Delinker mechanism for chain-driven machine gun

A method of operating a rearward-stripping externally-powered gun, the gun having a receiver at the rear end of a longitudinal barrel, the receiver having a motor and motor drive system and being configured to laterally receive a plurality of cartridges held within a series of connected links with a rear base of the cartridges facing to the rear, the method comprises:

• driving a bolt carrier longitudinally forward and rearward by the motor drive system, the bolt carrier having a longitudinal tube and tower extending perpendicularly away from the tube, a bolt being positioned within the longitudinal tube of the bolt carrier and having a forward end with a cartridge grasper adapted to engage the rear base of a cartridge, the bolt being aligned with a breech and chamber of the barrel;
• translating the cartridges laterally through the receiver;
• translating a delinker shaft arranged in the receiver longitudinally toward and away from the cartridges held within the connected links, the delinker shaft having a forward end adapted to engage the rear base of a cartridge and remove one cartridge at a time from the connected links, the delinker shaft passing through a delinker bore in the bolt carrier tower, wherein the delinker shaft is coupled by a lock member to periodically translate with the bolt carrier tower;
• rotating a feed rotor about a longitudinal axis, the feed rotor being configured to transfer a cartridge from a delinked position engaged with the delinker shaft to a load position whereby the cartridge is engaged by the cartridge grasper of the bolt;
• and
• translating the bolt carrier forward until the delinker shaft is in position to engage the rear base of a cartridge, whereby the lock member decouples further forward translation of the delinker shaft from the bolt carrier, and the bolt carrier continues forward to displace the bolt and a cartridge engaged thereby forward and deliver the cartridge to the chamber to be fired.