What do people think is a reliable motorised winder? I will probably be fitting it in an ammo box with a dummy belt for use when firing off a tripod 
Small, cordless rechargable screwdrivers are pretty good and built to last.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
I used to have the internals from an ACM electric AK47 drum mag in my MG42 assault drum mag but found it was becoming increasingly troublesome and unreliable so I swapped it out for an A&K SVD winding hicap magazine. Much more reliable, and more realistic for ww2 games as you have to stop and wind the mag which simulates belt changes. It's also a lot lighter (no motor + 6x AA batteries) so the gun isn't constantly trying to twist to the left with the weight of the mag on the side.
I think Tony used the same on one of his MG42 mags also.
“I wanted to come to the Volga at a specific location at a specific city. By chance it carries the name of Stalin himself. So don’t think I marched there for this reason – it could carry another name – but because there is a very important goal... this goal I wanted to take – and you know – we are very modest, we have it already."
Adolf Hitler, November 1942
"Comrades, Red Army men, commanders and political workers, men and women guerrillas! It is on your perseverance, staunchness, fighting skill and readiness to discharge your duty to the country that the defeat of the German-fascist army and the liberation of the Soviet land from the Hitlerite invaders depend! We can and must clear the Soviet land of Hitlerite vermin."
Joseph Stalin, November 1942
im with Boshman,cant beat clockwork hi-cap innards for reliability.
armoury
m1a1 Thompson,sten mk2,mp40,stg44,sterling,mk2 bren gun,lee Enfield no4 mk1,Mauser Kar98, Walther ppk,smith and Weston m10 and Mauser m712
Give me a big enough hammer and a place to stand and I could fix the world.
i'll kill a man in a fair fight or if i think he's going to start a fair fight or over a woman or.......
a problem shared is a problem halved ,but an advantage shared is no advantage at all
if a job's not worth doing then its certainly not worth doing well
I think you're missing my point. A cordless screwdriver ATTACHED to a hicap mech, is a very reliable way to wind, especially at the speeds required for a support gun. You can also adjust the speed on many of them, unlike airsoft electric drums. Airsoft mechs are ok if you have limited space, such as in an assault drum but, if you're using an ammo box for your feed, bigger is better.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
I think you're missing my point. A cordless screwdriver ATTACHED to a hicap mech, is a very reliable way to wind, especially at the speeds required for a support gun. You can also adjust the speed on many of them, unlike airsoft electric drums. Airsoft mechs are ok if you have limited space, such as in an assault drum but, if you're using an ammo box for your feed, bigger is better.
yup that would be a good combo if you want to go electric.
armoury
m1a1 Thompson,sten mk2,mp40,stg44,sterling,mk2 bren gun,lee Enfield no4 mk1,Mauser Kar98, Walther ppk,smith and Weston m10 and Mauser m712
Give me a big enough hammer and a place to stand and I could fix the world.
i'll kill a man in a fair fight or if i think he's going to start a fair fight or over a woman or.......
a problem shared is a problem halved ,but an advantage shared is no advantage at all
if a job's not worth doing then its certainly not worth doing well
Ah yes that makes sense Pete. The big MG3 box mag I had on my old Shoei MG42 which I used as a bundy MG3 at the time used exactly that, a G3 hicap with a cheap B&Q electric screwdriver motor, gearbox, and battery attached to it. I just put a cheap hex-bit in the screwdrivers end which engaged directly with the center of the hicap winder. That was very reliable, it's a pitty the Shoei MG42 never was! 
“I wanted to come to the Volga at a specific location at a specific city. By chance it carries the name of Stalin himself. So don’t think I marched there for this reason – it could carry another name – but because there is a very important goal... this goal I wanted to take – and you know – we are very modest, we have it already."
Adolf Hitler, November 1942
"Comrades, Red Army men, commanders and political workers, men and women guerrillas! It is on your perseverance, staunchness, fighting skill and readiness to discharge your duty to the country that the defeat of the German-fascist army and the liberation of the Soviet land from the Hitlerite invaders depend! We can and must clear the Soviet land of Hitlerite vermin."
Joseph Stalin, November 1942
plus with an ammo box needing someone to push the button to wind means HMGs need two people to fire, bonus.
Thanks for the input chaps, I already have 2 manual winder drum mags and the parts for another on the way, but the reason I asked about a motorised winder is that I have a MG53 carraige for a tripod and was thinking of knocking up some legs for it so that the MG can be mounted in a HMG roll. With the gun on its carraige I noticed that with the trigger plate at the rear it would be difficult to wind a drum mag while firing, also I thought it would look better if belt fed so thought a motorised winder would be the answer.
Well done Pete, cheap electric screwdriver on a manual winder, pure brilliance will have a play with it when I get a chance.
Craig, yes having the switch on the ammo box would give the loader something to do, its all very well trying to have a dedicated MG team but they both need a proper roll
Well done everyone and thanks for your input.
I'm curious Tim, what does said MG53 Carriage look like exactly? like that off an MG42 Laffette or like a MG3 Laffette?
“I wanted to come to the Volga at a specific location at a specific city. By chance it carries the name of Stalin himself. So don’t think I marched there for this reason – it could carry another name – but because there is a very important goal... this goal I wanted to take – and you know – we are very modest, we have it already."
Adolf Hitler, November 1942
"Comrades, Red Army men, commanders and political workers, men and women guerrillas! It is on your perseverance, staunchness, fighting skill and readiness to discharge your duty to the country that the defeat of the German-fascist army and the liberation of the Soviet land from the Hitlerite invaders depend! We can and must clear the Soviet land of Hitlerite vermin."
Joseph Stalin, November 1942
Hi Neil, its designed to sit on a 30 cal tripod, incomplete but thought it a good starting point for a project.
For my Vickers feed, I used a G3 high-cap internals (commonly avaliable and have a nice large radius feed wheel) drived by a minature servo (radio control model type) modifed for continuous rotation, so that it is turned into a compact high-torque gearbox'd motor.
A Proud Member Of 'Team Spleen!' who play mainly at Gunman Airsoft, Tuddenham, Suffolk.
