This article is about the 6mm caliber Lee rifle. For other uses, see Lee rifle.
Bolt-action rifle
Lee Rifle, Model of 1895, Caliber 6mm
Winchester Lee-Navy M1895
Type
Bolt-action rifle
Place of origin
United States
Service history
In service
1895–1907
Used by
United States Navy United States Marine Corps
Wars
Spanish–American War Philippine–American War Boxer Rebellion
Production history
Designer
James Paris Lee
Manufacturer
Winchester Repeating Arms Company
Produced
1895
No. built
Approx. 15,000[1]
Specifications
Mass
8.32 pounds (3.77 kg)
Length
47.75 in (121.3 cm)
Barrel length
28 in (71 cm)
Cartridge
6mm Lee Navy[2]
Action
Straight-pull bolt action
Muzzle velocity
779 m/s (2,560 ft/s)
Effective firing range
549 m (600 yd) individual target, 915 m (1,001 yd) massed target
Maximum firing range
1,829 m (2,000 yd)
Feed system
5-round en bloc clip, internal box magazine
Sights
Blade front, U-notch rear, adjustable for windage/elevation
The M1895 Lee Navy was a straight-pull magazine rifle adopted in limited numbers by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in 1895 as a first-line infantry rifle.[3][4] The Navy's official designation for the Lee Straight-Pull rifle was the "Lee Rifle, Model of 1895, caliber 6-mm"[3] but the weapon is also largely known by other names, such as the "Winchester-Lee rifle", "Lee Model 1895", "6mm Lee Navy", and "Lee Rifle, Model of 1895".
It fired a 6mm (0.236-in. caliber) cartridge,[3] which used an early smokeless powder,[5][6] was semi-rimless, and fired a 135-grain (later 112-grain) jacketed bullet.[2][3] The 6mm U.S.N. or Lee Navy Cartridge was also used in the navy version of the Colt–Browning Model 1895 machinegun.[2][7]
^Barnes, Frank C., ed. by John T. Amber, Cartridges of the World: 6mm Lee Navy (6th ed.), Northfield, IL: DBI Books Inc., ISBN 0-87349-033-9 (1984), p. 102
^ abcHanson, Jim, The 6mm U.S.N. - Ahead Of Its Time, Rifle Magazine Vol. 9 No. 1 (January–February 1977), pp. 38–41
^ abcdWalter, John, The Rifle Story: An Illustrated History from 1776 to the Present Day, MBI Publishing Company, ISBN 1-85367-690-X, 9781853676901 (2006), pp. 133–135
^Sampson, W.T., The Annual Reports of the Navy Department: Report of Chief of Bureau of Ordnance, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office (1895), pp. 215–218
^Reports of Companies, The Chemical Trade Journal and Oil, Paint, and Colour Review, Vol. 18, June 20, 1896, p. 401: The Smokeless Powder Co., Ltd. originally developed Rifleite for the British .303 cartridge.
^Walke, Willoughby (Lt.), Lectures on Explosives: A Course of Lectures Prepared Especially as a Manual and Guide in the Laboratory of the U.S. Artillery School, J. Wiley & Sons (1897) p. 343: Rifleite was a flake smokeless powder composed of soluble and insoluble nitrocellulose, phenyl amidazobense, and volatiles similar to French smokeless powders; unlike cordite, Rifleite contained no nitroglycerine.
^The New York World, The World Almanac and Encyclopedia: Rifles Used by the Principal Powers of the World, Vol. 1 No. 4, New York: Press Publishing Co. (January 1894), p. 309: The Naval Small Arms Board reported that in adopting the 6mm cartridge specification, "due consideration has been given to the desirability of using the same cartridge for machine guns as for the small arm, and the Board deems that no difficulty in the manufacture or manipulation of machine guns will be caused by their use of 6mm ammunition."
The M1895LeeNavy was a straight-pull magazine rifle adopted in limited numbers by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in 1895 as a first-line infantry rifle...
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atop the receiver ring and fitted with stock furniture similar to the M1895LeeNavy including the short 8+5⁄16 inches (21.1 cm) knife-type bayonet. Many...
awarded a contract to produce 6 mm ammunition. After the adoption of the M1895Lee, the case rim of the government cartridge was redesigned with a slight...
the U.S. Navy, from 1879 to 1907); The M1895LeeNavy rifle (in service in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps from 1895 to 1907); The Lee–Metford...
the US Navy, and two later designs—the Remington-Lee M1885 and the Winchester-Lee or LeeNavyM1895—were also adopted militarily and sold commercially...
breechblock of the Bren gun locks against the top part of the receiver. The M1895LeeNavy is also of this type. The tilting action is achieved without a separate...
M1 Garand M1917 Enfield M1903 Springfield Springfield Model 1892-99 M1895LeeNavy Springfield Model 1882 Short Rifle M1872 Springfield Spencer repeating...
Americans. The British were armed with .303 Lee–Metford rifles, while the Americans carried with them the M1895LeeNavy. At point-blank range one British soldier...
firearms include the Schmidt–Rubin, Mannlicher M1886/M1888/M1890/M1895, M1895LeeNavy, Ross rifle, Anschütz 1827 Fortner, Blaser R93/R8 and VKS. Self-loading...
Hotchkiss in 1883 field trials; but the Navy rifles remained in service until replaced by the M1895LeeNavy. The Chinese Empire purchased 15,000 Winchester-Hotchkiss...
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