carcano m91

CLC · May 8, 2011, 02:39 PM

I just picked one up for $75 and wanted to know if I got a good deal. Its in ex+ condition. Im sure ill have many more questions as this is my first one.

Webleymkv · May 8, 2011, 03:04 PM

You did fairly well. Carcanos don't sell particularly high because they have a largely undeserved bad reputation from a long history of misunderstandings. The M91 is one of the least commonly encountered Carcanos (the M91 Cavalry Carbine and M38 Short Rifle are much more common it seems). Your rifle should be chambered for 6.5x52 Carcano and will be old enough to have gain-twist rifling (the twist rate in the barrel gets progressively faster from the breech to the muzzle).

In order for the rifle to work as designed, you will need not only ammunition but also clips. Carcanos use 6-round Mannlicher-style clips which are made of either steel (black finish) or brass (gold finish). The entire package consisting of the clip and six rounds of ammo is inserted into the magazine and the clip stays in the gun until the last round is chambered at which point it falls out the hole in the bottom of the magazine. Italian military ammo originally came already packed onto the clips similar to the way 30-06 ammo was issued already packed in 8-round en bloc clips for the Garand during WWII and Korea. You can sometimes find surplus ammo still on clips or the clips can be purchased separately ($5-10 a piece seems to be the going price on Carcano clips). I would only buy surplus ammo for the clips as surplus ammo in this caliber is absolute crap (extremely corrosive and very prone to misfires and hangfires). Also, guns in 7.35 Carcano use the same clips, so if you find ammo of that caliber on clips for a good price it may be worth your time and money to buy it.

As far as ammo is concerned, forget about surplus because, as I mentioned before, it is a waste of money, time, and frustration. Currently, four manufacturers make 6.5 Carcano ammunition: Norma, Hornady, Prvi Partizan, and FNM. Of the four, Hornady is the best because they are the only ones to use proper weight and diameter bullets. You see, unlike most other 6.5mm cartridges like 6.5x55 Swede, 6.5x50 Arisaka, or 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Shrouner, 6.5 Carcano uses a .268" diameter bullet rather than the more common .264" diameter one. The standard bullet weight for 6.5 Carcano is also an unusually heavy-for-caliber 162grn (most 6.5mm cartridges use a 140grn or lighter bullet). Most of the reputation for inaccuracy that the Carcano has gotten comes from the use of undersize .264" bullets. Using bullets of that diameter in a Carcano usually give accuracy ranging from mediocre to something resembling a shotgun pattern.

Hornady loads a 160grn RNSP with a .268 diameter bullet for this cartridge while Norma, Prvi Partizan, and FNM all use 123-156grn .264" bullets of either FMJ or JSP type. FNM and Prvi Partizan ammo are, however, usually significantly less expensive than Hornady or Norma and are good sources of boxer-primed brass if you intend to reload.

CLC · May 8, 2011, 03:52 PM

Thank you. That's answers most of my questions. I have alot of m/n's so im excited to see how this clip works out im not used to it just dropping out the bottom. So with modern ammo I shouldn't have to worry about any catastrophe failures? When I was buying it my buddies brother said to watch out for that sort of thing. I just shrugged it off though.

tater134 · May 8, 2011, 10:09 PM

You did really well IMO. Carcanos have gone up in price quite a bit so you dont see them at those kind of prices very often anymore. M91 long rifles go for $180-250 in my area depending on the year and condition.

Quote:

So with modern ammo I shouldn't have to worry about any catastrophe failures? When I was buying it my buddies brother said to watch out for that sort of thing. I just shrugged it off though.

Not at all go ahead and shoot away with it. That nonsense has been floating around for years and thats probably why Carcanos have always been so cheap. Privi Partisan 6.5 is usually pretty easy to get and as stated above their brass is great for reloading.

CLC · May 10, 2011, 03:51 PM

Thanks. Would I be able to load rounds one at a time? I don't know how long it will take me to get the clips.

Tever · May 10, 2011, 04:13 PM

Can I ask where you got it? From my short time looking around to become familair, I believe this is an Italian WWII rifle? I am looking for one for my dad for fathers day to add to his WWII rifle collection.

Webleymkv · May 10, 2011, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Thank you. That's answers most of my questions. I have alot of m/n's so im excited to see how this clip works out im not used to it just dropping out the bottom. So with modern ammo I shouldn't have to worry about any catastrophe failures? When I was buying it my buddies brother said to watch out for that sort of thing. I just shrugged it off though.

I wouldn't worry about catastrophic failures unless you do something really stupid like try to shoot 7.35 ammo in a 6.5 gun (I'm not even entirely sure 7.35 ammo would chamber). Despite some of the erroneous information floating around, a Carcano is actually quite a strong action. Carcanos have dual opposed frontal locking lugs ala Mauser 98 and the bolt handle and right rear portion of the split-bridge receiver serves as a third safety lug. Also, the Carcano's bolt is well vented for gas. I have personally experienced a pierced primer with the crap surplus ammo I mentioned earlier and neither I nor the rifle suffered any ill effects other than a good scare.

A good article with information about the strength of a Carcano is this one by Dave Emary. You have to read a ways into it, but there is a recounting of an attempt to blow a Carcano up with great difficulty

http://personal.stevens.edu/~glibera...ano/emary.html

As far as clips go, you can get them here

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/...620&catid=1573

tater134 · May 10, 2011, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Thanks. Would I be able to load rounds one at a time? I don't know how long it will take me to get the clips.

You can if you remove the bolt and lock the rim of the round under the extractor and then reinsert the bolt into the receiver. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend it or you risk breaking the extractor.

