Anyone have/use one ?
They worth a hoot ?
I know one did JFK in but thats about it.
Any info
They worth a hoot ?
I know one did JFK in but thats about it.
Any info
Carcano Rifles...
- Thread starter Xfuzz
- Start date
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I've got two Carcano carbines made by Beretta in the 30's. There's nothing spectacular about them but they are accurate. The only problem is that the relatively plentiful rifles are mostly 6.5 mm and most of the surplus ammo is 7.35 mm. In en-block clips for them are fairly pricey, too - $5 to $10 each, but they wil fit either caliber.
Buck
Buck
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I've had a couple,,the 6.5mm. One an about new long rifle (and with it came all the jokes of course).
I was never too enthusiastic about the rifles but some people seem to like them. As a shooter, the safety is about worthless to me to engage and disengage. The safety on a Mosin Nagant is more friendly.
The rifle being a Mannlicher offshoot takes a special clip to hold the five rounds and the entire clip and rounds is inserted into the rifle. The empty clip falls clear(hopefully) of the bottom of the magazine when empty. W/O the clip, it's a single shot. Look for the clip and the brass after you shoot.
Bore dia of 6.5mm calibers is a little larger than our 6.5's at .268/.269.
I think Hornady still makes a Carcano 6.5 bullet in that diameter but many who load for this caliber find that standard .264dia bullets work OK.
My 6.5 Mannlicher Schoenaur and a 6.5x53R Steyr sporter both have a .268 bore and they shoot fine with .264 bullets.
Surplus ammo is almost non existant and has never really been plentiful. I think one of the Balkan makers makes it now (Prvi Partizan?) and reloading dies can be had from LEE fairly cheap if you want to really get into it. The case is not a standard '06 dia head size and brass is always more expensive than most of the over the counter US caliber stuff.
Carcanos have always been fairly inexpensive to buy and alot of people find a good use for them in a general use, truck gun, sort of role. One of those I had was partially sporterized with a set of DST. Best part of the rifle!
The cartridge is 2 or 3mm shorter than the 6.5 Mannlicher Schoenauer, (6.5x51 for the Carcano),,uses the same base size and was originally loaded with the same 160gr round nose bullet. It can do the job in the field if you can put it on target.
I was never too enthusiastic about the rifles but some people seem to like them. As a shooter, the safety is about worthless to me to engage and disengage. The safety on a Mosin Nagant is more friendly.
The rifle being a Mannlicher offshoot takes a special clip to hold the five rounds and the entire clip and rounds is inserted into the rifle. The empty clip falls clear(hopefully) of the bottom of the magazine when empty. W/O the clip, it's a single shot. Look for the clip and the brass after you shoot.
Bore dia of 6.5mm calibers is a little larger than our 6.5's at .268/.269.
I think Hornady still makes a Carcano 6.5 bullet in that diameter but many who load for this caliber find that standard .264dia bullets work OK.
My 6.5 Mannlicher Schoenaur and a 6.5x53R Steyr sporter both have a .268 bore and they shoot fine with .264 bullets.
Surplus ammo is almost non existant and has never really been plentiful. I think one of the Balkan makers makes it now (Prvi Partizan?) and reloading dies can be had from LEE fairly cheap if you want to really get into it. The case is not a standard '06 dia head size and brass is always more expensive than most of the over the counter US caliber stuff.
Carcanos have always been fairly inexpensive to buy and alot of people find a good use for them in a general use, truck gun, sort of role. One of those I had was partially sporterized with a set of DST. Best part of the rifle!
The cartridge is 2 or 3mm shorter than the 6.5 Mannlicher Schoenauer, (6.5x51 for the Carcano),,uses the same base size and was originally loaded with the same 160gr round nose bullet. It can do the job in the field if you can put it on target.
amd6547
Member
I find the safety quite easy to operate on my Carcano cav carbine. I also find the Carcano to be one of the slickest bolt guns I have ever used, and I have used just about all the major military bolts.
My first deer rifle was a 6.5 Carcano - It was a real tack driver and killed deer quite efficiently. That rifle was given to me by a friend who bought a 30-30. I used it for 3 years and then did the same thing - Gave it away and bought a Winchester 30-30. BIG mistake, but I wanted a *modern* deer rifle --- Lesson learned.
