Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Châtellerault (MAC) · Rifle · Discontinued · 1887
| Weight (empty) | 4245 g (149.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1303 mm (51.30") |
| Barrel Length | 798 mm (31.42") |
| Magazine Capacity | 8 rounds |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Muzzle Velocity | 725 m/s (2379 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3360 J (2478 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 400 m (437 yd) |
| Frame Material | Steel |
Primary Caliber: 8x50mmR Lebel
The Fusil d'Infanterie Modèle 1886, universally known as the Fusil Lebel, is a French bolt-action infantry rifle that holds the singular distinction of being the first military rifle in history chambered for a smokeless-powder cartridge. Developed with extraordinary urgency by the Commission de Châtellerault between 1885 and 1886 after French chemist Paul Vieille's invention of Poudre B — a nitrocellulose-based propellant that burned cleanly, produced virtually no smoke, and generated roughly th...
Country of Origin: France
Designer: Lt. Col. Nicolas Lebel, Cpt. Desaleux, and the Commission de Châtellerault (propellant by Paul Vieille, chassis derived from Fusil Mle 1884/85 Gras-Kropatschek)