The magazines are molded from a high-strength translucent polymer similar to what is found in the G-36 and XM8 rifle magazines. The magazine case allows for a lightweight, cheap, and flexible translucent material to view the rounds left inside the magazine. While not quite as rigid as steel, it is considered to be just as strong, if not more useful than standard steel constructed boxes.
The basic magazine is essentially a stand helical, drum, or stacked, mechanically powered gear driven magazine, that is powered to be in perfect synchronization with the firing system (although not programmed to be in perfect synchronization, as it's in fact the opposite). The magazines are designed to be relatively cheap, and achieve their power from the weapons primary firing system, or an external power source, rather than an internally driven power source to save on weight, price, and the complexity of the magazine itself.
It does so by using a gear located behind the firing hammer, using the backwards recoil to slide "teeth" across a gear located directly below and behind it's final firing position (although the hammer never allows the breech to open from the rear) to power a gear that extends to a series of smaller gears (usually) that space the rifle to eventually reach the magazine (usually from the back, for the shortest distance and to reduce the complexity). The magazine of course, is filled in the back with a series of gears covered in a small metallic pulley system using links (rather than rubber) to increase reliability. The metallic link, is of course connected to the loading plate, which in turn pushes up the rounds. The rounds can either be free floating or have spring powered links powerful enough to hold up the rounds but weak enough to be powered by the mechanical gears, that essentially hold the rounds in successive order.
