Ammunition transfer apparatus for uploading and downloading a magazine

Ammunition handling apparatus comprising, in combination:

• A. an ammunition storage magazine;
• B. a rotary conveyor contained by said magazine, said rotary conveyor including
• 1) a series of carrier elements for retaining horizontally oriented rounds of ammunition in a succession of carrier positions during conveyance within said magazine, and
• 2) at least one turnaround section;
• C. a linear transfer conveyor for conveying ammunition rounds to and from said magazine along a horizontal path aligned with the ammunition round axis;
• and
• D. a transfer mechanism for laterally transferring ammunition rounds between transfer and rotary conveyors without axial reorientation of the ammunition rounds, said transfer mechanism including
• 1) a set of first transfer elements mounted on a first shaft located parallel to and generally above said transfer conveyor,
• (2) a set of second transfer elements mounted on a second shaft located parallel to said first shaft and between said transfer conveyor and said turnaround path section of said rotary conveyor,
• (3) first means for pivoting said first transfer elements between a first position in engagement with an ammunition round on said transfer conveyor and a second position in ammunition round exchanging relation with said carrier elements of one of said rotary conveyor carrier positions swinging through said turnaround path section, and
• (4) second means acting on said second shaft to pivot said second transfer elements between a first position clear of said rotary conveyor and a second position to pick an ammunition round from one of said carrier positions swinging through said turnaround section and to provide underlying rolling support for ammunition rounds uploaded onto said rotary conveyor during pivotal movement of said first transfer elements from said first to said second positions and for ammunition rounds downloaded from said rotary conveyor during pivotal movement of said first transfer elements from said second to said first positions.