SIR CHARLES ROSS AND HIS NOTORIOUS RIFLE

摘要

What can be said about Sir Charles as a person? There is no doubt that the man was a genius with many inventions to his credit. Unfortunately, his main efforts were directed into an evolutionary dead-end. The rifle he developed belonged to a class which, however well made, suffered from the inherent weakness of poor extraction, a fault which was exacerbated by dust or mud. These conditions were all too prevalent during the First World War and, in the case of the Ross Mk III, were combined with design faults which should have been rectified before it was used in battle.