In March 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald, using the alias 'A. Hidell', purchased by mail order a 6.5×52mmCarcano Model 91/38 infantry rifle (described by the President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy as a 'Mannlicher–Carcano') with a telescopic sight.[1] He also purchased a revolver from a different company, by the same method. The Hidell alias was determined from multiple sources to be Oswald.[2] Oswald fired the rifle from the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, Texas, to assassinateUnited States PresidentJohn F. Kennedy as his motorcade drove by on November 22, 1963.[3] Photographs of Oswald holding the rifle, a palmprint found upon examination of the rifle, and detective work tracing its sale, all eventually led to Oswald.[4]Marina Oswald later testified she was told by Lee that the rifle was also used before in an attempt to assassinate retired U.S. Army General Edwin Walker in Dallas.
Carcano Rifles Serial Numbers
History of the rifle[edit]
The Oswald rifle is an Italian Fucile di Fanteria (Eng: Infantry rifle) Modello 91/38 (Model 1891/1938) manufactured at the Royal Arms Factory in Terni, (Regia fabbrica d'armi di Terni), Italy, in 1940. The stamp of the royal crown and 'Terni' identifies this manufacturing site. Its serial number identified it as the single weapon of its type made with that number. The so-called Model 91 bolt-action rifle had been introduced in 1891 by Salvatore Carcano for the Turin Army Arsenal. After 1895, the Modello 91 used an en bloc ammunition clip similar, but not identical, to the Austrian Mannlicher ammunition clips, and hence the names of Mannlicher and Carcano came to be associated with the Oswald rifle; this included association with them by the Warren Commission. The ammunition used in the clip was the 6.5×52mm Cartuccia Modello 1895 rimless cartridge (designed in 1890), also sometimes called Mannlicher–Carcano ammunition, after the rifle designer and the general type of clip it used.
In 1938, the basic Model 91 long rifle design was discontinued in favor of a new short rifle design, the Model 38, with a new type of ammunition: a spitzer-pointed 7.35×51mm round. The 7.35mm M38 was manufactured from 1938 to 1940. In 1940, with the war well under way and unable to stockpile sufficient amounts of 7.35×51mm ammunition, the short rifles were re-designated Modello 91/38, and were again manufactured to fire the original round-nosed 6.5×52mm ammunition. The serial-numbered C2766 rifle, sent to Oswald as a surplus advertised 'Italian carbine' in 1963, was a short infantry rifle of this type (though technically not a moschetto carbine model), manufactured for the 6.5×52mm cartridge. This 6.5mm Carcano M91/38 was only manufactured for one year, 1940, and discontinued in favor of a new 6.5mm long rifle, the M91/41, which was made until the end of the war.[5]
Purchase of the revolver and Carcano[edit]
On October 9, 1962, Lee Harvey Oswald rented post office box number 2915 in Dallas, Texas.[6] On January 27, 1963, Oswald ordered a Smith & Wesson 'Victory' Model.38 specialrevolver from Seaport Traders of Los Angeles, using the name A. J. Hidell, and his post office box as address, for $29.95 (equivalent to $245 in 2018) plus postage and handling. It was shipped to him C.O.D. by rail on March 20, and due to policies on shipping of pistols to prevent them from being sent to minors, he was required to pick it up directly at the offices of the Railway Express Agency in Dallas.[7][8]
On March 12, 1963, Oswald (under the assumed name Alek Hidell) ordered the rifle with an attached telescopic sight from a February advertisement in American Rifleman for a '6.5 Italian Carbine' (model not given in the advertisement). The rifle was ordered from Klein's Sporting Goods located in Chicago, with Oswald paying $19.95 (equivalent to $163 in 2018) plus postage and handling, by money order. This amount included money for the rifle ($12.78), plus a new 4x telescopic sight ($7.17) that was to be custom mounted to it as part of the package. The rifle was also shipped to him at the Hidell post office box, also (by coincidence) on March 20, the same day as the pistol. He picked up the rifle at the post office on March 25.[9]
Klein's Sporting Goods had initially shipped surplus 36-inch long (91 cm) Carcano model M91 TS carbines ('moschettos') under their 'Italian carbine' ad. However, effective April 13, 1962, Crescent Firearms, the wholesale supplier of Italian rifles to Klein's, had been unable to supply Carcano TS carbines, and had switched to surplus Carcano M91/38's,[10] which fired the same 6.5 x 52mm ammunition. The M91/38 rifles were a slightly longer 40.1 inches (102 cm) short infantry version of the Carcano TS and had a 20.9-inch (53 cm) barrel rather than the 17.7-inch (45 cm) barrel of the TS carbine model. They also had a completely left-side-mounted sling rather than the under-stock sling of the TS. Thus, while Oswald got a slightly longer M91/38, which was not quite the same Italian rifle shown in the advertisement photograph (the ad photo was not changed until April, 1963), he did get a very similar telescope-modified Italian 6.5 mm short rifle.[11]
Oswald asked his wife Marina in late March to take several photographs of him posing in their backyard with the rifle and pistol and holding copies of the newspapers The Worker and The Militant.[12] Three of the photographs were discovered among Oswald's belongings on November 23.[13][14]
Walker shooting[edit]
Marina Oswald testified that Lee told her on April 10, 1963, that he had used the rifle earlier that night in an attempt to assassinate retired U.S. Army General Edwin Walker, a controversial political activist, at Walker's home in Dallas.[15] The bullet was deflected from hitting Walker when it struck a window frame. Oswald escaped, hiding the rifle and retrieving it a day or two later.[16] Jeanne De Mohrenschildt, an acquaintance of the Oswalds, testified that when she and her husband George visited the Oswalds on April 13, she saw a rifle, that 'looked very much like' the Carcano, standing in the corner of a closet. When she told George what she had just seen, he joked to Lee, 'Did you take a pot shot at Walker by any chance?'[17]
The De Mohrenschildts later found a copy of one of the backyard photographs, dated by hand 5 April 1963 (in Russian) and autographed by Oswald on the back with the message 'To my friend George from Lee Oswald' in a record album they had loaned to Marina before the De Mohrenschildts moved to Haiti in May 1963.[18][19]
Discovery[edit]
The Warren Commission found that, in the weeks before the assassination, Oswald kept the rifle wrapped in a blanket and hidden in the garage of friends Michael and Ruth Paine, where Marina was living at the time, and Oswald would occasionally visit. Michael Paine described 'a package wrapped in a blanket', which he thought was camping equipment. He did find this odd, saying to himself 'they don't make camping equipment of iron pipes any more'.[20] Marina testified that, after she and Lee moved their belongings to the Paine home in September 1963, she found the rifle in the blanket while searching for a part for her child's crib.[21]
The Commission concluded that Oswald had smuggled the rifle into the Texas School Book Depository on the morning of the assassination, November 22, 1963, in a brown paper package, which he had told a co-worker contained 'curtain rods',[22] although Oswald later denied this, and said that he carried only a lunch bag that day.[23][24] He also said that he did not own a rifle.[25][26][27]
About half an hour after the assassination of President Kennedy, a floor-by-floor search of the Texas School Book Depository Building was commenced by Dallas police, joined by sheriff's deputies.[28] The rifle was found by Deputy Sheriff Seymour Weitzman and Officer Gene Boone among cartons on the sixth floor.[29][30]
The two officers who found the rifle—and later Captain Fritz—picked it up by the sling, but did not handle it until the arrival of Lt. Carl Day of the crime scene search section of the identification bureau.[31] Lt. Day then held the rifle by the stock, in one hand, 'because it was too rough to hold a fingerprint' and inspected the rifle with a magnifying glass in his other hand.[32] He checked that the bolt had no prints on it before Fritz ejected a live round.[33]
Also found in the same vicinity were three 6.5×52mm brass cartridges later proven to have been fired from Oswald's rifle. One of the empty cartridges, CE 543, was dented in the area of the neck. Ballistic experts testified to the HSCA that this likely occurred when the rifle was rapidly fired and the cartridge was ejected. When four test bullets were fired from the rifle, one of the four cartridges had a dented neck, similar to CE 543.[34]
The rifle was subjected to further forensic examination at the laboratory.[33] A palm print was discovered on part of the rifle that could only have been put there when the rifle was not fully assembled. Such a palm print could not be placed on this portion of the rifle when assembled because the wooden foregrip covers the barrel.[33] He did not complete his investigation, however, because he was told to stop, and to hand the rifle over to FBI Agent Vince Drain, because the FBI would finish the investigation.[33] He later did his own research, however, and concluded that the prints were Oswald's, because by then he had Oswald's prints on file.[33][35]
Police Chief Jesse Curry testified that—despite believing that the FBI had no jurisdiction over the case—he complied with FBI requests to send the rifle and all other evidence to their laboratories in Washington.[36] During the night after Kennedy's murder, the rifle was taken by FBI agent Vincent Drain from Dallas to Washington D.C., who then gave it to FBI agent Robert Frazier. He testified that he kept it in the FBI office until November 27, 1963, whereupon it was sent back to Dallas and given back to someone at the Dallas Police Department for reasons unclear. It was later sent back to the FBI headquarters in Washington.
