The present invention pertains to an ammunition gripping device, and more particularly, to a gripping device for handling a variety of soft and irregularly shaped ammunition without damage to the ammunition.
Ammunition transfer mechanisms are widely used for rapidly moving ammunition from a plurality of storage areas into guns on ships, aircraft, armored land vehicles and other military equipment. Metal grippers have been used to grasp the ammunition, store it and load it into the breech of a gun. This worked quite well for the older style of metal ammunition cartridges, however, much of the present day ammunition is encased in soft shelled, irregularly shaped cases made of combustible material to reduce the problem of disposing of spent cartridges. An excess of pressure on the case by metal grippers could cause damage to the case and result in a variety of problems.