belt for left-hand feed, fig. 9 41. To make up a belt for left-hand feed by hand, place 27 links in a line along the bench with the double loops to the left and the open sides of the loops at the top, the single loop of cach link being between the double loops of the next link on the right, 42, Insert a round of ammunition, with the bullet pointing away from you, into the loops of each link, including the first (extreme L.H.) link, and push it in until it is about } in. to jin. short of its final position,This leof issued with AL. No. 9 February, 1945 SPECAL Live Fig. 9.—Belt partly assembled for left-hand feed 43. Complete the operations detailed in para, 35 to 40. Loading operations 44.. ‘The mechanism can be loaded either before it is placed in position on the gun, or afterwards, this usually depends upon ‘the accessibility of the ammunition feed channels etc., and reference should be made to the particular aircraft handbook. If the mechanism is loaded before being fitted to the gun, it will be necessory to load it with only a short length of belt and then connect up to the main belt after positioning the feed mechanism on the gun, 45. Cock the gun by operating the pneumatic cocking unit or hand cocking uit and set both the firing button and the pneumatic sear release unit to safe. Positioning the mechanism on the gun 46. Hold the belt feed mechanism above and parallel to’ the magazine carrier and lower it carefully so that the mouth of the mechanism enters the aperture of the carrier, allowing the shoulder at the rear of the mouth to rest on top of the magazine catch. 47, Press down the front end of the mechanism and push it forward so that the two pins at the front of the mouth enter below the hook-shaped projections at the front of the magazine carrier. Operate the magazine catch lever, permitting the shoulder at the rear of the belt-feed mechanism mouth to fall below the catch, then release the lever and ensure that the catch engages the top of the shoulder. Attempt to push the mechanism forwards and sideways to ascertain that it is properly secured to the magazine carrier. AIR PUBLICATION 1641F VOLUME | CHAPTER 9 Note.—When the belt feed mechanism is correctly mounted, the ‘rack roller should clear the bottom of the inclined face of the rack-operating lever by dy in. to yy in. Loading the belt into the mechanism 48. Insert the end of the belt into the belt guide of the feed mechanism with the double loops of the links leading and the bullets pointing towards the front. ‘Observe that the open sides of the link loops are facing the mouth of the mechanism as the belt enters the guide; if they do not, the belt has been made up wrongly and it must be withdrawn before the sprockets have engaged the first round, otherwise it will be necessary to dis- mantle the mechanism to remove it, 49. Push the belt as far as possible by hand into the feed mechanism, checking that there is no undue resistance to the entry of the belt and that the rounds are engaged ‘correctly by the sprockets, It should be possible to feed three o1 four rounds into the mechanism by finger pressure, If the belt does not enter frecly, move it fore-and-aft in the belt guide to get it in the correct position, 50. Apply a spanner or a ratchet wrench to the hexagonal extension of the tensioning ratchet and rotate the ratchet to draw the belt into the feed mechanism; the ratchet should rotate under a comparatively small load at first. The tensioning ratchet pawl prevents the ratchet from being rotated in the wrong direction. 51, Two links are ejected while the belt is being drawn into the mechanism, and there are then two rounds in the mouth of the mechanism. 52. Continue to rotate the tensioning ratchet with the spanner or ratchet wrench until the driving spring is fully tensioned and a uniform Joad will then be felt on the spanner or wrench, This will necessitate two or three complete turns of the tensioning ratchet. 