Sebastian Latona, supervisor of the Latent Fingerprint section of the FBI's Identification Division,[37] testified that the palm print found on the barrel of the rifle belonged to Lee Harvey Oswald. Experts agree that palm prints are as unique as fingerprints for the purpose of establishing identification.
Initially misidentified as being a German-made Mauser rifle, the Dallas police, upon examination in their lab, determined it to be an Italian-made Carcano. The Warren Commission concluded that the initial identification of the rifle as a Mauser was in error.[38] The House Select Committee on Assassinations investigated claims from researchers that the rifle in fact was a Mauser. The Committee compared photos taken by the Dallas police of the rifle in place, a news film of the rifle being recovered, news photos of the rifle being carried from the Depository, numerous news photos and films of the rifle being carried through the halls of the Dallas police headquarters, as well as photos later taken by the FBI and the Dallas police, and compared them to the Carcano rifle held at the National Archives. They concluded the rifle depicted in the photos and films was the same rifle held in the Archives and therefore was the Carcano and not a Mauser.[39]
Rifle[edit]
This surplus-sold rifle had the markings: 'CAL. 6.5', 'MADE ITALY', and 'TERNI', (the city of the manufacturer: the Royal Arms factory, Regia fabbrica d'armi di Terni) stamped with the Italian royal crown as part of the Terni factory symbol, and 'ROCCA' (the manufacturer of the bolt cocking piece); it also had the serial number C 2766 and the numerals '1940' and '40' (the year of manufacture).
The 4-power telescope, made by Ordnance Optics, had been attached to the rifle by the gunsmith at Klein's Sporting Goods, an American retailer, shortly before being sold as a single unit with the surplus rifle, to Oswald.[40]
Joseph D. Nicol, superintendent of the Illinois Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, and Robert A. Frazier, FBI special agent, testified to the Warren Commission.[41] A distinctive gouge mark and identical dimensions also identify it as the rifle Oswald is holding in several photographs taken in his backyard by his wife in March 1963.[42]
A 6.5×52mm Carcano 160 gr (10 g) round-nosed fully copper-jacketed bullet, of a type normally used in 6.5 mm military rifles (such as the Carcano) was found on Governor Connally's gurney in Parkland Hospital. This bullet (CE 399, see single bullet theory), and two bullet fragments found in the presidential limousine, were ballistically matched to the rifle found in the book depository building.[citation needed] A partial palm print of Oswald was also found on the barrel of the gun.[43][44]
- Rifle
- 6.5×52mm Italian Carcano M91/38 bolt-action rifle with a six-round magazine
- Serial number C2766. Overall length when assembled: 40.2 inches (102 cm); longest piece when disassembled: 34.8 inches (88 cm)[45]
- Western Cartridge Co. ammunition with a 160-grain (10 g) round nose bullet
- Side-mounted Ordnance Optics 4 × 18 telescopic sight
Agents of the FBI learned on November 22, 1963 from retail gun dealers in Dallas that Crescent Firearms, Inc., of New York City, was a distributor of surplus Italian 6.5-millimeter military rifles.[46][47][48] When contacted, Crescent Firearms said that they had shipped the rifle with the serial number C2766 to Klein's Sporting Goods Co., of Chicago. On the morning of November 23, Klein's found the order coupon and shipping record, showing the rifle was ordered by and shipped to 'A. Hidell' at post office box 2915 in Dallas, Texas.[49][50][51] That box had been rented under the name of Lee H. Oswald.[52] Oswald was carrying two forged identification cards with the name 'Alek James Hidell' in his wallet at the time of his arrest.[53][54][55]
The handwriting on the order coupon perfectly matched that of Oswald's when compared to his passport application and letters he had written. The Italian Armed Forces Intelligence Agency reported that the rifle with the serial number of C2766 was unique in its records.[56]
In 1979, photographic analysis by the House Select Committee on Assassinations found that the rifle in the National Archives was photographically identical, in a number of distinctive marks, to the one found in the book depository and photographed at the time by numerous journalists and the police. The rifle was also identical in its dimensions to the one seen in the Oswald backyard photos, and both had the same damage mark on the stock.[57]
Revolver[edit]
The snub-nosed Smith & Wesson 'Victory' Model.38 Specialrevolver, serial number V510210, that Oswald had in his hand when he was arrested in a movie theater eighty minutes after the assassination, was identified by model and serial number as the one purchased by mail order to the same P.O. Box as the rifle, and also by an 'A.J. Hidell', with handwriting that matched Oswald's. The Warren Commission concluded that Oswald used the revolver to shoot and kill Dallas police officer J.D. Tippit about forty-five minutes after the assassination when Tippit stopped Oswald on a residential street.[58]
Shirt[edit]
In the crevice between the butt-plate and the wooden stock of the Carcano rifle recovered from the Texas School Book Depository, a tuft of several cotton fibers of dark blue, grey-black and orange-yellow shades were found.
Upon his capture in a theater less than two hours after Kennedy was killed, Oswald was wearing a brown shirt composed of dark blue, grey-black and orange-yellow cotton fibers over a white T-shirt, the same type of fibers that were recovered from the rifle after close examination by experts.
After tests of the colors, shades, and weave patterns of the fibers found on the gun, Paul Stombaugh, a special agent of the FBI Laboratory's Hair and Fiber Unit, matched the fibers found on the gun to the fibers from Oswald's shirt.[59]
Firing range[edit]
During his Marine Corps service in December 1956, Oswald scored a rating of sharpshooter (twice achieving 48 and 49 out of 50 shots during rapid fire at a stationary target 200 yards [183 m] away using a standard issue M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle), although in May 1959, he qualified as a marksman (a lower classification than that of sharpshooter). Military experts, after examining his records, characterized his firearms proficiency as 'above average' and said he was, when compared to American civilian males of his age, 'an excellent shot'.[60]
However, Nelson Delgado, a Marine in the same unit as Oswald, used to laugh at Oswald's shooting prowess and testified that Oswald often got 'Maggie's drawers'; meaning a red flag that is waved from the rifle pits to indicate a complete miss of the target during qualification firing. He also said that Oswald did not seem to care if he missed or not.[61] Delgado was first stationed with Oswald in Santa Ana, California, at the beginning of 1958, meeting him for the first time there and a little more than a year after Oswald first made sharpshooter.[61]
Skeptics have argued that expert marksmen could not duplicate Oswald's shooting in their first try during re-enactments by the Warren Commission (1964) and CBS (1967). In those tests, the marksmen attempted to hit the target three times within 5.6 seconds. This time span has been heavily disputed. The Warren Commission itself estimated that the time span between the two shots that hit President Kennedy was 4.8 to 5.6 seconds. If the second shot missed (assuming the first and third shots hit the president), then 4.8 to 5.6 seconds was the total time span of the shots. If the first or third shot missed, that would give a minimum time of 7.1 to 7.9 seconds for the three shots.[62] Modern analysis of a digitally enhanced Zapruder film suggests that the first, second, and final shot may have taken 8.3 seconds.
