The Lee Burton Magazine Rifle,Patented in 1898 the Lee Burton was another one of those unique design
The Lee Burton Magazine Rifle,Patented in 1898 the Lee Burton was another one of those unique designs created by Bethel Burton, an American living in England noted for developing very strange, unorthodox designs such as the 1886 Patent Bethel Burton rifle. The Lee Burton was a more traditional design. A standard bolt action rifle, it used a spring loaded column fed magazine based on the designs of James Paris Lee. Unlike many other bolt action rifles, however, the magazine was mounted on the right side of the receiver rather than underneath action. The magazine had a spring loaded slot into which cartridges were loaded as well as a fitted slot to accommodate stripper clips. Altogether the magazine could hold five rounds of .303 British cartridges, then the standard caliber of the British Army. A cutoff lever was also incorporating which when activated made the rifle a single shot, a common feature at the time as military planners believed soldiers with repeating rifles would waste ammunition. Sights consisted of a V notch sight which could be elevated for range and windage. Finally, the Burton design sported a fold out bayonet.The new Bethel design rifle was submitted for British trials, but rejected in favor of the Lee Enfield design by James Paris Lee himself. Only five Lee Burton Magazine rifle prototypes were produced, two of which are located at the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield, one in the Tower of London, one at the Royal Dutch Army Museum, and one in a private collection. -- source link
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