Carcano M91/38

About the Carcano M91/38

The Carcano M91/38 is a short-barreled Italian bolt-action rifle chambered in 6.5x52mm Carcano, derived from the venerable Modello 1891 system designed by Salvatore Carcano. The M91/38 designation indicates it was a Model 1891 action fitted with a shorter 450mm barrel as standardized in 1938, originally intended for the new 7.35x51mm cartridge before wartime exigencies forced a return to the 6.5mm chambering in 1940. At just 3.4 kg, it was one of the lightest military rifles of World War II, though the short barrel reduced muzzle velocity compared to the full-length M91. The rifle used a distinctive Mannlicher-type en-bloc clip holding 6 rounds.

The Carcano M91/38 became one of the most infamous firearms in history when Lee Harvey Oswald used a Fucile di Fanteria Modello 1891/38 (serial number C2766) to assassinate President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Oswald had purchased the rifle by mail order from Klein's Sporting Goods in Chicago for $19.95 (plus $1.50 postage) under the alias 'A. Hidell.' The rifle, fitted with a cheap 4x Japanese-made scope, was found on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository after the assassination.

Carcano M91/38 specifications

Despite its notoriety, the Carcano M91/38 was never a dedicated sniper rifle. While some M91 full-length variants were fitted with telescopic sights during WWI, the M91/38 short rifle was a standard infantry carbine. The rifle's gain-twist rifling (progressively increasing twist rate from breech to muzzle) was an advanced feature for its era. Wartime Italian ammunition quality was inconsistent, which contributed to the rifle's mixed reputation for accuracy. The 6.5mm Carcano round was actually quite effective ballistically, with low recoil and a relatively flat trajectory.