What with being snowed in yesterday, I decided to get out the camera.
My French Mle 1886-93 Lebel. This is the very first rifle adopted by the French after they invented smokeless powder. It is unusual for a bolt-action rifle in that it has a magazine tube under the barrel, exactly like a Winchester lever action rifle. The magazine held 8 rounds of 8mm Lebel, and although it would be possible to also carry it with a round on the lifter and one in the chamber, I don't think they actually did that. It was the standard issue French rifle during the First World War.
The rifle unofficially carries the name of Lt. Col Nicholas Lebel although he only designed the bullet, not the rifle. It was actually designed by a commission. Introduced in 1886, almost all of them have modifications that were finalized in 1893. Typical of French rifles, they don't have a safety, the lever above the trigger is a magazine cut-off.
The following image shows the cartridge lifter in the down position, ready to receive the next round from the magazine. It pops up when the bolt is retracted all the way to the rear. You really have to pull the bolt smartly to the rear to get the lifter to pop up, it is not a rifle that you treat gently.
The bolt fully to the rear, the cartridge lifter pops up so that the next round would be ready to feed.
This is a slightly different view that better shows the small lever that pops up along the right side of the receiver at the same time as when the lifter pops up. When you close the bolt, the bolt handle pushes this lever back down which also pushes the cartridge lifter back down to receive the next cartridge from the magazine.
This view shows that when you swing the button for the magazine cut-off into place, it retracts that lever that operates the cartridge lifter. Thus, making the magazine inoperable.
The serial number is on the barrel, not the receiver. This is typical of a lot of European nations.
The date of manufacture (1890) is also on the barrel.
It is easy to tell that the markings for the modifications done in 1893 were added at a different time than the original 1886 markings.
The only parts with serial numbers are the barrel, stock, bolt, and the bottom of the cartridge lifter. My rifle obviously went through a post-WWI rebuild with repairs to the stock, etc. The only matching serial numbers at this point are the barrel and stock.
My French Mle 1886-93 Lebel. This is the very first rifle adopted by the French after they invented smokeless powder. It is unusual for a bolt-action rifle in that it has a magazine tube under the barrel, exactly like a Winchester lever action rifle. The magazine held 8 rounds of 8mm Lebel, and although it would be possible to also carry it with a round on the lifter and one in the chamber, I don't think they actually did that. It was the standard issue French rifle during the First World War.
The rifle unofficially carries the name of Lt. Col Nicholas Lebel although he only designed the bullet, not the rifle. It was actually designed by a commission. Introduced in 1886, almost all of them have modifications that were finalized in 1893. Typical of French rifles, they don't have a safety, the lever above the trigger is a magazine cut-off.
The following image shows the cartridge lifter in the down position, ready to receive the next round from the magazine. It pops up when the bolt is retracted all the way to the rear. You really have to pull the bolt smartly to the rear to get the lifter to pop up, it is not a rifle that you treat gently.
The bolt fully to the rear, the cartridge lifter pops up so that the next round would be ready to feed.
This is a slightly different view that better shows the small lever that pops up along the right side of the receiver at the same time as when the lifter pops up. When you close the bolt, the bolt handle pushes this lever back down which also pushes the cartridge lifter back down to receive the next cartridge from the magazine.
This view shows that when you swing the button for the magazine cut-off into place, it retracts that lever that operates the cartridge lifter. Thus, making the magazine inoperable.
The serial number is on the barrel, not the receiver. This is typical of a lot of European nations.
The date of manufacture (1890) is also on the barrel.
It is easy to tell that the markings for the modifications done in 1893 were added at a different time than the original 1886 markings.
The only parts with serial numbers are the barrel, stock, bolt, and the bottom of the cartridge lifter. My rifle obviously went through a post-WWI rebuild with repairs to the stock, etc. The only matching serial numbers at this point are the barrel and stock.
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Maybe we can do that when the weather improves a little bit. I recently found an old box of Norma 6.5 Jap at a gun show for a really good price and have a Type 38 Arisaka I want to shoot as well.
