7.35 mm Carcano

AL45 · February 8, 2013, 11:09 PM

I inherited a 7.35 mm Carcano and have read very mixed reviews on how safe these rifles are. While looking for ammunition, one gun shop employee said they were generally a very unsafe gun and he wouldn't recommend shooting it. I took it to another gun shop and the owner/gunsmith said they used to sale them and they were good guns. He briefly inspected it and said it was fine. He even had some reloads for it. I then took it to another gunsmith, who thoroughly inspected and said it was fine. We then went out and shot it. I have fired it about ten times with no problems. But i have read all kinds of negative reviews on the internet. Does anyone have any experience with these rifles, good or bad?

jonnyc · February 8, 2013, 11:13 PM

An Italian military rifle, 6.5 or 7.35mm, in good condition should be perfectly safe to fire. Any of the old amm totally sucks, but the rifles were of excellent quality.

Scorch · February 8, 2013, 11:28 PM

What the folks who told you Carcanos are unsafe forgot to tell you is that they don't know what they were talking about. In general, no government wants their soldiers firing anything unsafe, no matter how lowly the soldier is. Bad for morale, you know. And the Carcano was one of the few actions PO Ackley could not blow up when he was testing actions to failure. Is it pretty? No. Marvel of engineering? No. Strong? Yes, at least as strong as it needed to be.

Rainbow Demon · February 8, 2013, 11:41 PM

The Italian Carcano got a bad rap due to some extremely degraded WW2 or earlier manufacture milsurp ammunition imported from Egypt.
The propellent used for Carcano ammo was a high nitroglycerin content (60%) powder and when stored in a hot climate for years the powder seperated and clumped up forming a plug of gunk with high explosive properties as dangerous as sweating dynamite.

There were some late war production rifles with poorly heatreated studs on the cocking piece, these could shear through if a case ruptured and the cocking piece might hit the shooter in the face.

If a Carcano is in good condition its as safe as any 1890's bolt action design and safer than many of its contemporaries.
One should examine the cocking piece for signs of excessive wear.

The Finns did not like the Carcano, which added to its undeserved bad rep, but the Finns complaint was mainly about the non adjustable rear sight of the wartime production rifles.
Also the Cacano's converted to 7.92mm may not have held up well if fired using the extra hot heavy ball and AP cartridges for the LMG which were often too hot for a K98 and could cause lug setback.
Due to ammo shortages some Luftwaffe ammo ended up on the infantry lines. Some of that ammo was loaded to 60% higher chamber pressure, as hot as a proof test load. Some obsolescent Luftwaffe beltfed aircraft MGs were modified for ground use and their specially belted and extra hot ammo ended up on the front lines as well.

madcratebuilder · February 9, 2013, 09:46 AM

Quote:

one gun shop employee said they were generally a very unsafe gun and he wouldn't recommend shooting it.

You encountered a ignorant gun shop employee.

Both the 6.5 and 7.35 Carcano is safe to shoot, just follow common sense, make sure it has correct head space, barrel/bolt is reasonably good condition.

Surplus 6.5 ammo is generally very poor. The 7.35 is better if it has been stored properly.

7.35

vacation · February 9, 2013, 11:39 AM

I too have a carcano in 7.35mm, I dont shoot it that often as ammo is tougher to find than my mausers, but still a fine gun and it'll take down deer FYI

Shoot it and clean it and shoot it some more...have fun

**Mike Irwin** · February 9, 2013, 02:09 PM

"There were some late war production rifles with poorly heatreated studs on the cocking piece, these could shear through if a case ruptured and the cocking piece might hit the shooter in the face."

It was my understanding that the Italians stopped manufacturing 7.35 rifles in 1941 because they were running into major logistical problems. They couldn't manufacture enough 7.35s to arm all of their military, and they couldn't work out the supply issues of getting 6.5 to those troops who needed it and 7.35 to the others, so they started pulling the 7.35s back and rebarreling them to 6.5.

chiefr · February 9, 2013, 03:23 PM

+1 Scorch
I have fired my share of the Carcanos and have heard all the negativity you can imagine of these fine rifles. Most of it is BS
Some of the negativity is a result of using ammo of the wrong bullet diameter plus correct ammo is difficult to find.
The 7.35 bullet diameter is .300 and the 6.5 is .268. With reloads, Carcanos can be extremely accurate.

**James K** · February 9, 2013, 07:02 PM

That old myth that the Carcano bolt or cocking piece or safety is held in only by a weak stud is nonsense and anyone who actually studies the bolt for more than a few seconds knows it.

Jim

AL45 · February 9, 2013, 10:17 PM

Thanks for your replies. My Father In Law never got to shoot it because he could never find ammunition. I wasn't sure how safe it was and never helped him find it. After he passed away, I remembered the rifle and researched it to find out about it. I found some ammunition that the local gun shop had produced by necking brass from another caliber to the 7.35mm. As I understand, the gun was sighted in at 300 yards, and the soldiers were trained to fire at the enemies belly. If the enemy was actually 200 yards away, it would hit the chest and if they were 100 yards away it would hit the head.

Romeo 33 Delta · February 10, 2013, 07:44 PM

And, the Italians were taught a different sight picture from that which we are used to (pumpkin on the post). They were taught to bury the front sight blade into the bottom of the rear sight "V". You'll still need to aim low at shorter ranges.

Carcanos are FUN rifles ... if you get into reloading for them ... even MORE fun.

