Removable magazines for projectile launchers and methods of operation

A removable magazine configured to be installed in a projectile launcher, carry and dispense projectiles to the projectile launcher, and carry a canister that contains a compressed gas for propelling the projectiles from the projectile launcher, the magazine comprising:

• a body configured to be slidingly received into a magazine receiver of the projectile launcher so that a lower end of the body protrudes from the magazine receiver;
• a projectile chamber inside the body for carrying the projectiles and a projectile feeder disposed in the projectile chamber for dispensing the projectiles to the projectile launcher;
• a canister cavity disposed inside the body for receiving the canister, the canister cavity having upper and lower ends;
• a puncture needle disposed at the upper end of the canister cavity by which the canister within the canister cavity can be pierced to release the compressed gas to a launching mechanism of the projectile launcher;
• a canister seat disposed at the lower end of the canister cavity, the canister seat being translatable toward and away from the upper end of the canister cavity between a retracted position and an extended position wherein the canister seat is closer to the puncture needle in the extended position than in the retracted position;
• a piercing unit located at the lower end of the body of the removable magazine, the piercing unit comprising a base, a nub that protrudes from the base, and a piercing plate mounted to and retained on the nub to enable the piercing plate to translate toward and away from the base between an extended position of the piercing plate and a retracted position of the piercing plate, the canister seat translating in response to translation of the piercing plate, wherein when the piercing plate is in the extended position thereof the piercing plate is spaced apart from the base and the canister seat is in the retracted position thereof, and wherein when the piercing plate is in the retracted position thereof the piercing plate is adjacent the base and the canister seat is in the extended position thereof;
• and
• a canister release button reciprocably disposed on the piercing unit, the canister release button having a nonextended position that indicates that the canister is not engaged by the puncture needle and the canister release button having an extended position that indicates that the canister is engaged with the puncture needle, wherein depressing the canister release button to cause the canister release button to translate from the extended position thereof to the nonextended position thereof releases the piercing plate from the retracted position thereof to travel to the extended position thereof and thereby disengage the canister from the puncture needle.