53. The gun should have been previously cocked and when the safety catch has been set to Fie the gun will be ready to fire in the normal manner until the last round only is left in the mouth of the mechanism. Inserting @ second belt 54, Insert the end of the new belt into the belt guide of the feed mechanism, and procced as detailed in para, 48 to 52. The last roundof the previous belt remains in the mouth of the mechanism, therefore only one link is ejected down the link chute while the new belt is being drawn into the mechanism. Joining @ belt 85. To join a new belt to a partly expended belt, withdraw the last round of the partly nded belt, thus releasing the special end link, place the single loop of the end link of the ded belt between the double loops Of the first link of the new belt, ensuring that the open sides of the links of the new belt face the same way as those of the partly expended belt, and insert the free round into the loops of the links at the joint, Ensure that the distance between the base of the cartridge case of the newly inserted round and the front edge of the link is 96:5 mm.--015 mm, and that there is a special end link on the trailing end of the new belt. Unloading operations Removing the mechanism from the gun 56. Ensure that the gun is pointing in a safe direction and that the safety catches of the firing mechanism and the firing button are set to SAFE. 57. Break the belt by removing a round near to the belt guide and remove the freed length of belt. 58. Lift the magazine catch lever with one hand; and with the other raise the rear of the belt feed mechanism until the shoulder at the rear of the mouth is clear of the magazine catch. Release the magazine catch lever, hold the belt feed mechanism with both hands, move it ‘towards the rear to disengage the two pins at the front of the mouth from the projections of the magazine carrier, and lift it clear ot the gun. 59. If the breech of the gun is open, and the chamber is clear, release the breech block. 60. If the breech of the gun is closed, cock the gun and ensure that the chamber is clear, then release the breech block. Unloading the mechanism 61. Remove the belt feed mechanism from the gun as detailed in para. 56 to 60. 62. Apply a spanner or ratchet wrench to the hexagonal projection of the tensioning ratchet and rotate it to ensure that the driving spring is fully tensioned. 63. Using the handle of a mallet or other suitable piece of wood, push the rounds forward out of the mouth, one at a time, taking care to receive each round so that it is not dropped as it leaves the mouth. Apply further tension to the driving spring during this operation if necessary. WT SORE BO UEEORWITH ENT TEUSIONN PAIRS OSE Bicner FER SRB Ee UGEORB™ ERA ppustenne tbs Be ad aay REAR COVER, Ia ow — Hy sigue cou wee QQ \ snare Ll sac, vane peeo iN Sesusie ane wae penser {al payne Seas SEs Hae EP yx ile th Bie BRE Bike "Ln BRACKET EJECTOR RACK ROLLER —Part sectional view of the belt feed mechanism, Mk.I*This leof issued with ALL. No. 9 February, 1945 64. ‘To remove the last round from the mouth, open the link chute cover and push the lower end of the front feed lever with a screwdriver or similar implement so that the lever rotates AIR PUBLICATION 1641F VOLUME | CHAPTER 9 to withdraw the last round retainer and allow the last round to reach the loading position in the bottom of the mouth. Push the last round forward and receive it as it leaves the mouth, DESCRIPTION OF COMPONENTS Case components, fig. 10 and 11 65. The case is cylinduical, open at the ends and down one side. Inside the case are riveted three circumferential guides; there are five guides in the Mk. V mechanism, The front and centre guides extend round nearly the full circumference of the case, but the rear guide is short, being located close to the mouth on the side nearer the link chutes. The additional two guides in the Mk. V mechanism are riveted at the sides of the link ejection opening to lead the links out of the mechanism, 66. The belt guide is riveted over a slot in the case and its lower edge is formed for the attachment of an ammunition chute. Two packing pieces, which guide the links between the sprockets, are riveted inside the belt guide; REAR CARTRIDGE RAMP FEED LEVER Stop REAR COVER RECESS FOR. Cast ROUND CONTAINER TTT MotTH the thinner one on the side near the mouth, and the thicker-one on the side away from the mouth. 