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Herodotus · February 28, 2000, 12:53 AM

It was the first smokeless cartridge to be adoptd by a major military power. Smokeless powder was invented in 1885 by another Frenchman, M. Vielle, a chemist at the French Government powder factory. It caused an arms race among all the world's militaries at the time. Unfortunately for the French, by being the first to invest in the new powder and new rifles, they wound up with the most primative of the lot when the Great War finally arrived. My information is from "The Book of Rifles" by W.H.B. and Joseph E. Smith (3rd. Ed. 1963).
I am not sure who Lebel actually was, perhaps the man in charge of inventing their 1886 rifle??

February 28, 2000, 12:53 AM	#4
Herodotus Senior Member Join Date: January 19, 2000 Posts: 743	It was the first smokeless cartridge to be adoptd by a major military power. Smokeless powder was invented in 1885 by another Frenchman, M. Vielle, a chemist at the French Government powder factory. It caused an arms race among all the world's militaries at the time. Unfortunately for the French, by being the first to invest in the new powder and new rifles, they wound up with the most primative of the lot when the Great War finally arrived. My information is from "The Book of Rifles" by W.H.B. and Joseph E. Smith (3rd. Ed. 1963). I am not sure who Lebel actually was, perhaps the man in charge of inventing their 1886 rifle??