GatorFarmer
Member
I have three of them. For the most part, they're good rifles. Some of the old '91 long guns were cut down into carbines/sporters and those are the ones that can have problematic accuracy. I've got an old '91 that was sporterized but not with a cut barrel. Cajunlawyer commented when I got it that it was probably someone's old swamp boat gun, and I think he was right. I got it off AA from a gunstore/pharmacy in a town in rural Georgia if I remember right.
Then I bought a carbine off the forum and another sporter off AA. Only I didn't pay attention with Sporter number two. It's in a nice Fajen stock and a slick little gun, but it was/is a 7.35mm and not a 6.5mm.
6.5mm ammo is actually easily had and not terribly expensive. Prvi loads it, though some people consider it blasting ammo, since the bore diameter of Carcanos varies, it doesn't produce great accuracy in all of them. Norma, Hornady, and a number of cottage producers also load it.
I've seen Graf and Sons list Prvi cases for 7.35mm, but they've always been out of stock when I've looked. Only a few cottage makers offer 7.35mm ammo, cost is about a dollar a round to two dollars, depending who you get it from. No worse than many other calibers really.
A forum friend got me some on clips in the original boxes that was laying around his local gunshop back during the panic for ammo. Someone else still got a good part of that supply from the shop before he went back for more, so I wasn't the only one that stock piled 7.35mm.
I think it was Bruce HMX, apologies if it was someone else that posted it, that said they'd known someone who'd damaged a rifle firing surplus 7.35mm that was hot and presumably machine gun ammo (strips of it for I think it was the Breda still turn up).
A guy in Italy paid a pretty sum for some of my empty 7.35mm original ammo boxes. Maybe they were rare, I don't know.
My guns are all Ternis. Make you a hell of a deal on all three if promise to show me pictures of the lamp that ought be made out of the old '91...
Then I bought a carbine off the forum and another sporter off AA. Only I didn't pay attention with Sporter number two. It's in a nice Fajen stock and a slick little gun, but it was/is a 7.35mm and not a 6.5mm.
6.5mm ammo is actually easily had and not terribly expensive. Prvi loads it, though some people consider it blasting ammo, since the bore diameter of Carcanos varies, it doesn't produce great accuracy in all of them. Norma, Hornady, and a number of cottage producers also load it.
I've seen Graf and Sons list Prvi cases for 7.35mm, but they've always been out of stock when I've looked. Only a few cottage makers offer 7.35mm ammo, cost is about a dollar a round to two dollars, depending who you get it from. No worse than many other calibers really.
A forum friend got me some on clips in the original boxes that was laying around his local gunshop back during the panic for ammo. Someone else still got a good part of that supply from the shop before he went back for more, so I wasn't the only one that stock piled 7.35mm.
I think it was Bruce HMX, apologies if it was someone else that posted it, that said they'd known someone who'd damaged a rifle firing surplus 7.35mm that was hot and presumably machine gun ammo (strips of it for I think it was the Breda still turn up).
A guy in Italy paid a pretty sum for some of my empty 7.35mm original ammo boxes. Maybe they were rare, I don't know.
My guns are all Ternis. Make you a hell of a deal on all three if promise to show me pictures of the lamp that ought be made out of the old '91...
amd6547
Member
Here's my Cavaly carbine...
I have owned several over the years. I have found them to be solid, reliable guns and decently accurate. Bore diameters do vary somewhat and I have also heard that some shortened long rifles simply won't group though I have never encountered one of those myself.
I still have a nice little cavalry carbine that I enjoy shooting, it groups well enough with Privi ammo that I have stayed with .264 dia. bullets for reloading. It's a fun little rifle and hits what I aim it at, what more could I ask for?
I still have a nice little cavalry carbine that I enjoy shooting, it groups well enough with Privi ammo that I have stayed with .264 dia. bullets for reloading. It's a fun little rifle and hits what I aim it at, what more could I ask for?
kleinkaliber
Member
I have a couple and wouldn't hesitate to buy another at the right price as long as it is unmolested. In particular, I would like to find one of the ones made for the Japanese.
