Lebel model 1886
| Lebel model 1886 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| general information | |
| Country of operation: | France |
| Production time: | 1886 to 1920 |
| Weapon Category: | gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1307 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 4.2 kg |
| Barrel length : | 800 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 8 × 50 mm R Lebel |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 8 (3 for the carbine) cartridges |
| Ammunition supply : | integrated tube magazine under the barrel |
| Number of trains : | 4th |
| Twist : | Left |
| Closure : | Cylinder lock |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Lebel Model 1886 (French: Fusil d'Infantrie Modèle 1886 ) was the standard rifle of the French army for several decades from the end of the 19th century to around 1916 . After the development of smokeless gunpowder ( Poudre B ) in 1886, it was the first specimen designed for use with the new ammunition.
history
The smokeless gunpowder developed by the French chemist Paul Vieille in 1886, a mixture of gun cotton , ether and alcohol , offered about three times the explosive effect of the previously used black powder and caused a revolution in weapons technology. The size of the cartridges could be reduced significantly, so that the soldier could carry significantly more ammunition. At the same time, the muzzle velocity of the weapons increased, with effects on range and accuracy. The impairment of the shooter due to the previously enormous smoke development has been eliminated. The principle of smokeless gunpowder was further perfected by Alfred Nobel , among others (see cordite ).
The French government immediately set up a committee (headed by Colonel Nicolas Lebel ) to develop an adapted infantry weapon. The Modèle 1886 was created within a very short time, using the barrel- action rifle "Gras" from 1874 as the basis . The caliber was reduced from 11 to 8 mm and the ammunition was fed from a tubular magazine. An improved version from 1893 was named Modèle 1886/93. Despite everything, the weapon had various defects; the shooter needed a considerable amount of time to reload the tubular magazine, so that in the battle after firing the eight cartridges in the magazine he basically had a single loader. Since the eight cartridges (initially with Maillechort round head bullet "Balle M", then from 1898 with a bronze pointed bullet "Balle D") were stored in the magazine "Bullet tip on primer", accidents could occur in the event of strong vibrations or impacts. By introducing a cartridge with a narrow groove on the bottom instead of the slightly curved case bottom, attempts were made to eliminate this problem during the First World War . In addition, it was impossible to dismantle the breech without tools and the 1.35 m long rifle was too bulky.
Other states followed with their own developments, such as the German Empire with the "commission rifle" Mauser Model 88 in the Mannlicher system , Denmark with the Krag-Jørgensen from 1889, Russia with the Mosin-Nagant from 1891 and Italy with the Carcano model 1891 . These rifles already had magazines that were much easier to handle than the Lebel's tubular magazine.
After France had fallen far behind in terms of weapons technology , especially due to the German Mauser Model 98 , plans were made to introduce a self-loading rifle in rimless 7 × 57 mm caliber from 1909 with the Meunier rifle . Due to the outbreak of the First World War, however, this weapon was never mass-produced. From 1915 the Lebel model 1886/93 was first replaced by the Berthier model 1907/15 in colonial troops and in the Foreign Legion . The shorter Berthier carbine has already been used by cavalry, artillery and engineers. The Berthier had the same dimensions and the same breech, but was loaded with three-shot loading frames from the Mannlicher system . The empty loading frames fell out of the magazine through an opening at the bottom. The Berthier turned out to be somewhat more reliable compared to the Lebel . After frequent complaints about insufficient magazine capacity, the Berthier Mle. Introduced in 1916 with a five-round magazine.
Like the Berthier, the Lebel could be equipped with the VB ( Viven-Bessières ) rifle grenade device. A conversion of the Lebel in 1915 made it possible for riflemen in the trenches to shoot without having to look out of the trench. Experienced shooters were able to hit precisely at 400 m, although ranges of 3000 m were possible.
Since the modernization of armament was initially given little priority in France after the First World War, the Lebel rifle remained in the stocks and was still used during the western campaign . From 1935 to 1940 around 50,000 Lebel Mle carabiners were made. 1886 M93R35 manufactured to equip North African colonial troops. The final successor to the rifles in the now completely outdated Lebel caliber was the MAS-36 in caliber 7.5 × 54 mm , introduced in 1936 .
literature
- Wolfgang Finze, Joachim Görtz: Foreign rifles in German service 1914–1918. Books on Demand GmbH, 2003, ISBN 3-8311-4609-8 .
References
- ↑ Musée de l'Armée (Paris), Le fusil modèle 1886/93, dit fusil Lebel (PDF, 451 kB) ( Memento from October 28, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) with Lebel - variant from 1915 for trenches, page 2