[req] Ultimax 100 drum magazine loading procedure

[REMOV]

I have a few questions, most probably to our Singaporean friends, about loading procedure of the empty 100-rounds drum magazine from Ultimax 100 machine gun. Are the rounds loaded from top (through feed lips)? Is there any device (loading tool) to help in this operation? Is there any spring to wind before loading? How long it take to load the whole magazine? I will be appreciate for pictures or maybe drawings from manual. TIA

[Kocur]

... and does it work well or is problematic? I have another: what is weight of Ultimax 100 barrel?

[gafkiwi]

I was carried one when my coy was on exercise in Fiji in the 90s and had to swap my 203 for one with a fijian soldier. For one reason or another they only had one drum per gun and no sign of any type of reloading tool, and these ones where easy enough to load via the lips on the top until about the 60-70 rd point, then it became bloody hard and we had to use something solid to push them in. Once the drum was gone that was it for an extended period of time, so we just used them as rifles.
I'm not a big fan of mag-fed machineguns, but the drum worked alright

[Anti_tanky]

In all my time and that of quite a number of friends, I have never ever seen a Ultimax loaded or even on display with a drum mag, and while my units armskote had a comprehensive list of items in store (including out of date parts for M16 DMR weapons) not once did I ever see the drum listed on there.

On top of that the DMR and heavy barrel/open bolt SAR21's will be out soon, probably pushing the old Ulty into obscurity - in a move similar to that proposed for the XM8, but probably with allot less component commonality between the weapons.

The SAF has used "SAW mags", which more or less are identical to the M16 mag, but with a pair of circular catch holes instead of the standard AR15 square.

From what I know though the drum isn't used because of field loading issues as well as the unacceptable weight increase.

My hat go's off to anyone who's handled one of those with a drum, a rare site indeed.