Time to raise this thread from the dead for a weapon I learned about while doing WW1 research. Patented in 1901, the
Thorneycroft was a bolt-action bullpup rifle, with the bolt retracting along the butt of the rifle and five rounds of rimmed .303 British being fed by a charger into a magazine that sloped into the semi-pistol grip, eliminating the chance for rimlock by having the rounds horizontally held on an inclined plane, meaning the rims were not overlapping. While shorter and lighter than the Lee-Enfield, it was rejected for poor ergonomics and excessive recoil, as well as concerns about accuracy.
v2 stats for Rifle of 1906:
Weight: 3.36 kg
Ammo: 5
ROF: BA
Damage: 4
Pen: 2-3-Nil
Bulk: 7
Recoil: 5
Range: 95 (would round to 100 per rules, I always provide raw numbers for people who don't follow the rounding rule)
Reload: 1
By my calculations, the SMLE is recoil 4 and range 104, so the complaints of the evaluation board match up with the game stats.