angled charger bridge experiments?

[Surpmil]

The Imperial German armies had to mount their scopes offset to use chargers; the SMLE could have changed magazines instead. The authorities either didn't consider that, or rejected it as being not the approved method of loading the rifle. Presumably when the overbore Aldis mounts were produced later in the war that was the method used, whether it was officially approved or not.

One of the few advantages of the Winchester scopes was that they could be slid forward out of the way to clear the charger guide & magazine. The MkIII Ross with the Winchester A5 was loaded that way. This doesn't seem to have occurred to the authorities either in regard to the SMLE, as they mounted the Winchesters offset as well. Probably it did occur to Messrs. A. J. Parker as they offered a base for the Winchester scopes that was pinned into the backsight base of the SMLE. As their catalogue does not say more than that it was "designed" during the war, it was probably not used.

Attachment 68099

One account of rapid fire by a sniper:

Attachment 68101Attachment 68100