Commemorating The Battle of Verdun - My New Lebel Rifle

GoodDoomguy

GoodDoomguy

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Ladies and Gents! On the night of the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Verdun (February 21st 1916), I present you my most recent acquisition, the Lebel 1886 M93 Rifle! Bought this beauty off a new local friend after he learned from my fellow co-worker that I'm into WWI items. The rifle is in Balle D configuration, has all matching numbers, and comes with the stacking pin and original leather sling, quite rare for the rifle.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j382/GoodDoomguy/Mobile Uploads/image_zpsltw2hyfa.jpeg

Made in the year 1890:

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j382/GoodDoomguy/Mobile Uploads/image_zpska6yjtej.jpeg

Shiny bolt, as the French liked it in 1914!

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j382/GoodDoomguy/Mobile Uploads/image_zpset6ncdsw.jpeg

Balle D Barrel:

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j382/GoodDoomguy/Mobile Uploads/image_zps4gbgrtpa.jpeg

Also got from him the reproduction WWI French M15 Adrian helmet, love the steel!

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j382/GoodDoomguy/Mobile Uploads/image_zpsr7bnr5rq.jpeg
http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j382/GoodDoomguy/Mobile Uploads/image_zpshceauv8k.jpeg

The whole package:

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j382/GoodDoomguy/Mobile Uploads/image_zpsp4rrrr2j.jpeg
http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j382/GoodDoomguy/Mobile Uploads/image_zpsjeslas8n.jpeg
http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j382/GoodDoomguy/Mobile Uploads/image_zpsdjx9hzmm.jpeg

Wish everyone a great day, and remember all the French and Germans lost from 100 years ago today!
 
Nice post, GoodDoomguy! Another wonderful old rifle. I have never seen a Lebel, how does the bolt operate? Does the handle push forward
a bit further or is it fully locked where it shows in the photos? Hard to believe that it was just one hundred years ago that WWI was raging,
that seems such a short time ago and so much has changed since then.
 
Robert Nicholson said:
Nice post, GoodDoomguy! Another wonderful old rifle. I have never seen a Lebel, how does the bolt operate? Does the handle push forward
a bit further or is it fully locked where it shows in the photos? Hard to believe that it was just one hundred years ago that WWI was raging,
that seems such a short time ago and so much has changed since then.
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Hello Rob thanks for the reply! The bolt is just like other bolt action rifles of the era, and it's fully locked when I took the photo.
Yes hard to believe it's already 100 years, wonder who the soldier was holding on to this very rifle.
 
Very nice, I have been wanting one of these for a while, sadly as you know they can be tough to find. Do you intend to shoot it? These are actually very easy to reload for, buy the dies on Amazon (cheapest), brass from Tradeex, and it will use any standard 8mm (.323) bullet.
 
Pretty snazzy rifle. Is the build quality on these French rifle good?














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Congratulations. An excellent score on a rifle that is, as others have indicated, tough to come across. Enjoy it, and add it to the French milsurp sticky on this forum
 
Hello bp2626, I intend to wear the helmet AND the full uniform shooting the rifle!

Eaglelord17, thank you so much for the info! The gentleman who sold this Lebel to me said he'll help me look for the loads, guess I can tell him I'll find them myself. Thanks again!

Bendeco - I say the rifle is superb in build, I'm quite surprised myself. This rifle is now my favorite along with my Kar98k. In combat I think they performed good too, but I'm reading on the topic and the problem loading this thing is a major complaint among troops. This rifle has a tubular magazine and had to be breech-loaded, a serious problem when in combat. I'm also reading The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman these days, I'm only half way through the book and for now I must say both the Germans and the French didn't really do that good in combat, although surprisingly the Germans really did good defending their captured grounds.

Syphen - Thanks Syphen, and sorry but I sold one just last month here on CGN after I bought it, it was incomplete. But do keep an eye out for one, wish you the best of luck!

RangeRover - Thank you RangeRover, I added it on the French Milsurp sticky like you suggested :)

bp2626 said:
Nice find. Shoot it wearing the helmet!
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Eaglelord17 said:
Very nice, I have been wanting one of these for a while, sadly as you know they can be tough to find. Do you intend to shoot it? These are actually very easy to reload for, buy the dies on Amazon (cheapest), brass from Tradeex, and it will use any standard 8mm (.323) bullet.
Click to expand...

Bendeco said:
Pretty snazzy rifle. Is the build quality on these French rifle good? Did this rifle work well in combat? How did the French do in combat in WW1.
Click to expand...

Syphen said:
Very nice! I have a 1907/15 Berthier but would love to snag a Lebel some day. Don't see them up for sale too often.
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RangeRover said:
Congratulations. An excellent score on a rifle that is, as others have indicated, tough to come across. Enjoy it, and add it to the French milsurp sticky on this forum
Click to expand...
 
The load I use for my 1907/15 is a 198grn PPU FMJ boat tail .323 bullet, under 44 grns of IMR 3031. Since it is a Lebel, you might want to stick to soft points, though it does have the bullet catch in the rim of the ammo, so you could use pointed ammo if you so wished.

The issues with the Lebel as a combat rifle, was its weight, its balance (as it changes with every shot), how long it takes to load (single loading into that tube), and you had to use force to get the rifle to work properly (to actuate the lifter, you needed to use some very positive force, these are not rifles you can short stroke). Also the fact that the rounds are loose on the lifter (instead of held in the magazine like most rifles) meant that it had to be worked in a upright position or the rounds could fall out of the rifle.

Definitely a cool piece of history, extremely well made (like all French firearms), and they became extremely outdated very quickly. Arguably, they were outdated 4 years after they outdated literally every firearm before them.
 
Eaglelod17, I learned more from your last post than all my readings on the rifle combined, thank you! Will try the formula like you said, you have my thanks sir! I also like French rifles a lot, good to know a fellow collector with the same taste!
 
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