[Gator_Weiss]

This rifle was manufactured in the town of Brescia, Italy, circa 1926, under license from the Austrian firm of Mannlicher.

You will probably find some Roman numerals on it, that will indicate the year of "reign" of Mussolini, in which it was manufactured, unless it was manufactured prior to his ascension.

The rifles came in 6.5 Carcano, and 7.35 Carcano. There were two or three carbine variants, and to my knowledge, only one infantry variant was produced - that being the longer rifle that you have.

I am going to hazard a guess and say that yours is probably 7.35. It would well be a 6.5, but I am guessing that the infantry model was in the larger caliber.

Of interest to you might be the fact that the rifling in the Carcano becomes progressively "steeper" as it nears the end of the barrel. The rate of twist increases, the farther the bullet travels down the barrel. This is unusual, and it was one of the traits of these rifles that made them somewhat unique.

Many people **** on the Carcano, and I dont know why. I have had a few Carcanos over the years, and I have found every one of those to have been solid rifles that threw good accuracy on the range.

The rifle utilizes a "clip" of five rounds that is not a stripper clip. Carcano clips are loaded in the top of the rifle, and you eject them out of the bottom of the rifle by pushing the button inside of the trigger guard. Yours might have an old clip remaining in the rifle. If not, you can find some here and there on the net or occasionally at a gunshow.

The safety is an unusual affair. You can actually decock the rifle using the safety catch. The safety can be employed silently. I dont know if it was designed that way, but it sure engages silently when you need it to.

The carbine model in 6.5 Carcano was used to assasinate President Kennedy, in Dallas.

Your rifle is probably worth between 225.00 to 550.00 depending on condition and caliber, proof marks being intact, whether or not it has been altered, etc, etc. Yours looks very good. Clean it up well, and dont refinish the stock. Leave it as it is to protect the value.

I was recently handed one - in December 2009 - that was owned by a young police officer who asked me to identify the weapon for him. His "Uncle" captured the weapon from an operative of the NVA in Vietnam who attempted to take someone prisoner by pointing the weapon at them. His "Uncle" reached over and took the weapon away and took the operative prisoner instead. He brought the rifle home with him. His appeared to have been shortened in the stock, but it had a long barrel. Maybe it was an infantry model that was shortened by someone in Vietnam. The caliber of his was 7.35. It seemed unusual to encounter a pre WW2 Italian rifle in Vietnam. But I have heard of some of the Montangards being found with Mauser rifles up in the highlands. My cousing was an adviser in Vietnam, and from what I learned there must have been a real variety of weapons in Vietnam. There were many weapons brought there by the French and some by the Japanese as well.