Montana Patent of the Month – October 2023
Pistol enthusiasts and firearm manufacturers are well aware of the critical role that magazines play in semi automatic handguns. These removable ammunition magazines, which are inserted into the magazine well of the handgun’s grip, are vital for feeding rounds to the firearm’s chamber. Shield Arms, LLC, a company focused on providing innovative, life-protecting, high-value products, has been granted a patent for a magazine designed with increased ammunition capacity.
Traditional semi automatic handguns typically utilize box magazines with rectangular cross-sectional bodies to hold and feed ammunition cartridges. These magazines vary in size and shape, depending on the handgun model, ammunition caliber, and desired round capacity. Magazine design is a crucial factor in firearm performance, and some handguns even require specialized magazines specific to their make and model.
For instance, some handguns use single-stack magazines, which hold cartridges in a single row, while others employ double-stack magazines that accommodate cartridges in an alternating double column. Double-stack magazines have a higher round capacity but are wider, leading to a bulkier grip, which may not be ideal for all users.
Here’s where Shield Arms comes into the picture. They’ve introduced an innovative pistol magazine designed to provide a solution to the trade-off between capacity and grip size. Their magazine design offers an increased ammunition capacity without the need for a significantly wider grip.
The Shield Arms magazine features a metallic tubular body, and it is dimensioned to replace the standard polymer or polymer-over-metal single-stack magazines. What sets it apart is the unique longitudinal exterior ridge on the forward wall of the magazine’s body. This ridge compensates for the front-to-back dimensioning difference compared to the standard magazines while maintaining the same exterior dimensions.
This ingenious design allows the magazine to hold more rounds without requiring a wider grip on the handgun. As a result, users can enjoy increased ammunition capacity without compromising on grip size or concealability.
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