Many of CBS's 11 volunteer marksmen, who (unlike Oswald) had no prior experience with a properly sighted Carcano, were able to hit the test target twice in under the time allowed, although they were all afforded multiple attempts. Mizuno mp 001 driver. The only man who scored three hits was firearms examiner Howard Donahue from Maryland.
FBI tests[edit]
The FBI tests of the Carcano's accuracy showed:
1) FBI firearms expert Robert A. Frazier testified that 'It is a very accurate weapon. The targets we fired show that.'[63] From 15 yards (14 m), all three bullets in a test firing landed approximately 21⁄2 inches (64 mm) high, and 1-inch (25 mm) to the right, in the area about the size of a dime (0.705 inch diameter).[64] At 100 yards (91 m), the test shots landed 21⁄2 to 5 inches (64 to 127 mm) high, within a 3-to-5-inch (76 to 127 mm) circle. Frazier testified that the scope's high variation would actually work in the shooter's favor: with a target moving away from the shooter, no lead correction would have been necessary to follow the target. 'At that range, at that distance, 175 to 265 feet [53 to 81 m],[65] with this rifle and that telescopic sight, I would not have allowed any lead — I would not have made any correction for lead merely to hit a target of that size.'
2) The rifle couldn't be perfectly sighted using the scope (i.e., thereby eliminating the above overshoot completely) without installing two metal shims (small metal plates), which were not present when the rifle arrived for testing, and were never found.[66] Frazier testified that there was 'a rather severe scrape' on the scope tube, and that the sight could have been bent or damaged. He was unable to determine when the defect occurred before the FBI received the rifle and scope on November 27, 1963.
Ballistics Research Laboratory tests[edit]
In an effort to test the rifle under conditions that matched the assassination, the Infantry Weapons Evaluation Branch of the U.S. Army's Ballistics Research Laboratory had expert riflemen fire the assassination weapon from a tower at three silhouette targets at distances of 175, 240 and 265 feet (53, 73 and 81 m).[67] Using the assassination rifle mounted with the telescopic sight, three marksmen, rated as master by the National Rifle Association, each fired two series of three shots. In the first series, the firers required time spans of 4.6, 6.75, and 8.25 seconds respectively. On the second series, they required 5.15, 6.45, and 7 seconds. The marksmen took as much time as they wanted for the first target at 175 feet (53 m), and all hit the target. For the first four attempts, the firers missed the second shot at 240 feet (73 m) by several inches. Five of the six shots hit the third target at 265 feet (81 m), the distance of President Kennedy from the sixth floor window when he was struck in the head.[68] None of the marksmen had any practice with the assassination weapon beforehand except to work the bolt.
CBS conducted a firing test in 1967 at the H. P. White Ballistics Laboratory located in Street, Maryland. For the test, 11 marksmen from diverse backgrounds were invited to participate: 3 Maryland State Troopers, 1 weapons engineer, 1 sporting goods dealer, 1 sportsman, 1 ballistics technician, 1 ex-paratrooper, and 3 H. P. White employees. CBS provided several Carcano rifles for the test. Oswald's rifle was not used in this test. The targets were color-coded orange for head/shoulder silhouette and blue for a near miss. The results of the CBS test were as follows: 7 of 11 shooters were able to fire three rounds under 5.6 seconds (64%). Of those 7 shooters, 6 hit the orange target once (86%), and 5 hit the orange target twice (71%). Out of 60 rounds fired, 25 hit the orange (42%), 21 hit the blue portion of the target (35%), and there were 14 misses on the target (23%).
One volunteer was unable to operate his rifle effectively, so the following statistics are based on the 10 remaining shooters. The average time of all 10 was 5.64 seconds. The mode was 5.55 seconds and the mean was 5.70 seconds. The average for the top five shooters was 5.12 seconds, and for the bottom five shooters 6.16 seconds. There was a high occurrence of jamming during the test. On average, the rifles jammed after 6 rounds. The most rounds fired without jamming were 14, 11, 10 in a row. The least was 0 (back to back).
The first shooter to lead off the experiment was Al Sherman, Maryland State Trooper. The record of his effort:5.0 sec: 2 orange, 1 blue / 6.0 sec: 2 orange, 1 blue / NT (jam at 3rd cartridge)/ 5.2 sec: 1 orange, 2 low / 5.0 sec: 1 orange, 2 blue. Sherman was able to fire 8 rounds before his rifle jammed. Of all the shooters, the fastest times were: 4.1 sec, 4.3 sec, 4.9 sec, 5.0 sec. The best accuracy was 3 orange in 5.2 seconds. The rifles were oiled and allowed to cool down between shooters. CBS reporter Dan Rather attended this experiment.
During the investigation by the House Select Committee on Assassinations (1976–1978), the lead attorneys for the Committee, Robert Blakey and Gary Cornwell, were allowed to use WC-139 at an FBI firing range. The attorneys wanted to see how fast the bolt action could be operated. Blakey was able to fire two rounds in 1.5 seconds and Cornwell fired two rounds in 1.2 seconds. This was an experiment to test a possible theory that Oswald in his excitement may have pointed and fired, as opposed to aimed and fired. Some critics of the Warren Commission had claimed it was impossible to fire a Carcano rifle in less than 2.3 seconds. Both the CBS and HSCA tests proved conclusively that the claim was not accurate.[69]
Other research[edit]
In 1972 the Kennedy family chose John K. Lattimer, MD as the first nongovernmental expert to examine evidence taken at Kennedy's autopsy. Lattimer performed ballistic tests and other research to prove that Lee Harvey Oswald was likely the sniper who shot and killed President John F. Kennedy from the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas. Dr. Lattimer frequently performed a demonstration of Oswald's shooting, firing three well-aimed shots within 8.3 seconds with Carcano M91/38 and under the same firing conditions. By doing so Dr. Lattimer intended to prove that Oswald could have performed such a feat. He continued to perform this demonstration well into his late 80s. Lattimer owned Oswald's Marine shooting record which he said showed that Oswald was an excellent shot. In 1980, Dr. Lattimer wrote a book: Kennedy and Lincoln: Medical & Ballistic Comparisons of Their Assassinations[70] in which he did an investigation of both the Lincoln and the Kennedy assassinations, and supported the findings of the Warren Commission.[71] In his book, Lattimer theorized that President Kennedy's arms exhibited the 'Thorburn Position' with elbows extended and arms folded inward, as a neurological reaction to the bullet wound to his spine. Top 10 rpg eroge games.
