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Ross Rifle
The Canadian Ross Rifle shares a dubious distinction along with the Chauchat of being one of the worst weapons deployed during World War I. The straight-pull bolt-action Ross was initially designed by Charles Ross, inspired by the Mannlicher M1895, as a target rifle for the civilian market, but Canada decided the Mk III Ross should be pressed into service as a military rifle with the Canadian Army.
This was a mistake.
The more complex straight-pull mechanism very quickly proved highly sensitive to debris and mud, neither of which were in short supply in WW1, with reports of rifles locking up so completely that soldiers could not even free them up by stomping on the handle. One Canadian Lieutenant commented that it sometimes took five men to keep one rifle in action, while a Major described the weapon as "contemptible." Even worse, it was possible to assemble the rifle with the the bolt head backwards, which would allow the rifle to close and fire, but prevent it from locking. If fired in this condition, the bolt would immediately shoot backwards right into the rifleman's face, often causing serious injury or death. To add to the woes of Canadian soldiers, the bayonet lug was of poor quality to the point that firing the weapon would often cause a fixed bayonet to fall off.
While it was hopeless as a standard infantry arm, it found a place with snipers, who tended to be able to take better care of their weapon and appreciated the greater accuracy over the SMLE, though they were less keen on its tendency to jam if fed ammunition that was not perfectly clean. Most Ross Rifles were eventually pulled back from the front line to be used as training weapons, and replaced with the Lee-Enfield.
The Ross was also the basis of the promising Huot Automatic Rifle, but the war ended before the latter weapon could enter service.
Specifications
(1903 - 1916)
- Type: Rifle
- Caliber: .303 British, .280 Ross (Sporter model)
- Weight: 9.6 lbs (3.9 kg)
- Length: 52 in
- Barrel length: 28 in
- Capacity: 5 round integral box magazine
- Fire Modes: Straight-pull bolt action
- Variants: Mark I (1903), Mark II (1905), Mark II .280 (1907), Mark III (1910), Mark IIIB (1914)
The Ross Rifle and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sniper | Pyotr Sobolevsky | The Soldier | With sniper scope | 1931 |
| Boris Shlikhting | The Captain | |||
| Russian and British soldiers | ||||
| Joe Kidd | Clint Eastwood | Joe Kidd | Sporter Model 1910 | 1972 |
| Michael Collins | IRA Rebel | Mk. III | 1996 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verdun | "Ross Model 1910 Mark III" | 2015 | |
| Sniper Elite 4 | "Ross Mark III" | "Allied Forces Rifle Pack" DLC | 2017 |
| Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 | Not usable | 2017 |