FOR INTEREST:  The Ross Military Rifle
  
The history of the ill-fated Ross military rifle referred to in the July notes begins in 1903 with the Canadian Government’s placement of an order for 12 000 of the bolt-action, straight-pull rifles designed by Sir Charles Ross, Bt.  The first 1 000 of the rifles produced were issued to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and proved to have sufficient defects to warrant rejection.  With modifications, the rifle in 1905 became the Mark II, (Model 05) and then the Mark II** chambered for a .280 rimless cartridge designed by Ross and F. W. Jones.  The Model 10 of 1910 essayed to remove defects not rectified in the 1905 modification of the rifle. Major components of the 1905 and 1910 models were not interchangeable and the rifle still suffered from significant, potentially fatal, defects when taken into active service in the 1914-1918 War.
Units of the leading contingent of the Canadian Expeditionary Force took the Ross M10 Rifle chambered for the British .303 cartridge to France in February 1915 and found in the Second Battle of Ypres in April that the rifle was an unmitigated disaster as a standard infantry weapon; this was confirmed in subsequent service in the appalling conditions   prevailing   on  the   Western
 Ross M10 Action
Front.  The M10 action was intolerant of dirt and tended to jam, either with the bolt open or closed.  Jamming also resulted from the deformation of the thread shape by the bolt’s outer face coming into heavy contact with the bolt stop.  When fired with a bayonet fixed, the bayonet tended to fall off, a rather disconcerting experience in the heat of battle.
Ross M10 Markings
Even more serious, the bolt could be reassembled after cleaning in a manner that would not permit it to lock in the firing position.  This would allow the bolt to move violently to the rear on firing, thus seriously wounding or killing the firer.
In mid-1916, the Commander-in-Chief of British Forces in France ordered the replacement   of  all  Ross  rifles   in   his
command.  Nevertheless, the Ross was far more accurate over long ranges than the SMLE and it was highly regarded by snipers, who continued to use it after it had been withdrawn from normal infantry service.