Vincent Bugliosi put forward the hypothesis that Oswald aimed the Carcano with the open sights, which reduced the time necessary to take the three shots postulated by the Warren Commission. He notes that, with the downward slope on Dealey Plaza, President Kennedy's head would have appeared to Oswald to be a stationary target as the vehicle moved down and away at a slow speed. This suggestion also therefore makes any claim that the scope was defective to be meaningless with respect to Oswald's shooting ability.However, with the M91/38 open sights being factory set to be accurate at 200 meters, the final shot being well under 100 meters and the M91/38 not being a very flat shooting rifle to begin with (up to ten inches [25 cm] high at 100 meters)[citation needed], this rifle would have been shooting quite high and would have made hitting JFK extremely difficult. This would have been further exacerbated by the steep downward angle from the sixth floor of the TSBD to the limo, which would have made the shot go even higher than what Oswald would have been aiming at.[72]
In 2008, The Discovery Channel produced a documentary that played out several different versions of the Kennedy Assassination on a dummy that had been specifically designed for ballistics tests, recreating the elevation, wind speed and distance at a California shooting range. Their forensic analysis, backed by computer models, showed that it was most likely that the shot that killed President Kennedy came from the Texas School Book Depository. They also concluded that a shot from the grassy knoll would have completely obliterated Kennedy's skull, contrary to what is seen in the Zapruder Film. However, in this conclusion they assumed that an assassin on the grassy knoll would have used hollow point ammunition, which expands on impact to maximize damage. Thereafter, they attempted a second shot from the grassy knoll position, using a solid round. Analysis revealed that this bullet would have passed through Kennedy's skull from right to left, causing an exit wound on the left-hand side of the skull that did not match any postmortem reports. They also suggested that the bullet trajectory from this shot would have struck and likely killed Mrs. Kennedy.[73]
Later history[edit]
The rifle remained in the possession of the FBI from November 1963 to November 1966, except for brief periods in 1964 when it was loaned to the Warren Commission and tested by the U.S. Army's Weapons Evaluation Branch. Likewise, the pistol was held by the FBI from November 1963 to November 1966, except for a brief period in 1964 when it was loaned to the Warren Commission.[74]
In December 1964, Lee Oswald's widow, Marina, sold whatever right, interest, or title that she had in the rifle and pistol for $5,000; and in March 1965 she sold whatever power of sale she had in them for an additional $5,000. A $35,000 additional payment to Marina Oswald was contingent upon the buyer obtaining possession 'free and clear of all adverse claims'.
The buyer, Denver oilman and gun collector John J. King,[75] commenced an action in federal court in May 1965 for the recovery of the weapons from possession of the U.S. government. In response, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division of the Internal Revenue Service began an in remforfeiture proceeding against the rifle and the pistol.[74] The U.S. District Court held that Oswald had used fictitious names when purchasing the weapons, in violation of the Federal Firearms Act of 1938,[76] which allowed for immediate seizure and forfeiture of any such illegally obtained weapons.
The lower court's decision was reversed on appeal in July 1966, with the appellate court holding that 'There is no provision in the Federal Firearms Act requiring a purchaser to use his true name when ordering weapons from a dealer licensed under the Act', and that the government would have to acquire title to the weapons by condemnation.[77] Thereafter, in November 1966, the U.S. Attorney General, acting under the authority provided by Public Law 89-318,[78] published his determination that the various items considered by the Warren Commission, including the weapons which were the subject of the forfeiture proceeding, should be acquired by the United States. Upon the publication of the Attorney General's determination, 'all rights, title, and interest in and to' the weapons 'vested in the United States'.
The buyer sued the U.S. government for damages of $5 million for the taking of the weapons, but his claim was rejected by the court, which set the case for trial, and wrote:
The demand of plaintiff for $5,000,000 is on its face inequitable — in fact unconscionable — and would appear to be based on some projected market value which could only arise from the fact that these are curiosities which derive their character as such from the assassination and which can be exhibited on a profit basis. But the uniqueness of the items in question, in our opinion, precludes reception of evidence of market value. We can see no demonstrable market for these particular objects.[79]
King's claim was heard at trial in federal court in 1969, where a twelve-person jury agreed with the government's contention that Lee Oswald had abandoned the rifle in 1963, therefore Marina Oswald had no claim to it or a right of sale. King received no compensation for the rifle's taking by the federal government, although he did receive $350 in compensation for the government's taking of the pistol found on Oswald at his arrest, which King had also purchased from Marina Oswald.[80][81]
The rifle and the pistol are now kept in a secure location within the National Archives and Records Administration Building in College Park, Maryland. A replica of the rifle is on display at the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas by the stairs where detectives found the original rifle.
References[edit]
- ^'Chapter 4: The Assassin'. Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. 1964. pp. 118–119. Archived from the original on 2017-08-31.
- ^Warren Commission Report, pp. 567–571.
- ^'Chapter 1: Summary and Conclusions'. Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. 1964. pp. 18–19. Archived from the original on 2017-08-31.
- ^Warren Commission Report, pp. 122–123.
- ^'Collecting and Shooting the Italian Mannlicher-Carcano 91/38 Rifle'. Surplusrifle.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011.
- ^Warren Commission Report, pp. 118–119, 185.
- ^The Killing of Patrolman J.D. Tippit: Ownership of RevolverArchived 2011-05-07 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Report, p. 174.
- ^Myers, Dale K. (5 August 2010). 'JFK Files: Oswald's Mail-Order Revolver Purchase; Critical Allegations Prove False'. jfkfiles.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^Ownership and Possession of Assassination WeaponArchived 2010-09-11 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Report, pp. 118–119.
- ^Well-referenced discussion of Klein's CarcanosArchived 2017-04-29 at the Wayback Machine Accessed April 27, 2017
- ^Switch in models sold to Klein'sArchived 2015-07-06 at the Wayback Machine This is Waldman Exhibit I. Taken from Warren Commission Report XXI page 692. The difference between the 36' M91 TS shown in the ad with bottom-mounted sling, and the 40' M91/38 rifle with side-mounted sling used in the assassination, has caused confusion.
- ^Warren Commission Report, pp. 125–128.
- ^Testimony of Richard S. StovallArchived 2008-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 7, p. 194.
- ^The third photograph disappeared while in the possession of the Dallas Police, before the photographs were transferred to the FBI in late November 1963. Two first-generation prints of the missing third photo were recovered by the House Select Committee on Assassinations. HSCA Appendix to Hearings, vol. 6, p. 141Archived 2009-04-23 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^Testimony of Marina Oswald PorterArchived 2007-10-23 at the Wayback Machine, HSCA Hearings, vol. 2, pp. 232–233.
- ^Marina Oswald, ibid.
- ^Testimony of Jeanne De MohrenschildtArchived 2015-05-29 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 9, pp. 314–317.
- ^Photograph Authentication: The Oswald Backyard PhotographsArchived 2009-04-23 at the Wayback Machine, HSCA Appendix, vol. 6, p. 141.
- ^George De Mohrenschildt, 'I Am a Patsy! I Am a Patsy!'Archived 2011-06-14 at the Wayback Machine, HSCA Appendix, vol. 12, pp. 253–257.
- ^Warren Commission Hearings, Testimony Of Michael R. PaineArchived 2005-11-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^Testimony of Marina OswaldArchived 2008-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 1, p. 26.
- ^Testimony of Buell Wesley FrazierArchived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 2, p. 226.
- ^'Reports Relating to the Interrogation of Lee Harvey Oswald at the Dallas Police DepartmentArchived 2012-01-25 at the Wayback Machine', Warren Report, pp. 604–605.
- ^'Reports Relating to the Interrogation of Lee Harvey Oswald at the Dallas Police DepartmentArchived 2012-02-22 at the Wayback Machine', Warren Report, p. 626.
- ^'Reports Relating to the Interrogation of Lee Harvey Oswald at the Dallas Police DepartmentArchived 2010-11-17 at the Wayback Machine', Warren Report, p. 601.
- ^'Reports Relating to the Interrogation of Lee Harvey Oswald at the Dallas Police DepartmentArchived 2011-05-16 at the Wayback Machine', Warren Report, p. 619.
- ^'Reports Relating to the Interrogation of Lee Harvey Oswald at the Dallas Police DepartmentArchived 2011-05-16 at the Wayback Machine', Warren Report, p. 622.
- ^Testimony of J.W. FritzArchived 2009-01-07 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 4, pp. 204–205.
- ^Testimony of Seymour WeitzmanArchived 2008-11-23 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 7, p. 107.
- ^Testimony of Eugene BooneArchived 2011-06-13 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 3, p. 293.
- ^Testimony of Weitzman, Boone, and Fritz, ibid.
- ^Warren Commission Hearings, Testimony of J.C. DayArchived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ abcdeDay testimony, ibid.
- ^[1] HSCA, vol. 1, pp. 453–4
- ^CE 638 and CE 639, Photograph of Oswald's right palmprint card with a circle around a portion of the palmprint, and photograph of the lift in CE 637Archived 2010-09-15 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 17, p. 291.
