Belt (firearms)

An ammunition belt is a firearm device used to package and feed cartridges, typically for rapid-firing automatic weapons such as machine guns.

A feed strip is a simple rigid metal (usually steel or brass) tray, typically holding 15 to 30 cartridges that are crimped together into a row.

[citation needed] This type of belt consists of a design that can be reused, as it does not fall apart during function, similar to a feed strip.

These designs were prone to malfunctions due to the effects of oil, grease, and other contaminants altering the shape of the belt.

If they became saturated with water, canvas belts including the loops holding the cartridges would contract, and the gun mechanism would be unable to extract the rounds.

Among the modern machine guns using this system are the PK family, where its use is favored due to the rimmed 7.62×54mmR cartridge, which makes it more complicated to eject the round forward from the belt (although its not an impossibility, see the UK vz.

[citation needed] Flexible belts tend to hang downwards with gravity and randomly whip around with recoil during continuous firing, which can sometimes kink/twist and cause feeding malfunctions.

Free-hanging belts can also get dirty/messy with exposure to the elements, be clumsy to handle, and entangle to other objects especially when the shooter tries to maneuver around.

To minimize such issues, ammunition belts are sometimes carried in container devices designed to be attached to the firearm either by inserting like a drum magazine or just conveniently mounting to the side (for larger weapon systems).

These containers also often have a supporting/guiding bar which enables the belt to enter the weapon at an optimal (more perpendicular) angle, rather than bending down more acutely.