Vetterli-Vitali Mod. 1870/87

About the Vetterli-Vitali Mod. 1870/87

The Vetterli-Vitali Mod. 1870/87 was the Kingdom of Italy's standard service rifle from 1887 until the introduction of the Carcano Mod. 91. It is a conversion of the earlier single-shot Italian Vetterli Mod. 1870 (itself a derivative of the Swiss Vetterli design) to a four-round repeater, achieved by fitting an internal box magazine system designed by Italian artillery captain Giuseppe Vitali. The rifle uses the 10.35x47mmR black-powder cartridge originally adopted with the Mod. 1870. After the Carcano replaced it as a frontline weapon, large numbers of Vetterli-Vitalis were rebarreled in 6.5x52mm Carcano during WWI as the Mod. 1870/87/15 to arm rear-echelon and reservist units.

Many Vetterli-Vitalis ended up in unexpected hands a half-century after their service: large surplus lots were sold to China in the early 20th century and reappeared in Spanish Republican stocks during the Spanish Civil War, with stragglers documented as late as the 2015 Syrian conflict - a 145-year service trail.

Vetterli-Vitali Mod. 1870/87 specifications

The Italian Vetterli differs from the Swiss Vetterli in caliber, in using a centerfire (rather than rimfire) cartridge, and in lacking the Swiss tubular magazine. The 1870/87 conversion preserved the original action and added the Vitali clip-fed box magazine.