- ^Testimony of Jesse Edward CurryArchived 2011-06-22 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 26 May 2010
- ^Warren Commission Report, p.123Archived 2007-03-14 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^'Chapter 5: Detention and Death of Oswald'. Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. 1964. p. 235. Archived from the original on 2017-08-31.
- ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2013-11-22.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link) Page 51
- ^Testimony of William Waldman, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 7, p. 368.Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine Attachment of the scope to the rifle
- ^Warren Commission Report, p. 84
- ^Warren Commission Report, Appendix X: Expert Testimony, 'PhotographsArchived 2009-02-28 at the Wayback Machine', pp. 592–597. House Select Committee on Assassinations, Appendix to Hearings, Vol. 6, Chapter 3: The Assassin, 'The Alleged Assassination WeaponArchived 2008-10-04 at the Wayback Machine', pp. 63–107.
- ^Testimony of Sebastian F. LatonaArchived 2009-02-21 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 4, p. 24.
- ^Commission Exhibit 2637, Letter dated September 4, 1964, from FBI to Commission attaching photograph showing comparison of irregularities on lift of palmprint from barrel of rifle and on rifle itselfArchived June 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine p. 897.
- ^Testimony of Robert A. FrazierArchived 2011-06-14 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings, 3 H 395.
- ^Affidavit of Albert YearganArchived 2011-06-14 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 11, p. 207.
- ^Affidavit of J. Philip LuxArchived 2008-09-07 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 11, p. 206.
- ^Testimony of William WaldmanArchived 2011-06-14 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 7, p. 364.
- ^Waldman Exhibit No. 7Archived 2011-06-13 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 21, p. 703.
- ^Waldman Exhibit No. 8Archived 2011-06-13 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 21, p. 704.
- ^Testimony of Mitchell J. SciborArchived 2011-06-13 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 7, pp. 370–371.
- ^CE 791, Portion of an application for Post Office Box 2195, Dallas, Tex., dated October 9, 1962Archived September 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 17, p. 679.
- ^CE 795, A spurious Selective Service System notice of classification card in the name of 'Alek James Hidell'Archived 2010-09-15 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 17, p. 681.
- ^CE 806, A counterfeit certificate of service card in the U.S. Marine Corps in the name of 'Alek James Hidell'Archived 2010-09-15 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 17, p. 689.
- ^CE 2011, FBI report dated July 7, 1964, at Dallas, Tex., re tracing various items of physical evidenceArchived June 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 24, p. 421.
- ^Warren Commission Report, p. 119.
- ^The Assassin: The Alleged Assassination WeaponArchived 2008-10-04 at the Wayback Machine, HSCA Appendix, vol. 6, pp. 63–107.
- ^The Killing of Patrolman J.D. Tippit: ConclusionArchived 2010-10-17 at the Wayback Machine, Warren Commission Report, p. 176.
- ^Warren Commission ReportArchived 2009-06-03 at the Wayback Machine, p. 124.
- ^Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Chapter 4 1964, p. 191.
- ^ abWarren Commission Hearings, Testimony Of Nelson Delgado JFK Assassination NetArchived 2007-03-13 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^Warren Commission Report, p. 117.
- ^Warren Commission Hearings, Testimony of Robert A. FrazierArchived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^Warren Commission Exhibit CE-549.
- ^The Warren Commission estimated that President Kennedy was 176.9 to 190.8 feet (53.9 to 58.2 m) from the sixth floor corner window of the Depository when he was shot in the neck, and 265.3 feet (80.9 m) when he was shot in the head.
- ^Warren Commission Hearings: 3 WCH 440-5.
- ^Warren Commission Hearings, Testimony of Ronald SimmonsArchived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^Warren Commission Hearings, vol. 17, CE 586 Table, based on figures obtained in tests with the assassination rifle, showing 'Hit probability (with the rifle) as a function of range and aiming error'Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^'The committee test fired a Mannlicher–Carcano rifle using the open iron sights. It found that it was possible for two shots to be fired within 1.66 seconds.' HSCA Report, p. 83Archived 2007-10-17 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^John K. Lattimer (1980). Lincoln and Kennedy: Medical and Ballistic Comparisons of Their Assassinations. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN978-0-15-152281-1.
- ^Davis, Tom. 'Dr. John K. Lattimer, at 92; 'ambassador for medicine'[permanent dead link], The Record (Bergen County), May 13, 2007. Accessed May 13, 2007.
- ^Vincent Bugliosi, Reclaiming History, W.W. Norton & Company, 2007. ISBN978-0-393-04525-3.
- ^'Tech Puts JFK Conspiracy Theories to RestArchived 2008-12-25 at the Wayback Machine', 'JFK: Inside the Target Car - Grassy Knoll Field TestArchived 2016-04-12 at the Wayback Machine'
- ^ abU.S. v. One 6.5 mm. Mannlicher-Carcano Military RifleArchived 2011-06-05 at the Wayback Machine, 250 F.Supp. 410 (N.D. Tex. 1966).
- ^'The Guns of DallasArchived 2012-01-19 at the Wayback Machine', Time, March 4, 1966.
- ^Federal Firearms Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 901-909, and the regulations promulgated thereunder, 26 C.F.R. 177.51.
- ^King v. United StatesArchived 2008-12-11 at the Wayback Machine, 364 F.2d 235 (5 Cir. 1966).
- ^Act of November 2, 1965, 79 Stat 1185. The law provides:
Sec. 2. (a) The Attorney General is authorized to determine, from time to time, which items should, in conformity with the declaration contained in the first section of this Act [concerning evidence in the Kennedy assassination], be acquired and preserved by the United States. Each such determination shall be published in the Federal Register.
(b) Whenever the Attorney General determines that an item should be acquired and preserved by the United States, all right, title, and interest in and to, that item shall be vested in the United States upon the publication of that determination in the Federal Register.'
- ^King v. U.S.Archived 2011-06-05 at the Wayback Machine, 292 F.Supp. 767, 775 (D.C. Colo. 1968).
- ^'Pay for Oswald Rifle Is Denied', The Washington Post, February 25, 1969, p. A3.
- ^Jury Bars Payment for Oswald's Rifle', The New York Times, February 25, 1969, p. 18.
