Lebel 1886

The Lebel Model 1886 Rifle, or known officially as Fusil Modèle 1886-M93, is a French 8mm bolt action rifle which has the distinction of being the first military rifle designed to use smokeless powder cartridges. It incorporated some of the latest advances in rifle design at the time. A bolt head with two opposed front locking lugs that locked into the receiver and cammed surface on the rear of the receiver bridge providing positive extraction. The Lebel rifle was adopted in April 1887 and remained in service in the French Army until World War II, although its tube magazine had long become an obsolete feature. The Lebel M1886 rifle had a 10-round capacity and also mounted a spike bayonet. It was manufactured beginning in 1887 until May 1920. The total number of Lebel rifles manufactured at 2,880,000 units.

Specifications

Lebel Model 1886 Rifle

Lebel Model 1886 Rifle - 8x50Rmm

• Fusil Modèle 1886-M93 Rilfe.
• Caliber: 8 x 50R mm
• Length: 51.36 inches
• Barrel Length: 31.44 inches
• Weight:
• :Revolver: 9.73 pounds
• Muzzle Velocity: 2,000 - 2,300 feet per second
• Maximum Range: 3,500 - 4,500 yards

The Fusil Modèle 1886-M93 Rifle appears in the following movies, TV shows, and video games:

Film

• French troops in Flyboys (2006)

• Brendon Fraser as Rick O'Connell in The Mummy (1999)

• Jean Claude Van Damme and Foreign Legionnaires in Legionaire (1998)

• Vichy French troops in The Big Red One (1980)

• Foreign Legionnaires in March or Die (1977)

• French Troops, Penal Colony Guards and Escapees in Papillon (1973)

• French equipped, Moroccan soldiers in Casablanca (1942)

• Sergeant York (1941)

• French troops in The Fighting 69th (1940)
• Cultist in The Mummy Returns

R.S.C. Model 1917

The Ribeyrolles, Sutter and Chauchat (R.S.C.) Model 1917 Semi-automatic Rifle, also known as the Fusil Automatique (F.A.) Model 1917, was a variant of the Lebel 1886 produced during World War I to give the French soldier an edge on the battlefield. Although 85,000 rifles were produced during the war, it was criticized for being too heavy and too long, and it was accused of being too difficult to maintain in a trench enviroment. It also needed a special five-round clip. An improved version, the R.S.C. M1918, was shorter, and used the standard five-round clip of the Berthier rifle. This variant proved itself during the Rif War.

Specifications

R.S.C. Model 1917

R.S.C. Model 1918

R.S.C. Model 1917

• Caliber: 8 x 50R
• Length: 52.4 inches
• Barrel Length: 31.4 inches
• Weight: 11.6 pounds

R.S.C. Model 1918

• Caliber: 8 x 50R
• Length: 43.25 inches
• Barrel Length: 22.85 inches
• Weight: 10.5 pounds