Lebel M1886

Lebel Model 1886 rifle Fusil Modèle 1886/M93
Lebel M1886. From the Swedish Army Museum.
Type	Bolt-action rifle
Place of origin	France
Service history
In service	1887–1940
Used by	See Users
Wars	Boxer Rebellion French colonial expeditions Monegasque Revolution World War I Franco-Turkish War Polish–Soviet War Spanish Civil War World War II Algerian War (limited)
Production history
Designer	Team led by gen. Tramond (Gras, Lebel, Vieille, Bonnet, Desaleux, Close, Verdin).
Designed	1885
Manufacturer	French State manufactures (Chatellerault, Saint-Etienne and Tulle)
Produced	1887–1920
No. built	3,450,000
Specifications
Weight	4.41 kg (9.7 lb) (loaded with 10 rounds) 4.18 kg (9.2 lb) (unloaded)
Length	130 cm (51.2 in)
Barrel length	80 cm (31.5 in)
Cartridge	8×50mmR Lebel
Caliber	8mm 4 grooves, right to left twist
Action	Bolt-action
Muzzle velocity	610 to 700 m/s (2,000 to 2,300 ft/s)
Effective firing range	400 m (438 yards) (individual targets)
Maximum firing range	1,800 m (1,644 yards) (volley fire at massed area targets)
Feed system	8-round tube magazine

The Lebel Model 1886 rifle (French: Fusil Modèle 1886 dit "Fusil Lebel") is also known as the "Fusil Mle 1886 M93", after a bolt modification was added in 1893. It 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 forestock tube magazine, one round in the transporter plus one round in the chamber. 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 line 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.

In operation, the bolt is turned up to the vertical position until the two opposed front locking lugs are released from the receiver. At the end of the bolt's opening phase, a ramp on the receiver bridge forces the bolt to the rear thus providing leveraged extraction of the fired case. The rifle is fitted with a two-piece wood stock, and features a spring-loaded tubular magazine in the fore-end. Taking aim at intermediate distances is done with a ramp sight graduated between 400 and 800 meters. The ladder rear sight is adjustable from 850 to 2,400 meters. Flipping forward that ladder sight reveals the commonly used fixed combat sight up to 400 meters. The Mle 1886 rifle has a 10-round capacity (eight in the under barrel tube magazine, one in the transporter, and one in the chamber). The Lebel rifle features a magazine cutoff on the right side of the receiver. When activated it prevents feeding cartridges from the magazine.