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Rebuild | Model | Sporterized | Stock | A.D. | Sights | Bolt | Rifle | Bolt | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | F2602 | Terni | Bottom | Split lug | Collection | Texas USA | |||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | 4 letters (JRGV?) 3012 | Brescia | Adjustable | Straight | TA inside a circle; 65; A coat of arms or shield inside a circle, MC inside a circle. | Collection | Corpus Christi Texas USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | L2703 | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | PG in oval;Crown above N?. | Collection | Michigan USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | S1204 | Torino | Adjustable | Straight | Competition Shooting | Roma ITALY | |||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | EK8065 | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | PG in an oval on the barrel; Crown over a shield in an oval on the barrel; Upsidedown PO on the right side of the barrel; Crown over TRI in a circle on the reciever; ME in an oval just under the TRI stamp. | PG in an oval. | Practice Shooting/Plinking | San Diego California USA | |||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | DF9411 | Torino | Adjustable | Straight | Hebrew markings | Collection | Turnersville New Jersey USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | D1226 | Brescia | Adjustable | Straight | Hunting | Morgantown West Virginia USA | |||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | RL6011 | Brescia | Adjustable | Straight | Practice Shooting/Plinking | New Prague Minnesota USA | |||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | EN8729 | Torino | Adjustable | Straight | BE, a crown & OS on reciever; Tubata & Torino PO on barrel. | Collection | Hondo Texas USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | FL1993 | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | On left octagonal barrel flat: very small GS in oval, and a crest topped by a crown in an oval; On right octagonal barrel flat: PO. | Collection | Louisville Kentucky USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | GN3559 | Torre Annunziata | Adjustable | Straight | Collection | Verona Virginia USA | |||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | 1G9783 | Brescia | Adjustable | Straight | Collection | Long Beach California USA | |||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | AE3604 | Brescia | Adjustable | Straight | PO on barrel base. TA on barrel base. | Collection | New Braunfels Texas USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | BA3552 | Brescia | Adjustable | Straight | Two crown proofs on bolt knob, one more worn than the other. | Collection | New Jersey USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | GM2381 | Terni | Adjustable | Bent | Segno Tiro Nazionale | Collection | |||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Torino | Hunting | Campeche Campeche MEXICO | |||||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | HM4245 | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | TNI in a circle on receiver. OCR in a rectangle next to the name TERNI on top facet of barrel. | CV in an oval and stylised CE on top of bolt root. | Collection | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | NF9369 | Torre Annunziata | Adjustable | Straight | Barrel: FAG 46 | Collection | Jackson Mississippi USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | WF9369 | Torre Annunziata | Adjustable | Straight | Barrel: FAG 46, DL in an oval on the left side; Large PO upside down on the right. | Collection | |||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | 1D8395 | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | Segno Tiro Nazionale; PG in oval next to Sengo Tiro Nazionale stamp on left chamber flat; PO on right chamber flat. | ROCCA in a rectangle on left side of bolt striker/cocking piece. | Practice Shooting/Plinking | Brownsville Pennsylvania USA | |||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | II 2260 | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | Collection | ||||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | MN9175 | Torre Annunziata | Bent | On left of barrel: DL in oval; On right of barrel: PO; On underside of barrel: 1508, V, Crown; Various DL stamps elsewhere (also on receiver, with crown). | FAT 1946 and PEL on left stock side). | Unsafe | Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | SM3854 | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | PR, TUBATA over TERNI; 5 different (looks like) acceptance marks:PG, MC, LA encircled. | Collection | Houston Texas USA | ||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Terni | Adjustable | Bent | SG on barrel; TRI (?) in circle on chamber; Other stamps that are illegible. | Collection | San Diego California USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | MF9962 | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | Segno Tiro Nazionale | il '91, p. 53: which reads: | Excellent | Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Terni | Adjustable | Bent | Looks like SG in a round lozenge stamped on lower left side of receiver and repeated on lower left side of the barrel just in front of the receiver. Illegible proof on left side of receiver. | Looks like ME or MF in lozenge on bolt near where the bolt attaches to the receiver. Crown marking and adjacent illegible marking on bolt knob (proofs ?). | Self-Defense | |||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | Collection | McKenney Virginia USA | |||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | ML3651 | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | SG in oval; Crown over coat of arms in oval on both left side of barrel after receiver; AG on right side. | Collection | Bad Feilnbach GERMANY | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | None | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | Collection | Concrete Washington USA | |||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | ZN7964 | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | SG inside an oval | CV in oval on top of bolt handle root | Practice Shooting/Plinking | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | D8830 | Mida Brescia | Adjustable | Straight | RP in an oval in barrel, triggerguard and reciever; MIDA in small capital letters in an oval in the very center top of the receiver ring; AG on the right flat of the barrel, below the 17 date stamp. | RP in an oval in bolt; The letters MIDA in a very small oval struck on the underside of the bolt handle root. | Collection | Boston Massachusetts USA | |||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | Mida Brescia | AG and RP (inside a circle) next to a Crown inside a circle on chamber. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | None | Terni | Fixed | Bent | AG beside the 17; SG inside an oval; S(?) in front of the rear sight, and others. | LD in an oval on the bolt handle. | Collection | Missouri USA | |||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | Collection | Niagara Falls New York USA | |||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | 1895 | Terni | Straight | A1 to the right of the year designation | PG on bolt handle | Practice Shooting/Plinking | Racine Wisconsin USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | RE Terni | Adjustable | Straight | Collection | San Antonio Texas USA | ||||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | SG in an oval on barrel at the receiver; FA on barrel at chamber; Crown and LA in a oval on receiver. | Collection | Georgia USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | ?F0952 | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | The facets from left to right have: SG in a circle and a circled crown; Second facet has PK 1514; Third facet Terni, cal. 6.5; Fourth facet has MADE ITALY and 17; Fifth facet has AC; Under th | Hunting | Monticello Arizona USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | QM77 | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | Collection | Kansas City Missouri USA | |||||||||||||||
6.5x52 Carcano | None | Terni | Adjustable | Bent | Segno Tiro Nazionale; SG in circle on barrel. | SD in circle and crown on bolt along with crown over TNI in circle on bottom of bolt handle. | Collection | |||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | Terni | Adustable | Segno Tiro Nazionale; SG in a circle. | ||||||||||||||||||
Fucile | 7.35x51 Carcano (?) | Mida Brescia | Adjustable | Straight | Multiple RP's in oval stamps. | Little crown on bolt handle. | Collection | Amersfoort HOLLAND | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | Segno Tiro Nazionale MADE ITALY and CAL. 6,5 on barrel facets. | Collection | New Jersey USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | AN4973 | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | FP? on hex below date stamp along stock. | Collection | St. Thomas Ontario CANADA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | RE Terni | Adjustable | Straight | AT on right side of chamber side of barrel. | Collection | Alexandria Indiana USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | SK1639 | Terni | Adjustable | Bent | Hunting | Bloomsburg Pennsylvania USA | |||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | CF1028 | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | AT on barrel breech, C52 on barrel breech and reciever, SG in a circle on barrel breech, a crown on barrel breech, 11, 15 & MC on reciever, C 74 and 31 X under rear sights. | Hunting | |||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | EF4773 | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | FF, Oval with shield on receiver. | Practice Shooting/Plinking | Bloomfield New York USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | DM8409 | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | First facet: SG in oval; 5th facet: FP; Every single part of the rifle is marked with BG stamp in oval or box; Receiver marked with a five pointed star. | Collection | Karlsruhe GERMANY | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | None | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | SG in a circle, to the left of a crown in a circle opposite side of bolt handle. Many odd letters and numbers up inside the adjustable sights. | Collection | Dickson Tennessee USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | Terni | AT, S3 in circle, what appears to be horseshoe on chamber | 12 5 7 stamped on bolt. | ||||||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | 1M8150 | Terni | Adjustable | Crest near the year. | |||||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | AT upside down below date on chamber; SG in an oval below serial #. | Collection | Farmerville Louisiana USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Roma | Adjustable | Straight | Century Arms importation marks on muzzle. | Fair | Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | OR-O7404 | Roma | Adjustable | Straight | Small FA in rectangle on upper receiver side. | Collection | Heidelberg GERMANY | ||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | OR-V1574 | Roma | Adjustable | Straight | Barrel: MS, MB & 18; Rear sight: C, N & OCR; Trigger guard: TNI & L; Follower: V; Sear Bar: LZ; Buttplate and front band: PG; Rear band: Y | Bolt: TNI; Cocking piece and safety: PG; Firing pin: MR | Practice Shooting/Plinking | Bologna ITALY | |||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | On the chamber end of the barrel above stock on left: SG or SC in laying oval; A crown a standing oval; Below, near the edge of the stock is an AT. | The back of the bolt behind the safety has an A then ROCCA in a long rectangle; TNI with a crown above in an oval is on the bottom of the bolt. | Collection | Knoxville Tennessee USA | |||||||||||||