67. The link chute is riveted over a slot in the case and a hinged cover is provided on top to give access to the interior of the chute and the belt feed mechanism. A latch is riveted to the cover to retain it in the closed position by engaging a stud on the outer end of the chute. A ramp is secured inside the cover, and a flat spring, riveted to the inner end of the ramp, assists the smooth ejection of the links. A lug at each side of the link chute permits attachment of a neck or extension to convey the links away from the gun, 68. ‘The mouth is similar to the mouth of the 60-round magazine and it is secured at each CAM GROOVE RECESS FOR nk €JECTOR BRACKET = (GROOVE FOR EDGE OF CASE Fig. I1_—Covers and mouthend to the covers by three screws; the screws at the rear end are shorter than those at the front end. Grooves are formed along cach side of the mouth to receive the edges of the case and at the rear of the mouth is a shoulder for the magazine catch to engage. On each side, at the front of the mouth, is a pin to engage the hook-shaped projections of the magazine carrier. A small lip is formed along part of the inside lower edge of the mouth en each side to support each round until it is pushed forward by the breech block. 69. ‘The front and rear covers have lugs for the tie rods which hold them to the case, and cach has a circumferential groove in its inner face to receive one end of the case. In the front cover, sce fig. 11, is formed the cam groove by which the noses of the bullets are guided and thrust back as the rounds are carried through the mechanism. A hollow boss on the front cover accommodates the driving mechanism, and recesses are provided for the rack and pawl. 70. ‘The rear cover is practically flat, but has a bored central boss which forms a bearing for the rear end of the shaft. A cartridge ramp, of the complementary contour to the cam groove in the front cover, is riveted to the rear cover and- limits the rearward movement of the v [RACK SPRING AND CUIDE rounds, A rear feed lever stop, in the form of a peg, is riveted inside the rear cover to prevent excessive movement of the feed levers. Driving mechanism, fig. 4, 10, and 12 71. The driving mechanism consists of a rack with spring and guide, a ratchet actuating segment, a tensioning ratchet with pawl, a ratchet thrust spring, a driving spring hub, a driving spring, and slipping spring band. 72. The rack has six gear teeth to engage the teeth on the actuating segment. A blind hole in the upper end of the rack accommodates the rack spring with its guide, and at the lower end of the rack is a roller. ‘There are two longi- tudinal grooves in the lower half of the rack, diametrically opposite to cach other, and one of these slots, according to whether the rack is used in a right-hand or left-hand feed mechanism, is engaged by the end of the rack retaining screw to prevent the rack rotating or moving too far out of its reces 73. ‘The actuating segment is a running fit on the driving spring hub, and is accommodated inside the hollow bass of the front cover. Eight teeth ate formed on part of its periphery to engage with the teeth of the rack. On the front face of the segment are 1J ratchet teeth which ack RACK ROLLER TENsIONING! Rarcner, PAWL AND C a“ Fig. 12,—Driving mechanism DRIVING SPRING HUB, N RATCHET THRUST SPRING DRIVING. SPRING Case coven ‘componentsThis leof issued with AL. No. 9 February, 1945 ‘engage with the ratchet teeth of the tensioning ratchet. A ratchet thrust spring is positioned to maintain contact between the two sets of ratchet teeth, 74, The tensioning ratchet, see fig. 4 and 10, fits over the end of the driving spring hub and is secured toit by a transverse pin, The driving spring hub fits over and is free to rotate on the front end of the shaft, and the boss of the tensioning ratchet rotates in the bearing formed in the front cover. The driving spring hub thus forms the front bearing for the shaft, but ‘each is free to rotate independently of the other, ‘Tt On the reat face of the tensioning ratchet are 1] ratchet teeth which engage the teeth of the actuating segment, On the periphery of the tensioning ratchet are the 11 ratchet teeth which are engaged by the pawl. The boss of the tensioning ratchet projects through the front cover and is hexagonal to enable it to be rotated by a spanner to apply initial tension to the driving spring. 76. ‘The spring-loaded pawl is accommodated in a hole in the front cover and secured by a bawving. Spring DRIVING SHAFT EXTRA SPROCKET Fig. 13. LINK EJECTOR BRACKET, AIR PUBLICATION 1641F VOLUME | CHAPTER 9 retaining plug; in the Mk. V mechanism it is secured by a split pin, 77. _At the rear end of the driving spring hub are four ratchet type teeth any one of which can engage the inner end of the driving spring. ‘The front end of the hub is pinned to the tensioning ratchet. 