The Révolution
Fusil Modèle 1886
In 1886 the history of small arms development changed overnight. The French had adopted a rifle built with smokeless powder in mind - the very first of its kind.
The revolutionary "Balle M" 8x50mmR cartridge. The smokeless powder charge and jacketed bullet put the design ahead of its contemporaries. However, as the case was simply an awkwardly necked-down 11mm Gras case, the shape of the cartridge would prove to be a challenge in later self-loading weapons.
History
The development and introduction of the Lebel is much less a milestone in rifle design as it is in bullet design.
The model 1886 is a convergence point of two advances in technology by two men, namely Swiss engineer Eduard Rubin (1846-1920) and French Chemist Paul Vieille (1854-1934). Rubin had already invented the jacketed bullet in 1882, leading to much more stable projectiles that allowed for higher velocities without disintegrating. However, the need for such a bullet occured to the French when Vieille in 1884 invented "Poudre B" (Powder B) - made of stable nitrocellulose - the world's first smokeless powder.
These new developments made higher speed, smaller diameter projectiles possible while leaving behind little residue. Ultimately the new rifle would be called after the man who designed the new projectile, Nicolas Lebel.
Poudre B was a French state secret and kept hidden from public view until the introduction of the Lebel 1886. This caused a frenzy amongst other European powers to come up with their own smokeless powder in the following years. Many bridged the gap in between by using compressed black powder charges, some even with small diameter projectiles already
In 1885 the French committed themselves to adopting an entirely new rifle that would incorporate the current state of technology by looking at other promising designs such as the Remington-Lee and the newly introduced Mannlicher straight-pull rifles.
In January of 1886 the new minister of war, Georges Boulanger "Général Revanche" would scrap these plans and set a deadline of one year to come up with a new infantry rifle that would make use of the two inventions mentioned previously in preparation for the next war with the German Empire.
Due to time constrains the new rifle would turn out an amalgam of then current French service arms:
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The straight trigger and a modified action with symmetrical front locking lugs from the Mle 1874 Gras
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A Kropatschek magazine system as it was in use with the French navy's Mle 1878 Kropatschek
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The two-piece stock of the Mle 1885 Kropatschek, which was a transitional model still chambered in 11mm Gras
By 1889 the three state arsenals Châtellerault, St-Etienne and Tulle had largely completed the rearmament of the French army. While a minor update to the bolt occurred, as well as the addition of a stacking rod akin to the designs by Steyr in Austria-Hungary, the bigger updating process came in 1893, which also lead to the new designation Fusil Modèle 1886 M93. This saw an improved gas check on the bolt head, the change of the cocking piece to an easier to a style aiding in disassembly, and an improved fixture for the rear sight.
An Mle 1885 Kropatschek. Still chambered in 11mm Gras, it already shares a general look with the later Mle 1886 Lebel thanks to the two-piece stock, albeit while also displaying some more primitive features in order to allow upgrading of earlier Gras rifles to the new model.
The Mle 1886 Lebel as it was used from 1893 onwards. Despite France's tremendous effort to convert all their rifles to the updated M93 pattern, some very slight variations can be found even amongst those. A prominent one would be a second serration on the bottom of the cocking piece to allow for a half-cock safety position, which was later abandoned.
Despite being at a level with its competitors in 1886 and even beyond them thanks to the more modern cartridge, within a short amount of time the Lebel was overtaken by other nations' designs.
The main drawback of the Lebel proved to be its slow to load magazine system. Being a tubular system it did not lend itself to easy adaptation for quick loading devices that were being adopted both abroad and even in France herself in the form of a Mannlicher clip system for the Mle 1892 Berthier carbine.
Despite this, the French held off on adopting a new rifle or magazine system as they were already working on the next great leap in small arms technology - a self-loading infantry rifle. And so the French soldiers would carry their outdated rifles into the Great War where it became a symbol in French propaganda media.
During the war the Lebel saw very few modifications in the form of a larger front sight post to make quick target acquisition easier, as well as a grenade launching device, a role it excelled in thanks to its massive build.
While it remained the standard infantry arm through 1918, it was slowly supplemented and ultimately replaced with the Modèle 1907/15 Berthier rifle due to the latter's easier manufacturing process. However the almost 3.5 million Lebel rifles never disappeared entirely and would make a comeback for World War II.
The interwar period also saw an attempt to convert the pattern to a shortened, box magazine wielding model for an updated cartridge in the form of the M27, a process that proved too expensive to pull through. Additionally, a shortened pattern with a three-round tubular magazine was introduced in 1935.
The Lebel was the oldest smokeless design of the war and remained in use far into the 20th century in various conflicts in former French colonies. Despite its flaws it directly kickstarted the numerous advances we see in other rifle designs of the era, leaving its mark on world history.
