Lebel Model 1886 rifle

Lebel Model 1886 rifle
Fusil Modèle 1886/M93
Lebel M1886. From the Swedish Army Museum.
TypeBolt-action rifle
Place of originFrench Third Republic
Service history
In service1887–1945 (France)
1945–present (Limited usage)
Used bySee Users
WarsBoxer Rebellion
French colonial expeditions
First Italo-Ethiopian War
Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)
Monegasque Revolution
World War I
Franco-Turkish War
Polish–Soviet War
Spanish Civil War
Second Italo-Ethiopian War
World War II
First Indochina War
Algerian War (limited)
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)[1]
Iraq War (limited)
Production history
DesignerTeam led by Gen. Baptiste Tramond [fr] (Gras, Lebel, Vieille, Bonnet, Desaleux, Close, Verdin).
Designed1885–1886
ManufacturerManufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne
Manufacture d'armes de Châtellerault
Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Tulle
Unit cost40 francs (1891)[2]
Produced1887–1920
No. built3,450,000
Specifications
Mass4.41 kg (9.7 lb)
(loaded with 8 rounds)
4.18 kg (9.2 lb)
(unloaded)
Length130 cm (51.2 in)
Barrel length80 cm (31.5 in)

Cartridge8×50mmR Lebel
Caliber8mm
4 grooves, right to left twist
ActionBolt-action
Rate of fire43 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity610 to 700 m/s
(2,000 to 2,300 ft/s)
Effective firing range400 m (438 yards) (individual targets)
Maximum firing range1,800 m (1,968 yards) (volley fire at massed area targets)
Feed system8-round tube magazine +1 in the elevator +1 in the chamber (unsafe)
SightsU-notch and front post

The Lebel Model 1886 rifle (French: Fusil Modèle 1886 dit "Fusil Lebel") also known as the "Fusil Mle 1886 M93", after a bolt modification was added in 1893, is an 8 mm bolt-action infantry rifle that entered service in the French Army in 1887. It is a repeating rifle that can hold eight rounds in its fore-stock tube magazine, one round in the elevator plus one round in the chamber; equaling a total of ten rounds held. The Lebel rifle has the distinction of being the first military firearm to use smokeless powder ammunition. The new propellant powder, "Poudre B," was nitrocellulose-based and had been invented in 1884 by French chemist Paul Vieille. Lieutenant Colonel Nicolas Lebel contributed a flat nosed 8 mm full metal jacket bullet ("Balle M," or "Balle Lebel"). Twelve years later, in 1898, a solid brass pointed (spitzer) and boat-tail bullet called "Balle D" was retained for all 8mm Lebel ammunition. Each case was protected against accidental percussion inside the tube magazine by a primer cover and by a circular groove around the primer cup which caught the tip of the following pointed bullet. Featuring an oversized bolt with front locking lugs and a massive receiver, the Lebel rifle was a durable design capable of long range performance. In spite of early obsolete features, such as its tube magazine and the shape of 8mm Lebel rimmed ammunition, the Lebel rifle remained the basic weapon of French infantry during World War I (1914–1918). Altogether, 3.45 million Lebel rifles were produced by the three French state factories between 1887 and 1916.[3]

  1. ^ Mackie, Brendan (June 22, 2012). "ABP lead successful operation in southern Afghanistan". U.S. Army.
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ James 2014, pp. 67–71&108–109