GatorFarmer
Member
It's a little known fact, but Carcano sporters are able to reach a critical mass. Once a person has several of them in the closet, the idea will begin to take hold to "do something with them".
Mine reached that stage.
Long time forum members, or just obsessive compulsives, may possibly recall a thread some years ago where I showed off a Carcano sporter that I'd gotten off Auction Arms. It cost me the princely sum of 89 dollars. Originally it was apparently a swamper rifle and I purchased it from a combination drug store(pharmacy)/gunshop in some tiny town deep in MS. Apparently these sorts of things are sometimes found on airboats and what not on the theory that if they get lost or damaged - eh, no great loss.
Long ago and far away it was a '91 long Carcano. It probably saw action in the first world war. For extra fun there's a crudely carved date in 1937 carved on the stock of the sort one used to see as "evidence" markings. Neat. The stock on it was once the original, but it had been hideously sanded and whittled - yes, it looked like someone whittled it - into something else.
I cleaned off the rust and let it sit for a bit. Well for four years or so. At one point I thought about making a lamp out of it.
Later I misread an auction late one night and bought a nice Carcano sporter. Well nice in that it had an old Fajen stock on it. The misread part was that I didn't pay attention and ended up with a 7.35mm Carcano.
With the help of a forum member, I did round up a supply of 1939 dated Italian ammo and clips, but troubling reports of the old Italian rounds having a tendency to cause kabooms stopped me from actually trying it out.
Fast forward to the present.
One of my neighbors is a Marine Armorer here on Parris Island. Earlier, he'd redone my Krag sporter. (I paid him partially in bourbon.) He finished his distance education gunsmithing degree but has been working on a portfolio of projects - ie things to show off. Trading a few of my odds and ends began the great Carcano project.
Cleaning up and refinishing a more or less stock Carbine formerly of the Italian Army and later of the Bavarian Rural police is the easy part.
But that begat the real fun - what to do with the other two.
Thus far the idea that emerged was to take the nice Fajen stock and refit the long '91 into it. Using left over parts from other things, a 1913 rail has been fitted scout style on it. Next the bbl has been shortened down to 16.5" inches. Yes, the long 91s had gain twist rifling so this might be problematic for accuracy, but that didn't stop the Italians from doing the same thing to large numbers of these years ago. A recessed crown will be in place in a few days. A nice Duracoat job to follow. We're going to attempt to fit a flash hider salvaged from a bent bbl'd Enfield Jungle Carbine on it. Why? Because I've never seen it done. Of course there might be a good reason for that...
Then, armed only with vague descriptions from the internet, the modified stock that was on the old 91 is being reshaped. In it with go the 7.35mm's guts. The only vague description part is that we are going to attempt to convert it to fire .35 Remington ammunition via a new bbl and try to convert the magazine so that Enbloc clips will no longer be necessary. That'll allow a conventional low power optic to be mounted/used (the bolt is already bent). If we can find a spare flash hider that seems like it will work, that'll go on as well. Because who doesn't want a .35 Remington bolt action carbine? Solemn nod.
Mine reached that stage.
Long time forum members, or just obsessive compulsives, may possibly recall a thread some years ago where I showed off a Carcano sporter that I'd gotten off Auction Arms. It cost me the princely sum of 89 dollars. Originally it was apparently a swamper rifle and I purchased it from a combination drug store(pharmacy)/gunshop in some tiny town deep in MS. Apparently these sorts of things are sometimes found on airboats and what not on the theory that if they get lost or damaged - eh, no great loss.
Long ago and far away it was a '91 long Carcano. It probably saw action in the first world war. For extra fun there's a crudely carved date in 1937 carved on the stock of the sort one used to see as "evidence" markings. Neat. The stock on it was once the original, but it had been hideously sanded and whittled - yes, it looked like someone whittled it - into something else.
I cleaned off the rust and let it sit for a bit. Well for four years or so. At one point I thought about making a lamp out of it.
Later I misread an auction late one night and bought a nice Carcano sporter. Well nice in that it had an old Fajen stock on it. The misread part was that I didn't pay attention and ended up with a 7.35mm Carcano.
With the help of a forum member, I did round up a supply of 1939 dated Italian ammo and clips, but troubling reports of the old Italian rounds having a tendency to cause kabooms stopped me from actually trying it out.
Fast forward to the present.
One of my neighbors is a Marine Armorer here on Parris Island. Earlier, he'd redone my Krag sporter. (I paid him partially in bourbon.) He finished his distance education gunsmithing degree but has been working on a portfolio of projects - ie things to show off. Trading a few of my odds and ends began the great Carcano project.
Cleaning up and refinishing a more or less stock Carbine formerly of the Italian Army and later of the Bavarian Rural police is the easy part.
But that begat the real fun - what to do with the other two.
Thus far the idea that emerged was to take the nice Fajen stock and refit the long '91 into it. Using left over parts from other things, a 1913 rail has been fitted scout style on it. Next the bbl has been shortened down to 16.5" inches. Yes, the long 91s had gain twist rifling so this might be problematic for accuracy, but that didn't stop the Italians from doing the same thing to large numbers of these years ago. A recessed crown will be in place in a few days. A nice Duracoat job to follow. We're going to attempt to fit a flash hider salvaged from a bent bbl'd Enfield Jungle Carbine on it. Why? Because I've never seen it done. Of course there might be a good reason for that...
Then, armed only with vague descriptions from the internet, the modified stock that was on the old 91 is being reshaped. In it with go the 7.35mm's guts. The only vague description part is that we are going to attempt to convert it to fire .35 Remington ammunition via a new bbl and try to convert the magazine so that Enbloc clips will no longer be necessary. That'll allow a conventional low power optic to be mounted/used (the bolt is already bent). If we can find a spare flash hider that seems like it will work, that'll go on as well. Because who doesn't want a .35 Remington bolt action carbine? Solemn nod.
