Ultimax being phased out?

last SG · 2007-10-12T07:11:21+00:00

Oh, me too. I served in Inf Bde S2, Bn S2 and rifle platoon.

SpKCb SG

Any know the current state of the ultimax drum magazines being phased out because they are too unreliable, heavy or because they require special tools to reload? Can anyone in the mil. chime in?

Rockhound SG

they stopped using for some time wot...

anywaes..the drums at armskotes...look brand new...no scratch watsoever

Ponders SG

i inadvertently "read" a directive before about usage of such drums...

about compromising safety.. thus not used.

spartan6 SG

They r not phased not but not use it peace time cos it is difficult 2 load e rds in2 e drum, they r use only in war where they will be pre-load before issue. There is a machine 2 load them Neutral

senate077 SG

yup, it’s only for use during war time. during training,on one will be able to hand load these drum mags like a normal mag.

Rockhound SG

actually can...but after abt 50 rounds.....the spring resistance very strong already...hard to push

FG42 SG

I wonder how the russians managed to load 71 rounds into the drum magazine of PPSh M1941 during WW2 while today we cant do it?

specialOps SG

The russian drum maybe different design lor...dunno.

Anyway, yeah, the drums are pre-loaded and ready to issue in real ops.

The Ultimax itself will not be phased out. It is extremely reliable, and very very accurate when used properly.

I fired five/six-round bursts before from bipod...all the rounds shot in a straight line, hitting almost the same spot, the target board just bounce up and down.... Smile

only prob is the blanks sometimes not enough force to load the rounds properly, thus the image in servicemen is that it will jam, but it will not.

SpKCb SG

according to the wiki page about the ultimax it says

"However, because the Ultimax 100 uses a different magazine catch from the M16, the magazines must be modified by drilling two holes on the left hand lip. The drum magazine is great for sustained fire, but can be reloaded only with the help of external tools because of its powerful internal springs. Due to this impracticality, the drum magazine is largely phased out of service in the Singapore Armed Forces.[citation needed]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimax

I was just wondering if this was true or not.

equlus84 SG

Yes the M-16 magazines have to be drilled with two holes to allow the mag to be attached properly to the magazine well. I wonder with the introduction of SAR-21, is there any plans to introduce the SAR-21 mag into the ultimax100?

beavan SG

i seriously doubt they'll change it to a polymer magazine.

specialOps SG

The SAR-21 polymer mag simply can't fit, its too fat.

The Ultimax's magazine catch is same size as M-16, just that the catch is not via a lock at the back, but its two pins from the side, that's why need to drill hole.

Most SAF M-16 mags are already pre-drilled to function in both M-16 and Ultimax.

M551Sheridian SG

develop new magazine catch/wat ever system needed to hold and let the magazine function ? ? or make new mags for the gun

davechng SG

Russian 75 round drum magazine for the RPK is differnt from our Ultimax 100! it has a latch in front of the mag that aids loading .. depressing the latch depress the spring and thus you can drop 4 to 5 rd in with no spring tension! than when that is done, you depress the latch and so on and so for.

IT works but after 75 rd! you get quite a soar thumb!

The CHinese AK drum is better ! you open the backside of the drum and drop all the rounds , 75 or 100 rd depending on the type.... and than close the back cover .. crank the spring to get the tension and rock and roll.

DaveC!

FG42 SG

i see, but why ST doesnt adopt these ideas instead?

SpKCb SG

As for the ultimax drum, how often does it jam? How reliable is it in general, or in dirty conditions?

storywolf SG

It is good, almost never jam and will work in dirty condition - due to the strong spring system. That is why it cannot be hand loaded as the spring is too strong for hand loading

SpecOps87 SG

What I don’t get is..why can’t the a crank be used to set the spring to tension? Ultimax is supposed to be SAW (Section Automatic Weapon) it often ends up being SBW (Section Burst Weapon) as gunners are told to fire in short bursts…sheesh.

I_love_my_toilet SG

u must know who calls the shot 1st

ST is a sub-contractor of SAF

Shotgun SG

I'm sure we have drums of them pre-loaded to be distributed in times of war. Probably in deep storage now or smth