A shorter and lighter version of the original MLE — the famous Rifle, Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield, or SMLE (sometimes spoken as "Smelly", rather than S, M, L, E) — was introduced on January 1, 1904. The barrel was now halfway in length between the original long rifle and the carbine, at 25.2 inches (640mm). The SMLE's visual trademark was its blunt nose, the end of the barrel protruding a small fraction of an inch beyond the nosecap. The new rifle also incorporated a charger loading system, another innovation borrowed from the Mauser rifle; notably the charger system is different from the fixed "bridge" that would become the standard. The shorter length was controversial at the time: many Rifle Association members and gunsmiths were concerned that the shorter barrel would not be as accurate as the longer MLE barrels, that the recoil would be much greater, and the sighting radius would be too short. A number of the authorities of the day also felt that it was neither short enough for the cavalry, nor long enough for accurate long-range fire by massed infantry.