| Lee Rifle, Model of 1895, Caliber 6mm | |
|---|---|
 Winchester Lee-Navy M1895 | |
| Type | Bolt-action rifle |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1895–1907 |
| Used by | United States Navy United States Marine Corps |
| Wars | Spanish–American War Philippine–American War Boxer Rebellion |
| Production history | |
| Designer | James Paris Lee |
| Manufacturer | Winchester Repeating Arms Company |
| Produced | 1895 |
| No. built | Approx. 15,000[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 8.32 pounds (3.77 kg) |
| Length | 47.75 in (121.3 cm) |
| Barrel length | 28 in (71 cm) |
| Cartridge | 6mm Lee Navy[2] |
| Action | Straight-pull bolt action |
| Muzzle velocity | 779 m/s (2,560 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 549 m (600 yd) individual target, 915 m (1,001 yd) massed target |
| Maximum firing range | 1,829 m (2,000 yd) |
| Feed system | 5-round en bloc clip, internal box magazine |
| Sights | Blade front, U-notch rear, adjustable for windage/elevation |
The M1895 Lee Navy was a straight-pull magazine rifle adopted in limited numbers by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in 1895 as a first-line infantry rifle.[3][4] The Navy's official designation for the Lee Straight-Pull rifle was the "Lee Rifle, Model of 1895, caliber 6-mm"[3] but the weapon is also largely known by other names, such as the "Winchester-Lee rifle", "Lee Model 1895", "6mm Lee Navy", and "Lee Rifle, Model of 1895".
It fired a 6mm (0.236-in. caliber) cartridge,[3] which used an early smokeless powder,[5][6] was semi-rimless, and fired a 135-grain (later 112-grain) jacketed bullet.[2][3] The 6mm U.S.N. or Lee Navy Cartridge was also used in the navy version of the Colt–Browning Model 1895 machinegun.[2][7]
- ^ Barnes, Frank C., ed. by John T. Amber, Cartridges of the World: 6mm Lee Navy (6th ed.), Northfield, IL: DBI Books Inc., ISBN 0-87349-033-9 (1984), p. 102
- ^ a b c Hanson, Jim, The 6mm U.S.N. - Ahead Of Its Time, Rifle Magazine Vol. 9 No. 1 (January–February 1977), pp. 38–41
- ^ a b c d Walter, John, The Rifle Story: An Illustrated History from 1776 to the Present Day, MBI Publishing Company, ISBN 1-85367-690-X, 9781853676901 (2006), pp. 133–135
- ^ Sampson, W.T., The Annual Reports of the Navy Department: Report of Chief of Bureau of Ordnance, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office (1895), pp. 215–218
- ^ Reports of Companies, The Chemical Trade Journal and Oil, Paint, and Colour Review, Vol. 18, June 20, 1896, p. 401: The Smokeless Powder Co., Ltd. originally developed Rifleite for the British .303 cartridge.
- ^ Walke, Willoughby (Lt.), Lectures on Explosives: A Course of Lectures Prepared Especially as a Manual and Guide in the Laboratory of the U.S. Artillery School, J. Wiley & Sons (1897) p. 343: Rifleite was a flake smokeless powder composed of soluble and insoluble nitrocellulose, phenyl amidazobense, and volatiles similar to French smokeless powders; unlike cordite, Rifleite contained no nitroglycerine.
- ^ The New York World, The World Almanac and Encyclopedia: Rifles Used by the Principal Powers of the World, Vol. 1 No. 4, New York: Press Publishing Co. (January 1894), p. 309: The Naval Small Arms Board reported that in adopting the 6mm cartridge specification, "due consideration has been given to the desirability of using the same cartridge for machine guns as for the small arm, and the Board deems that no difficulty in the manufacture or manipulation of machine guns will be caused by their use of 6mm ammunition."