78. ‘The driving spring is of clock pattern and at the inner end it is hooked to engage one of the four teeth on the driving spring hub. ‘The outer end is formed into a hook to engage one end of the slipping spring band. The slipping spring band is fitted inside the driving spring case and it slips round when the spring has reached a certain pre-determined tension. Shaft assembly, fig. 4, 10, 12, and 13 79. The shaft assembly consists of the shaft, front, centre, rear, and extra sprockets, a link ejector and bracket, a front feed lever with last round retainer, a rear feed lever, and a collar. 80. ‘The solid shaft rotates in the driving spring hub at the forward end, and in the rear cover at the rear end. A key-way and key are provided in the shaft to locate the sprockets, Link Evector SPROCKETS FRONT CENTRE’AND REAR SPROCKETS Shaft assemblyand holes are drilled for the pins securing the collar and front sprocket. 81. The front, centre, and rear sprockets are provided with hubs which extend from their rear faces, each being provided with a key-way to fit the shaft key. ‘The hubs serve as spacers to maintain the sprockets in their correct longi- tudinal positions on the shaft. Each sprocket has 11 teeth and the driving spring case is riveted to the front face of the front sprocket. ‘The centre sprocket is thicker than the others and prevents movement of the links to the rear while the rounds are pushed out of them, and the front edges of the teeth are bevelled so that they do not foul the links as the belt enters the mechanism. 82, The link ejector comprises two. four- toothed sprockets fixed to a shaft rotating on the link ejector bracket positioned between the front and centre feed sprockets. On the centre portion of the shaft are four flats which are ‘engaged by a spring-loaded plunger to maintain the sprockets in one of their four located positioris. The link ejector bracket is a running fit on the hub of the front feed sprocket, but is prevented from rotating by its arm which is KEY FOR SPROCKETS engaged with the top edge of the mouth on the belt guide side. 83. The front feed lever is mounted on the hub of the centre sprocket and has two arms. ‘The front arm has a projection to push on the upper side of the second round in the mouth, and the rear arm has an extension which projects towards the rear and mates with a similar projection on the rear feed lever. Normally the two feed levers operate as one unit, and are only made separately to facilitate assembly on the shaft. 84. The last round retainer is pivoted between two lugs on the front feed lever and it projects into the mouth. On its outer side is a stud to which is attached a tension spring, the other end of the spring is formed into a loop which is passed through a slot in the case and anchored by a split ring, or, in the Mk. V mechanism, by a retaining bar. The spring holds the retainer against the belt guide side of the mouth and tends to pull the retainer further into the mouth. 85. The rear feed Jever has two arms and is mounted on the hub of the rear sprocket. The rear arm is the shorter of the two and has a DRIVING SPRING 'AND BAND: BRAKE, SPROCKET EXTRA, SPROCKET REAR SPROCKET REAR FEED LEVER LINK EJECTOR FRONT FEED LEVER Ane DERG ‘AND SPRING LINK EJECTOR BRACKET CENTRE = SPROCKET LAST ROUND RETAINER: Fig. 14.—Shaft components dismantledThis leaf issued with AL. No. 9 February, 1945 projection at its lower end to steady the rounds in the mouth, A lug is formed on the rear feed lever as an anchorage for one end of the rear feed lever spring, the other end of the spring being passed through a slot in the case, and secured by a split ring, or, in the Mk. V mechanism, by a retaining bar, The spring tends to rotate the lever in the opposite direction PRs M —[G4740 445900 C&P Gp.t AIR PUBLICATION 1641F VOLUME | CHAPTER 9 to that in which the shaft rotates, but the feed lever stop riveted inside the rear cover, prevents the lever rotating too far. 86. A collar, pinned to the shaft, keeps the feed levers and the sprockets in their correct, positions on the shaft. It also bears against the rear cover thus positioning the shaft assembly in the correct position in the case.