A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine showed me a shortened French Lebel rifle (not a Berthier) that had been shortened and a strange looking two piece metal tube had been mounted to the barrel. He has had if for years and is under the impression it was a military conversion to a smoke discharger. I have never seen one before and was wondering if any of you guys have or know anything about them. A couple of minutes of Googling hasn't helped me. Unfortunately, I don't have photos of it either. I've seen the Ross rifles cut down for this purpose, so I don't think it's a totally unrealistic theory. Anyone?
Lebel rifle converted to smoke discharger?
- Thread starter myenfield
- Start date
Without seeing the exact device I might hazard that it's a grenade discharger. The Lebel was retained after the advent of the Berthier because it was perceived to be stronger for grenade launching. It was also considered more accurate in the sharp shooting role.
