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piefed - Link to source

Gun nuts of the fediverse. Do any guns use two magazines at once?


 I hope folks read more than just the title. So im watching a show with a gun exchange and the person has to reload and you can see they are nervous to get the new magazine in so they can fire again and it made me think. Do any guns have two magazine where
I hope folks read more than just the title. So im watching a show with a gun exchange and the person has to reload and you can see they are nervous to get the new magazine in so they can fire again and it made me think. Do any guns have two magazine where you can either manually switch to the other magazine or maybe automatically do it when the first one is empty. With the idea that if you need to fire while in the middle of changing out the empty magazine you could. I feel like this seem obvious enough that someone must have tried it. I mean considering the crazy gun things I have seen. Since im not aware of anything I figure if it has been done it had an issue or was just not useful enough to make worth it. So for the folks that are really into guns, especially wierd protoype ones. Has there every been anything like this?
in reply to HubertManne

lemmy - Link to source

Zak

Yes, the Kel-Tec KSG bullpup shotgun has two magazines and a manual control to choose between them. In addition to twice the capacity of a single tube magazine of the same length, it offers the user the option to switch between two types of ammunition - a more significant advantage for a shotgun than most firearms due to the variety of ammunition available.

American twin-magazine bullpup pump shotgun.

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in reply to HubertManne

friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

Mark

Nazi Germany tried it with a version of the MP 40, didn't work due to putting too much weight towards the front and the mechanism constantly jamming.

What what you can find in the modern era are shotguns with multiple tube mags, although that's more for being able to have a mixture of shot and slugs. On a similar line is the STK 50MG which takes two belts, again to allow quick switching between standard and armour-piercing rounds. There's also dual purpose weapons like the Ares Shrike which can be used as either a mag fed rifle or belt fed machine gun.

Asklemmy reshared this.

in reply to HubertManne

lemmy - Link to source

PenguinCoder

It's not really worth it. A lot more complexity for the trigger and firing mechanisms, barrel alignment; etc. Weight is also a concern with any carry weapon. There were a couple of weapons in history that tried a dual mag setup

MP40I
The Burton
AF2011 (More double barrel but does fire simultaneously)

There's also the DIY jungle style

coupled magazines, refers to detachable box magazines, and thereof, that are fixed together side by side, for example, with tape, or purpose made magazine clamps, also called magazine couplers. The spare magazine may be pointing downwards in relation to the one fitted to the weapon, as to keep the feeding lips clear for insertion into the weapon.


In general these days, belt fed weapons are used for more capacity where needed.

Dual-Magazine MP40

The MP40/I (often erroneously called the MP40/II) was a short-lived experiment to increase firepower by mounting two magazines on a single gun.
Ian McCollum (Forgotten Weapons)
in reply to HubertManne

lemmy - Link to source

ArcaneSlime

Depends, if we're in the jungles of vietnam? Sure, suppressive fire, still need to retain ammo yourself though.

In a self defense situation in an American city? Bad idea, you're responsible for every round that leaves your barrel, if you hit a bystander while wildly winging shots at an attacker you're fucked and will be going to prison. Unless you're a cop, it would seem.

in reply to ArcaneSlime

piefed - Link to source

HubertManne

Well in most of the movie situations its an area where people are far enough away that the gunshots don't bring police and usually there are some family or such that is in a known direction usually behind them a ways that they are out of the fray. So its an idealized situation. I actually thought more pistol as soldiers will mostly be in a team where hopefully only one person is reloading at a time. I assumed that is why you would hear individual ones shouting reloading sometimes (again in movies). granted if separated and down to one I could see it being useful again. I mean im guessing given the 40i never took off so the idea is out there that it must not be all that useful.
in reply to HubertManne

lemmy - Link to source

Semester3383

...But what happens when your second magazine runs out? What then?

Let's say that I have a gun that normally has a seven round magazine. I add a second magazine. Now I've got 14 rounds! ...But why not just make a 14 round magazine? And now when I run out, I have to change two magazines. (FWIW, normal capacity for a semi-auto 9mm is 13-18 rounds, and 15 is about average. 7 is the OEM capacity of all traditional .45ACP 1911 pistols.)

IMO adding a secondary magazine, rather than increasing the capacity of an existing magazine, adds needless complexity. Added complexity increases the odds of failure. I hate to say that this is a skill issue, but, well, changing a magazine quickly is a skill that you should practice if you want to be proficient in practical shooting. (By "practical shooting", I mean things like IPSC, IDPA, USPSA, PCSL, three gun, steel challenge, self-defense, and war. You shouldn't need to worry about rapid magazine changes for hunting or long range competitions.)

in reply to Semester3383

lemmy - Link to source

sylver_dragon

The one argument for a multi-magazine setup would be ammo versatility. E.g. One magazine holds FMJ or the like for soft targets while the second holds armor piercing for hard targets or explosive/incendiary for anti-material. It's not a great argument for it, and it's probably why we don't see it all that often. But, the good idea fairy is a regular visitor to the arms manufacturing industry.
in reply to HubertManne

lemmy - Link to source

RiverRock

There are at least a few. There's the little villar perosa submachine gun from ww1 that everyone remembers from Battlefield 1, although that's basically two guns in one body. As far as something modern that truly is just one gun with two magazines, the Keltec KSG shotgun uses two tubes side by side that can be toggled between with a switch. Not only does it double the gun's capacity without adding any extra length, but it also allows you to load each tube with a different kind of shot and switch between the two at will. Adds a good amount of weight though.
in reply to RiverRock

lemmy - Link to source

MrWildBunnycat

There was another one in Battlefield 1 - an experimental machine gun with two magazines, but only one could be engaged at a time. You would pull one out slightly and push the other one in. The idea was to be able to switch between two different types of ammo for increased versatility (e. g. regular ammo against infantry and incendiary for anti-air). As with most weapons featured in Battlefield 1, I think this was a prototype that never saw any real action.
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