Berthier rifle

How it changed

The Lebel's tube magazine made it difficult to shorten into a carbine form.^[2][1] Most of these early carbines were made in 1890 and 1891, with full-length stocks and no bayonet provision.^[1] Czechoslovakia received large numbers of Mle 07/15 rifles after World War I.^[3] By integrating an en-bloc clip magazine with a modified Lebel action, the Modele 1890 Berthier Cavalry Carbine overcame the limitations of the Lebel's tube magazine.^[2]

Following its adoption by cavalry, the Berthier design was subsequently manufactured in numerous carbine and full-length rifle configurations.^[2]

What the maker and period sources say

The Forgotten Weapons account notes that cavalry in the 1890s was the fastest available unit, enabling surprise attacks.^[1] As noted by Daweo, 1890 is well before the era of mechanized warfare.^[1] The same source mentions that the author had to knock an empty case out of the chamber with a rod, as described in Ian's Berthier video.^[1] The commenter observes many "work arounds" while engineers had semi-auto rifles "waiting in the wings".^[1]