Has anybody handled an.....

[Ray]

Italian Carcano ?

6.5x52 i mean.

Crude ? Definitely, but the again it has both gain twist rifling and a choked bore (the proper diameter .268" bullets get squeezed down to .261" by the time they leave muzzle). Which is why many shoot reasonably well with the more common .264" bullets.

Anyways, either the carbine like lee oswald supposedly used or an infantry model cut down to sporting dimensions seem quite light and handy.

Prvi Partizan makes both the brass and correct fatter bullets.....They load ammo in both soft nose and fmj but it is very scarce right now.

Here are some (139 gr. fmj 30 gr. H335) loaded the conventional way and the ray way.....

IMG_20221220_211210038~2.jpg

[gamekeeper]

Never handled one but I've always liked the look of them and in a couple of JFK assassination documentaries they have proven to be capable.

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[flightsimmer]

I had one as an early teenager, bought it through the mail from a magazine ad ammo and all with my paper route money.
Neat carbine, wish I still had it. Boy how times have changed.

[2ndovc]

My dad gave me a neat little sporter a couple of years ago. He bought it really cheap and found out later, why. The chamber was corroded badly and fired cases wouldn't extract. My gunsmith and I are trying to decide what to do with it, but he's got to finish my P-14 first.

It's going to need to be re-barreled, and caliber suggestions are appreciated.


jb

[junkbug]

I believe one of the easiest caliber conversions is to 7.62x39 Russian. The rim is virtually the same. You can use the original clips un- altered. You can seat heavy cast bullets out really far if the throat will allow it. Evidently it was common not too long ago to use take off Lee Enfield barrels to turn down, re-chamber and do this with.

Surplus carbines with the folding bayonet are available now in expensively from Classic Arms and Royal Tiger Imports. Some have really good bores.

[Ray]

My current example is rough inside and out. I've spent many hours soaking it in penetrating oils and scouring/scrubbing. I cannot seem to get the magazine to work at all with any clip, original or period repro. (numrich) or modern repro. (buffalo arms). but it will single feed. Which is something the $60 '83 era sporterized version would not do. The dog-legged magazine spring/follower sat too high in the magazine to allow a singly loaded cartridge to chamber. The clip from numrich cost $45 in those days....3/4s the cost of the gun. The only ammo was very pricey norma, presumably with too small (.264") bullets. All in all it proved an expensive and less than successful experiment for a 13-14 year old.

[Bill in Oregon]

I've had a couple of the carbines and short rifles. They were OK. But somewhere along the line I bought a Model 1891 full-length rifle with a very good bore. I found that with careful handloads it would keep up with a very nice Carl Gustav Model 1896 Swedish Mauser in the accuracy department, which says something. Frank de Haas had some good things to say about that action in his "Bolt Action Rifles."

[Bob Hatfield]

I picked up one of the cavalry/bicycle carbines a few years ago to tinker with. Located several boxes of Norma brass. found some dies and already had some 160 gr. .264 Sierra bullets shot fair but very high on the lowest sight setting. Also, the Norma brass has the wrong extractor groove. PPU has the correct groove and feeds nicely from the clip. The Norma brass you have to operate the bolt like you are mad as hell and you mean it.

The Norma brass has a too narrow extractor groove for my gun. It doesn't want to slide under the extractor as it leaves the clip. You are not supposed to load a round in the chamber and close the bolt. It'll work but Carcano experts say you will break the extractor.

My bore is around .267 or so. I found some .267 gas checked long lead bullets on the net and shot them over 15 grains of 2400 if I remember correctly. Cannot remember how they shot. I replaced the front sight with a tall Mauser sight from Brownells and took off the battle sight and was able to lower the adjustable portion down to a lower setting. The brought the POI up properly.

Finally got bored and put it in the safe after spending $225 on the rifle and another $100 on the brass, bullets, clips and dies.
darn I can waste money, but I scratched an itch.

Bob