Ross rifle

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Ross rifle
Ross1910b.JPG
general information
Military designation: Rifle, Ross, Mk I / II / III
Country of operation: Canada , UK
Developer / Manufacturer: Sir Charles Ross ,
Ross Rifle Company, Québec
Manufacturer country: Canada
Production time: since 1903
Model variants: Mk I / Mk II / Mk III
(as well as many sub-versions)
Weapon Category: gun
Furnishing
Overall length: 1320 mm
Weight: (unloaded) 3.9-4.5 kg
Barrel length : 711 mm
Technical specifications
Caliber : .303 British
Possible magazine fillings : 5 cartridges
Ammunition supply : Box magazine, loading strip
Fire types: Single fire
Number of trains : 4th
Twist : Left
Closure : Straight pull closure
Lists on the subject

The Ross Rifle was a small arms, which to equip the Canadian Army in World War I belonged.

History and technology

At the beginning of the Second Boer War , many English-speaking Canadians volunteered. However, the British authorities refused to supply Canada with Lee Enfield rifles. Production under license was also not permitted. Instead, Canada was forced to try to equip itself with weapons from domestic production. Around 1900, the Scot Sir Charles Ross, 9th Baronet, developed a rifle based on the Mannlicher bolt action rifle with a straight pull bolt . In theory, the linear loading motion should allow for faster reloading and reloading. In practice, the weapon also proved to be very precise, but also prone to dirt and wear. The British military dismissed the rifle as unsuitable for these reasons, and Canada showed more interest. In 1903, the Ross rifle was officially adopted there, but subsequently subjected to many improvements. Finally, given the steadily growing number of modifications and changes, no new model designations were introduced. On the one hand, the adjustments got out of hand, on the other hand, they wanted to hide how immature the construction was.

commitment

The effort invested in the weapon showed only moderate success. Snipers paid tribute to the range and accuracy of the weapon. The adverse conditions of the trench warfare , however, also brought the shortcomings to light: the loading mechanism failed when it was dirty, the locking lugs wore out until it was impossible to lock the weapon, and bayonets sometimes fell off when the shot was fired . A design flaw that made it possible to fit the lock the wrong way round was particularly fatal . In this condition, you could fire a shot from an unlocked weapon. Because of the weapon’s deficiencies, Canadian front-line soldiers began recovering Lee-Enfields that had been lost on the battlefield and instead equipped themselves with them. The British Lee-Enfields used the same ammunition and had a larger magazine; but above all, they were more robust and reliable. Finally, the British Commander-in-Chief Sir Douglas Haig ordered that the Ross rifles should be withdrawn from the front lines without consulting the Canadian authorities. The controversy widened in 1916 and was one of the reasons for the early resignation of Canadian Defense Minister Sam Hughes , who had campaigned for the introduction of the Ross system at the time.

Only precision rifles of the Mk III Sniper’s model remained in use . Away from the muddy trenches and with the appropriate care, these long-barreled specimens have proven themselves far better. This required careful cleaning and care not only of the rifles themselves, but also of their ammunition. Apart from that, the steed no longer played a military role. The last arsenal stocks were issued to the British Home Guard in World War II , which, however, only performed rear security tasks and did not intervene in combat operations. A total of around 420,000 pieces were produced. 60,000 copies were shipped to the United Kingdom, all others were used by Canada itself.

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Web links

Commons : Ross rifle  - album with pictures, videos and audio files