Fucile | Mida Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Hebrew markings; AG | Collection | |||||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Terni | Adjustable | Straight | Segno Tiro Nazionale | Collection | Aviano Pordenone ITALY | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | G399 | Terni | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings; Segno Tiro Nazionale; PL (Pietro Lorenzotti); Oval with a domed shaped building (Terni Crown?). | Hunting | Rush City Minnesota USA | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | CM7716 | Terni | XI | PL on the barrel by the chamber. | ALC on bottom of bolt. | ||||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | 2G4281 | Terni | XII | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings; Segno Tiro Nazionale; PL in ellipse; 1NL in circle stamps. | Collection | Broadview Heights Ohio USA | |||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | 2I9046 | Terni | XIII | Adjustable | Straight | Fascist Year Markings | Practice Shooting/Plinking | Milan ITALY | |||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | I3467 | Terni | XIV | Adjustable | Straight | FP on right barrel facet. | Heidelberg GERMANY | ||||||||||||||
Fucile | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Adjustable | Bent | Segno Tiro Nazionale; BL in oval on barrel and receiver; Faint crown in oval; JJ on right bottom barrel facet; Top 3 facets ground; 0 in diamond on trigger housing. | BV on safety; Bolt knob has markings on it but are partially ground off. | Collection | Michigan USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | C3329 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Segno Tiro Nazionale TA in oval. A coat of arms. PO on right side of breech. VS in center of breech housing. | Self-Defense | Racine Wisconsin USA | |||||||||||||||
Moschetto | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Brescia | Fixed Scope | Bent | Hunting | Keyser West Virginia USA | |||||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | P6497 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | BL in a circle on top of receiver. | Collection | USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | Brescia | Adjustable | PG on barrel base. | ||||||||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | 4008 | Brescia | Adjustable | Practice Shooting/Plinking | Los Angeles California USA | ||||||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano (?) | AP746 | Terni | Adjustable | Bent | Collection | ||||||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | None | Beretta Gardone | XIII | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings; PB on rear sight; CA on bayonet, front cap and trigger gaurd; Small circle with TNI under unknown image and an oval with crown over unknown image on left barrel facet; Crown over R and unknown | PB on bolt. | Practice Shooting/Plinking | Colbert Georgia USA | ||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Gardone Val Trompia | XIV | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings | Collection | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | E7797 | Terni | XIV | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings; AT on right side; DL in rectangle on left side barrel over chamber. | Collection | Eagle River Alaska USA | |||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | F6570 | Gardone Val Trompia | XIII | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings; A crown over the RE. | Practice Shooting/Plinking | Hearne Texas USA | |||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | B9201 | Terni | XIV | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings; Small PL in a box under serial number. | SALESI stamped in box on bolt. G16 stamped in box under bolt handle. | Collection | Baltimore Maryland USA | ||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano (?) | R.E. Terni | XIV | Adjustable | Bent | Segno Tiro Natzionale; Circle w/crown and TNI of left side of barrel base. | PB stamped on bolt; 8 stamped on back side of safety; FIVM in circle stamped on firing pin. | Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | Beretta Gardone | XIV | Adjustable | Bent | |||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | D1700 | FNA Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings New serial number HR817 | Collection | San Antonio Texas USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | Terni | XIV | Adjustable | Bent | A crown above the RE TERNI stamp on the top of the barrel. AT below the date stamp. Below the serial is cirlce PL and beside that is a crowned shield. | ROCCA on the end of the bolt. | |||||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | F7716 | Terni | XIV | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings | Collection | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | G5168 | RE Terni | XIV | Adjustable | Bent | D stamped on sear, small Terni emblem stamped on receiver ring | Bolt number hard to read; V, PG (in box), W stamped above number on bolt. | Practice Shooting/Plinking | Atlanta Georgia USA | ||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Gardone V.T. | XIV | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings; Small crown over R.F. (or R.E. .. light stamping). | Practice Shooting/Plinking | Kentucky USA | |||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | None | Brescia | XIV | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings; Serial number on receiver. | Practice Shooting/Plinking | New York USA | |||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Gardone V.T. | XIV | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings; Segno Tiro Nazionale; RE under crown on barrel. | Practice Shooting/Plinking | Glen Head New York USA | |||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | I9120 | RE Terni | XIV | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings Segno Tiro Nazionale Left barrel base: PL in rectangle Right barrel base: AT Left receiver: PL in oval Top barrel base: TNI under crown in circle and five pointed star Trigger housing: CA | Safety face: SW Base of bolt handle: N | Collection | Nicktown Pennsylvania USA | ||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | None | Terni | XIV | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings; AT near date on breech. | Collection | New York USA | |||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | None | RE Terni | XIV | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings | Practice Shooting/Plinking | USA | |||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | None | Terni | XV | Adjustable | Bent | Segno Tiro Nazionale | Hunting | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | Beretta | ||||||||||||||||||||
Moschetto Cav. | 6.5x52 Carcano | E8310 | Beretta Gardone | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings; Segno Tiro Nazionale; Crown under letters RF | Collection | Conover North Carolina USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | Illegible | RE Terni | Adjustable | Bent | MDA on bolt. | Collection | ||||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | BE 3041 | FNA Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Barrel: TA, PO & 5079; Trigger Guard: C; Follower: MA; Front Band and Sling Bar: C; Receiver bottom: 5079, V & 8 | Bolt: PB & CA; Cocking piece: BL; Safety: FG (possibly PG) | Practice Shooting/Plinking | Bologna ITALY | |||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | E547 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Collection | San Juan Puerto Rico USA | |||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | H5811 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | 23 on cocking peice. | Collection | New Jersey USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | M5602 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Collection | Montevallo Alabama USA | |||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | S4283 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Segno Tiro Nazionale | The stock cartouche SEZ FABBRICA----- GARDONE VT. Under Gardone VT it is stamped RPARAZIONE-1938. 1 inch in front of the side sling mount in the butt is a square stamp with 8de. The serial number is stamped on the bottom of the stock in front of the bottom sling swivel as well as in front of the butt plate both match the barrel number. | Collection | McKenney Virginia USA | |||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | T6222 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Letters BL inside a oval on barrel underneath the serial number. The letters PS on the barrel above the date. It says BRESCIA in between year & serial number. | BL on the bolt | Hunting | Maryland USA | |||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | AP9016 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Barrel has BB in an oval under serial number. | Collection | |||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | AF4137 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | BL in an oval stamped on barrel. | PB, or possibly FB, stamped on mottom side of bolt. | Denver Colorado USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | AF8964 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Collection | Oxnard California USA | |||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | AG194 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Collection | Long Beach California USA | |||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | None | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | BL left barrel lug. 943 on sight. BL and what looks like RE with crown over top just front of breach. TS on right barrel lug. BL and A on right of sight. FB back of trigger guard. | Practice Shooting/Plinking | Beverly Massachusetts USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | None | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Practice Shooting/Plinking | Harwinton Connecticut USA | |||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | AO8573 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | On chamber end of barrel, letters PS; BL in oval appears on barrel, and receiver. | Collection | Wisconsin USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S | AP9950 