CLC · May 10, 2011, 10:28 PM

Cool I think that answers it. I can't wait to get this bad boy out. Bad news is now im going to have and buy more carcanos

mwells72774 · May 13, 2011, 08:06 PM

we all like range reports

wallager57 · May 15, 2011, 09:05 PM

I just bought a couple from buymilsurp.com $15.00 ea plus shipping (ouch) but my son fell in love with that thing and wanted badly to shoot it. I ordered 3 boxes of the privi partisan, and we shot 12 rounds today. lol after all that he decided he likes my Swede carbine better. as previously mentioned by another member, accuracy is nothing to write home about. When he shot a 3 leaf clover with the swede, his interest waned. I may use it to pick up a freezer doe this season. Let me know how it works out for you.

May 8, 2011, 02:39 PM	#1
CLC Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2011 Posts: 603	carcano m91 I just picked one up for $75 and wanted to know if I got a good deal. Its in ex+ condition. Im sure ill have many more questions as this is my first one. __________________ In god we trust, all others must pay cash.

May 8, 2011, 03:52 PM	#3
CLC Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2011 Posts: 603	Thank you. That's answers most of my questions. I have alot of m/n's so im excited to see how this clip works out im not used to it just dropping out the bottom. So with modern ammo I shouldn't have to worry about any catastrophe failures? When I was buying it my buddies brother said to watch out for that sort of thing. I just shrugged it off though. __________________ In god we trust, all others must pay cash.

May 10, 2011, 03:51 PM	#5
CLC Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2011 Posts: 603	Thanks. Would I be able to load rounds one at a time? I don't know how long it will take me to get the clips. __________________ In god we trust, all others must pay cash.

May 10, 2011, 10:28 PM	#9
CLC Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2011 Posts: 603	Cool I think that answers it. I can't wait to get this bad boy out. Bad news is now im going to have and buy more carcanos __________________ In god we trust, all others must pay cash.

May 15, 2011, 09:05 PM	#11
wallager57 Junior Member Join Date: March 27, 2008 Location: Centerton,Arkansas Posts: 6	clips for M91 I just bought a couple from buymilsurp.com $15.00 ea plus shipping (ouch) but my son fell in love with that thing and wanted badly to shoot it. I ordered 3 boxes of the privi partisan, and we shot 12 rounds today. lol after all that he decided he likes my Swede carbine better. as previously mentioned by another member, accuracy is nothing to write home about. When he shot a 3 leaf clover with the swede, his interest waned. I may use it to pick up a freezer doe this season. Let me know how it works out for you.

May 8, 2011, 03:04 PM	#2
Webleymkv Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 10,446	You did fairly well. Carcanos don't sell particularly high because they have a largely undeserved bad reputation from a long history of misunderstandings. The M91 is one of the least commonly encountered Carcanos (the M91 Cavalry Carbine and M38 Short Rifle are much more common it seems). Your rifle should be chambered for 6.5x52 Carcano and will be old enough to have gain-twist rifling (the twist rate in the barrel gets progressively faster from the breech to the muzzle). In order for the rifle to work as designed, you will need not only ammunition but also clips. Carcanos use 6-round Mannlicher-style clips which are made of either steel (black finish) or brass (gold finish). The entire package consisting of the clip and six rounds of ammo is inserted into the magazine and the clip stays in the gun until the last round is chambered at which point it falls out the hole in the bottom of the magazine. Italian military ammo originally came already packed onto the clips similar to the way 30-06 ammo was issued already packed in 8-round en bloc clips for the Garand during WWII and Korea. You can sometimes find surplus ammo still on clips or the clips can be purchased separately ($5-10 a piece seems to be the going price on Carcano clips). I would only buy surplus ammo for the clips as surplus ammo in this caliber is absolute crap (extremely corrosive and very prone to misfires and hangfires). Also, guns in 7.35 Carcano use the same clips, so if you find ammo of that caliber on clips for a good price it may be worth your time and money to buy it. As far as ammo is concerned, forget about surplus because, as I mentioned before, it is a waste of money, time, and frustration. Currently, four manufacturers make 6.5 Carcano ammunition: Norma, Hornady, Prvi Partizan, and FNM. Of the four, Hornady is the best because they are the only ones to use proper weight and diameter bullets. You see, unlike most other 6.5mm cartridges like 6.5x55 Swede, 6.5x50 Arisaka, or 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Shrouner, 6.5 Carcano uses a .268" diameter bullet rather than the more common .264" diameter one. The standard bullet weight for 6.5 Carcano is also an unusually heavy-for-caliber 162grn (most 6.5mm cartridges use a 140grn or lighter bullet). Most of the reputation for inaccuracy that the Carcano has gotten comes from the use of undersize .264" bullets. Using bullets of that diameter in a Carcano usually give accuracy ranging from mediocre to something resembling a shotgun pattern. Hornady loads a 160grn RNSP with a .268 diameter bullet for this cartridge while Norma, Prvi Partizan, and FNM all use 123-156grn .264" bullets of either FMJ or JSP type. FNM and Prvi Partizan ammo are, however, usually significantly less expensive than Hornady or Norma and are good sources of boxer-primed brass if you intend to reload.

May 10, 2011, 04:13 PM	#6
Tever Junior Member Join Date: February 27, 2011 Location: Miamisburg OH Posts: 4	Can I ask where you got it? From my short time looking around to become familair, I believe this is an Italian WWII rifle? I am looking for one for my dad for fathers day to add to his WWII rifle collection.

May 13, 2011, 08:06 PM	#10
mwells72774 Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2011 Posts: 325	we all like range reports