Rainbow Demon · February 11, 2013, 04:14 PM

Carcano bolt disassembly video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=V1mu2dlafG4

February 8, 2013, 11:09 PM	#1
AL45 Senior Member Join Date: December 12, 2012 Posts: 105	7.35 mm Carcano I inherited a 7.35 mm Carcano and have read very mixed reviews on how safe these rifles are. While looking for ammunition, one gun shop employee said they were generally a very unsafe gun and he wouldn't recommend shooting it. I took it to another gun shop and the owner/gunsmith said they used to sale them and they were good guns. He briefly inspected it and said it was fine. He even had some reloads for it. I then took it to another gunsmith, who thoroughly inspected and said it was fine. We then went out and shot it. I have fired it about ten times with no problems. But i have read all kinds of negative reviews on the internet. Does anyone have any experience with these rifles, good or bad?

February 8, 2013, 11:13 PM	#2
jonnyc Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2009 Location: PA Posts: 680	An Italian military rifle, 6.5 or 7.35mm, in good condition should be perfectly safe to fire. Any of the old amm totally sucks, but the rifles were of excellent quality. __________________ 2013 PA Cartridge Collector Show!!! Buy...Sell...Trade All Types of Ammunition & Ordnance Details: http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=513625

February 8, 2013, 11:28 PM	#3
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 11,029	What the folks who told you Carcanos are unsafe forgot to tell you is that they don't know what they were talking about. In general, no government wants their soldiers firing anything unsafe, no matter how lowly the soldier is. Bad for morale, you know. And the Carcano was one of the few actions PO Ackley could not blow up when he was testing actions to failure. Is it pretty? No. Marvel of engineering? No. Strong? Yes, at least as strong as it needed to be. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Taylor Machine

February 9, 2013, 02:09 PM	#7
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 14, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 33,102	"There were some late war production rifles with poorly heatreated studs on the cocking piece, these could shear through if a case ruptured and the cocking piece might hit the shooter in the face." It was my understanding that the Italians stopped manufacturing 7.35 rifles in 1941 because they were running into major logistical problems. They couldn't manufacture enough 7.35s to arm all of their military, and they couldn't work out the supply issues of getting 6.5 to those troops who needed it and 7.35 to the others, so they started pulling the 7.35s back and rebarreling them to 6.5. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

February 9, 2013, 07:02 PM	#9
James K Staff Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 16,403	That old myth that the Carcano bolt or cocking piece or safety is held in only by a weak stud is nonsense and anyone who actually studies the bolt for more than a few seconds knows it. Jim __________________ Jim K

February 8, 2013, 11:41 PM	#4
Rainbow Demon Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2012 Posts: 397	The Italian Carcano got a bad rap due to some extremely degraded WW2 or earlier manufacture milsurp ammunition imported from Egypt. The propellent used for Carcano ammo was a high nitroglycerin content (60%) powder and when stored in a hot climate for years the powder seperated and clumped up forming a plug of gunk with high explosive properties as dangerous as sweating dynamite. There were some late war production rifles with poorly heatreated studs on the cocking piece, these could shear through if a case ruptured and the cocking piece might hit the shooter in the face. If a Carcano is in good condition its as safe as any 1890's bolt action design and safer than many of its contemporaries. One should examine the cocking piece for signs of excessive wear. The Finns did not like the Carcano, which added to its undeserved bad rep, but the Finns complaint was mainly about the non adjustable rear sight of the wartime production rifles. Also the Cacano's converted to 7.92mm may not have held up well if fired using the extra hot heavy ball and AP cartridges for the LMG which were often too hot for a K98 and could cause lug setback. Due to ammo shortages some Luftwaffe ammo ended up on the infantry lines. Some of that ammo was loaded to 60% higher chamber pressure, as hot as a proof test load. Some obsolescent Luftwaffe beltfed aircraft MGs were modified for ground use and their specially belted and extra hot ammo ended up on the front lines as well.

February 9, 2013, 11:39 AM	#6
vacation Member Join Date: January 15, 2010 Location: Branson, MO Posts: 48	I too have a carcano in 7.35mm, I dont shoot it that often as ammo is tougher to find than my mausers, but still a fine gun and it'll take down deer FYI Shoot it and clean it and shoot it some more...have fun

February 9, 2013, 03:23 PM	#8
chiefr Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2010 Location: AR Posts: 766	+1 Scorch I have fired my share of the Carcanos and have heard all the negativity you can imagine of these fine rifles. Most of it is BS Some of the negativity is a result of using ammo of the wrong bullet diameter plus correct ammo is difficult to find. The 7.35 bullet diameter is .300 and the 6.5 is .268. With reloads, Carcanos can be extremely accurate.

February 9, 2013, 10:17 PM	#10
AL45 Senior Member Join Date: December 12, 2012 Posts: 105	Thanks for your replies. My Father In Law never got to shoot it because he could never find ammunition. I wasn't sure how safe it was and never helped him find it. After he passed away, I remembered the rifle and researched it to find out about it. I found some ammunition that the local gun shop had produced by necking brass from another caliber to the 7.35mm. As I understand, the gun was sighted in at 300 yards, and the soldiers were trained to fire at the enemies belly. If the enemy was actually 200 yards away, it would hit the chest and if they were 100 yards away it would hit the head.

February 10, 2013, 07:44 PM	#11
Romeo 33 Delta Senior Member Join Date: March 27, 2009 Posts: 249	And, the Italians were taught a different sight picture from that which we are used to (pumpkin on the post). They were taught to bury the front sight blade into the bottom of the rear sight "V". You'll still need to aim low at shorter ranges. Carcanos are FUN rifles ... if you get into reloading for them ... even MORE fun.

February 11, 2013, 04:14 PM	#12
Rainbow Demon Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2012 Posts: 397	Carcano bolt disassembly video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=V1mu2dlafG4