The Ross MkII (aka Ross 1905) was a reasonably successful rifle design, but it lacked a few elements that the Canadian military would have preferred. Most significantly, it was not compatible with the charger clip that was introduced for the Lee Enfield rifles in 1907. The rifle we have today is a toolroom prototype Ross from about 1909 that was an experiment in adding clip compatibility. The receiver is a 1905/MkII type, but with a combination stripper clip guide and rear sight screwed onto the rear of the action. It has a 5-round staggered Mauser-type magazine box, a Lee Enfield style buttstock, a 1903 Springfield type bolt stop, and a thinner profile barrel than either the MkII or eventual MkII Ross patterns. The only marking on the rifle is the designation “H5” on the receiver and bolt. Ultimately, virtually none of this rifle’s unique features were included in the finalized MkIII Ross.
Bolt Action Rifles
Ross MkI: Canada’s First Battle Rifle
Sir Charles Ross was heir to a very wealthy Scottish family, and was a talented if temperamental engineer. He took an interest in firearms and their design, and worked with American and English connections to […]
Light MGs
Vintage Saturday: Spoils of War
Canaidna inspecting Jap type 96 at Kiska Aug 1943 I believe this is a Canadian solider on the island of Kiska in the Aleutians, inspecting a Japanese Type 96 machine gun.
Uncategorized
“Rosalie”: Trench Art SMLE with a Most Improbable Story
Henri Lecorre was a French immigrant to Canada who enlisted in the 22nd Regiment of the Canadian Army in April, 1915. He had a knack for carving things in his rifles, which he started right […]
My 1905 Ross is one of my favorite rifles. Too bad it’s next to impossible to find the .280 Ross ammo for it.
You can find it. But at almost $6 a round you have to really love that rifle.
I’m surprised that nobody thought to add a bolt cover or any feature to keep dirt out of the bolt track.