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Winning Bid US $1372 First bid $500 Quantity 1 # of bids 8 Time left Auction has ended   Started 2025-05-07 00:00:00 Ended 2025-11-21 22:35:25

Manufacture darmes de Chatellerault, Model: MLE 1886/93 Lebel, Cal: 8x50mmR Lebel, MFG: 1892, S/N: 61955 (AE serial block), Bolt action rifle, 31 1/2'' barrel.

HISTORY: The Lebel is a major steppingstone in firearms development as a whole. It was the first rifle to chamber a smokeless powder cartridge (the powder used today). This new powder was developed in 1884 by Paul Marie Eugne Vieille. It was three times more powerful than black powder for the same weight & left substantially less fouling after firing. This new powder doubled the effective range of fire, allowed smaller bore rifles to be viable without black powder fouling, & would give way to reliable self cycling systems like machineguns. This advancement sent every other nation scrambling to develop their own smokeless powder & make a rifle chamber it. The development history of the Lebel is interesting. When the powder was invented the French Military planned on designing a whole new rifle & cartridge to fully exploit the new powder. They would spend the whole year of 1885 determining an optimal caliber. These plans would change in January of 1886, as a New French War Minister would be elected, General Georges Ernest Boulanger. He was a revanchist & wanted a new rifle in the new powder on his desk by the end of the year. He appointed General Tramond to head the project. They already spent this time designing a, so they took that & take parts from already existing rifles to make the new rifle. They took the 11mm Gras case & necked it down to the new 8mm bullet. They had to use a double taper on the case to achieve this effectively. The double taper design would handicap the French military system for decades to come, being hard to cycle repeating arms. The magazine, feeding system, & stock was taken from the MLE 1884 & MLE 1885 Gras-Kropatschek. The bolts locking lug design was taken from the Swiss Vetterli rifles. It used the trigger of the M1874 Gras. Lt. Colonel Nicolas Lebel, which the rifle is named after, designed the 8mm Bullet. They took all these parts & made the MLE 1886 Lebel. They would produce the Lebel from 1887 to 1904 with 3.45 Million made, enough to arm the whole army at the time & have plenty in storage. Production of parts would start up again in WW1 to repair existing rifles, & in 1916 some new rifles were made from extra parts but no new gun production of the Lebel would start up. The French were making new Berthier carbines for colonial troops at the time, with the need for rifles they would take the barrel & bayonet from the Lebel, put it on the Berthier 1907 as well as some other features to speed up production, & then the MLE 07/15 Berthier was born. The Lebel would stay in service with Franch clear until WW2 with new models being designed in the mid 1930s.

CONDITION: The two piece, straight wrist walnut stock is good with numerus nicks, dings, chips & scratches from use/age. The S/N is stamped into the left cheek of the stock marking is worn. The bottom rear of the forend is stamped with a S/N, marking is worn illegible. The metal has a old arsenal re-blue. The finish on the barrel rates 75% with scratches, thinning on the top showing gray, & a few small spots of patina. The receiver finish rates 70% with scratches, worn finish, & spots toning brown. the left side of the receiver is marked with three small circle proofs, ''MANUFATURE D'ARMES'', ''CHATELLERAULT'', ''MLE 1886 M 93''. Markings are faded from re-blue job. The left rear of the barrel is marked ''JH'', ''C'' in circle, ''S'' in circle, & the S/N. The right rear of the barrel is marked ''MA C 1892'' & a small worn proof. S/N matching bolt, mismatched receiver floorplate. The bore is good. Its bright with roughness & a spot of light pitting. The barrel holds a blade front sight with a stepped base/ladder U-notch rear sight. The buttstock carries a steel buttplate. buttplate was left in the white & is toning to a brown patina. Rifle has both sling loops. Rifle comes with the correct M1886 ''Rosalie'' bayonet with sheath. It has a quillon & silver alloy handle. This rifle is not marked ''N''. Ball N 8mm Lebel should NOT be fired in this rifle as its higher pressure & these old rifles were not proofed to its level & could cause the gun to blow up. Antique, No FFL Req - Value: 1000 to 2000

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Price

Manufacture darmes de Chatellerault, Model: MLE 1886/93 Lebel, C... Item # 4462 This auction is over. No new bids can be placed. Price: US $1372

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