Italian · Carbine

Carcano Moschetto Mod. 1891/38

Name: Carcano Moschetto Mod. 1891/38
Brand: Italian

Bolt action · 6.5x52mm Mannlicher-Carcano · introduced 1938

Also known as Moschetto Modello 91/38, Carcano M91/38 Carbine, Mannlicher-Carcano 91/38 Carbine

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About the Carcano Moschetto Mod. 1891/38

The Carcano Moschetto Mod. 1891/38 is an Italian bolt-action carbine of the Mannlicher-Carcano family, chambered in 6.5x52mm Carcano and fed by a 6-round en-bloc clip. It is the carbine version of the Modello 1938 system: after the experimental 7.35x52mm cartridge was abandoned around 1940, cavalry and special-troops carbines were standardized (and reverted) to the proven 6.5mm round while retaining the simplified fixed 300-metre rear sight of the M38 pattern. It served the Regio Esercito throughout World War II with an integral folding bayonet.

When Italy scrapped its short-lived 7.35mm modernization program on the eve of World War II, factories simply built the new Model 1938 carbine around the old 6.5mm cartridge instead, keeping the fixed 300-metre sight born from a wartime shortcut on the assumption that most infantry fighting happened closer than that anyway.

Carcano Moschetto Mod. 1891/38 specifications

General

Type: Carbine
Action: Bolt action
Firing mechanism: Rotating bolt
Trigger: Single stage
Calibres: 6.5x52mm Mannlicher-Carcano
Magazine capacity: 6 rounds
Magazine: En bloc clip

Dimensions

Barrel length: 450 mm (17.7 in)
Overall length: 925 mm (36.4 in)
Weight (empty): 3.20 kg (7.05 lb)

Barrel

Rifling: Right hand
Grooves: 4

Materials

Barrel: Steel
Receiver / frame: Steel
Stock: Wood
Finish: blued

Performance

Muzzle velocity (typical): 630 m/s (2067 fps)
Effective range: 300 m

History

Introduced: 1938
Discontinued: 1945
Production status: Out of production
Country of origin: IT
Designer: Salvatore Carcano

Features

Fixed 300m rear sight
Gain twist rifling
En bloc clip feed
Integral folding bayonet
Turned down bolt handle

Safety

Manual safety

Produced in cavalry (da Cavalleria) and special-troops (per Truppe Speciali) forms distinguished mainly by their bayonet arrangement. Distinguished from the original 1893 M91 cavalry carbine by its fixed rather than adjustable rear sight, and from the M38 cavalry carbine by its 6.5mm rather than 7.35mm chambering.