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Circle with BL on barrel and receiver. PS on barrel flat. Circle with Crown & M on barrel. Square with PG on bolt barrel. MADE IN ITALY on top of receiver. | Crown on bolt knob. Square with PG on bolt and cocking piece. | Collection | New York USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | AQ1499 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | BL in circle on top of reciever ring and on left side of barrel breach below serial number. | Stamped crown on the top of the ball of the bolt handle; PH in box and CA stamped on underside of bolt handle. | Practice Shooting/Plinking | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | AR5811 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | FAT 1947 on barrel base top right flat; Barrel, receiver and rear sight show a BL in an oval proofmark which is sharper than the others, which may be related to the 1947 rework; Production numbers under barrel and receiver: 4124 | Collection | New Jersey USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | AS9747 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Collection | Willimantic Connecticut USA | |||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | AT929 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Segno Tiro Nazionale | Collection | Homestead Florida USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | AT4155 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | C288 on underside of rear sight leaf; PL in oval on top of chamber an left chamber flat; Crown over a sheild in oval on left chamber flat. | PG in rectangle on bolt handle root above serial #; Same stamp on rear flat of root; RP on top of cocking piece. | Practice Shooting/Plinking | Brownsville Pennsylvania USA | |||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | AV4755 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | PS on the first octogon flat before date. | Bolt handle knob has a crown; Bolt handle root has a TN with a crown in a circle, 8, C and PL in a circle. | Hunting | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | Brescia | The receiver is marked Made in Italy; On the upper right side barrel flat it is marked PS in large letters; On the upper left side flat there is an oval around BL, crossed rifles under a target, and what appears to be a horsesho | |||||||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | BB8163 | Brescia | Fixed | Bent | Collection | Wilmington;Delaware;USA | ||||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | BC1510 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | BL in oval on barrel and receiver; Faint crown in oval with letters under; Rear sight has 690 stamped on it. | Cocking piece: S, HA; Bolt handle base has HA, 9 or 6 in circle, 16 in circle. | Collection | Michigan;USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | Unknown | BG7977 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Top of receiver, above chamber, the letters B and ? in circle; Bottom of barrel stamped 1 over 5, 4 over a '7. | Collection | Pennsylvania USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | BG8143 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Letters BL on barrel below serial # & receiver. | BL | Collection | Niagara Falls New York USA | |||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | BG9529 | Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | NV | Collection | Charlottesville Virginia USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto Balilla | None | FNA Brescia | IX | Adjustable | Bent | Has some kind of large crested marking with an O on middle left and a N top right and B bottom right of crest within a square. Has 501 on trigger guard. | Very Good | Has folding bayonet and leather sling. No clip or cleaning rod, perfect bore. | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto Balilla | 6,5 Ridotto (?) | None | Brescia | IX | Adjustable | Bent | O.N.B. (Opera Nazionale Balilla). | Collection | Roma ITALY | |||||||||||||
Moschetto Balilla | 36486 | XVI | Adjustable | Bent | Fascist Year Markings | Collection | New Jersey;USA | |||||||||||||||
Moschetto Balilla | YQ6881 | FNA-B | Adjustable | Bent | Collection | |||||||||||||||||
Moschetto Balilla | GRAZIAN VERONA | XVII | Collavdo Verona(?) within circle on left; Circle with faint lettering and 48000 heavily stamped within writing and circle on right. | |||||||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Torre Annunziata | Adjustable | Bent | On right barrel facet: PO; On left facet: PL in oval, FARE 25 TERNI as rebuilding stamp. | Ueberlingen GERMANY | |||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | KW7315 | Terni | Adjustable | Bent | Segno Tiro Nazionale; Austrian capture mark (AZF) on receiver. | Collection | Verona Virginia USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | B9889 | Mida Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Collection | New Jersey USA | |||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5X52 Carcano | DF2734 | Terni | Adjustable | Bent | FP on far right barrel facet; Segno Tiro Nazionale , SG in circle and a crown on top of a broken crest on far left barrel facet. | Collection | |||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | EF8298 | Terni | Adjustable | Bent | FARE 27 TERNI | Collection | Lincoln Nebraska USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | RH9805 | Terni | Adjustable | Bent | SG, AB stamped on barrel. | AB | Collection | McKenney Virginia USA | |||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | RL6628 | Terni | Fixed | Bent | Bavaria Rural Police; CIV GUARD. | Good | Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | Roma | Adjustable | Circle with SM in it (Inspector's mark); 5 pointed star (Terni reconditioning mark); FARE TERNI 27 in circle. | ||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | H6366 | Mida Brescia | Adjustable | Bent | Barrel: FG, 18 & RP; Rear sight: Z, 2, 8Z, 72L & 37T; Follower: PG; Sear Bar: PA; Buttplate: PAX; Front band: PG; Sling bar: PG & .3; Reciever: TERNI; Bottom of Barrel: 1676 & L1F106 | Bolt: PB; Cocking Piece: CT, BL; Retainer Pin: BLA; Safety: Z & PG; Firing Pin: 6 CT | Practice Shooting/Plinking | Bologna ITALY | |||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | A5475 | Terni | Adjustable | Bent | Segno Tiro Nazionale | Very Good | Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | Illegible | Terni | Adjustable | Bent | Bavaria Police; CIV GUARD. | Collection | |||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | BN2539 | Terni | Adjustable | Bent | Star proofmark near date on barrel. | Collection | New Jersey USA | ||||||||||||||
Moschetto T.S. | 6.5x52 Carcano | G9212 | Terni | Adjustable | Bent | 91/24 Conversion Stamps | Collection | Willimantic Connecticut USA |
Return to the American mirror of the Carcano Home Page.
Return to Carcano Database index page.
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Nomenclature
The model nomenclature and identification of the various Carcano rifles and carbines varies wildly and confusingly in both Italian and foreign literature. While it may be preferable, in the long run, to stay with the 'official' Italian army nomenclature, it is not always clear itself and often too ambiguous.- first by their phenotype, that is either long rifle, short rifle, cavalry carbine, or special troops' carbine.
- second by their model/sub-model number, e.g. M91, M91/41 (the two long rifles), M91 TS, M91/24 TS, M91/38 TS (all these are full-stocked special troops' carbines)
- third by their caliber, id est 6,5 mm or 7,35 mm.
While an argument could be brought forth that it be sufficient to use the model number alone to also identify the caliber, this is very obscure even for the specialist, much more so for the non-initiated everyday reader.
Here is an example: stating 'I have a Carcano Moschetto TS Mod. 38 in 7,35 mms for sale' is a lot for clearer than just calling it a ' Carcano Model 38' and letting the reader wonder what it might turn out to be in the end (a short rifle ? a cavalry carbine ? a special troops' carbine ?).
An interesting other 'Carcano' model, in the wider sense, is the Tipo I, which was produced 1938/39 on foreign contract for use by the Japanese as part of Axis mutual aid pacts, and which is chambered for the 6,5x50 R Japanese. Unlike the other Carcani, which have a 6 round charger-clip magazine, the Tipo I, has a 5 round box magazine (for stripper clips). Stocks and sights also differ from the Italian type in that they closely resemble the Japanese Type 38 Arisaka long rifle from 1905.
Sub-Models
In addition to the basic models, there are sub-models identified by the year when revisions to the basic model were introduced. For example, the M91/24 T.S. is a rework begun in 1924, converting the M91 Fucile to T.S. specification. The M91/28 (special troops' carbine) and M91/41 (long ifle) are sub-models were introduced in 1928 and 1941, respectively. A slight exception to this rule is the - already mentioned - M91/38 which was actually introduced in 1940. The M91/38 derived it nomenclature from it being a M38 chambered in 6,5x52 Carcano, instead of the originally intended 7,35x51 Carcano. M91/38's are often also referred to as 'M38 in 6,5x52 Carcano'. Incidentally, there is no evidence to support the often-read and repeated rumour that any M38's were converted from 7,35x51 Carcano to 6,5x52 Carcano (by changing the barrel), according to Hobbs. But a number of M 38 guns in 7,35 mms were made using older 6,5 mms barrels and receivers, the markings of which may still be found partially visible e.g. on the barrel base.Regardless of the formal distinction which we undertook above, it is common to find the sub-models being referred to as models (i.e. M91/28 as M28; M91/41 as M41). Just keep this in mind when interpreting a reference.
Variants or Types
From these basic nominal 'models', several discernible variants existed: the Fucile, Fucile Corto, Moschetto Cavalleria (Cav.) and the Moschetto Truppe Speciali (T.S.).These are the denominations most helpful for you, and which Alexander Eichener had also called 'phenotypes' because they are immediately recognizable at sight.
Fucile (Long rifle):
Two long rifles exist, namely the M91 and the M91/41 (the preceding M 91/40 was a long trial rifle which was never distributed at large). They are distinguished in the following ways:
- Length
- Rear sight blades: M 91 graduated from 600 metres to 2000 metres, M 91/41 from 300 metres to 1000 metres
- Sling bars and swivels: only at the bottom for the M91, whereas the M91/41 also has side bars. A few M 91/41 may have their bottom swivels milled off after production.
- Buttplate: the M91/41 buttplate is slightly flatter and curves around the upper side of the buttstock, so the upper screw enters from above, vertically.
Fucile corto (Short rifle):
They exist in 7,35 mms (Mod. 1938 or 38) and in 6,5 mms (Mod. 91/38). Identical except for caliber and sight zeroing distance (7,35 mms at 300 metres, 6,5 mms at 200 metres). Only the very first M1938 short rifles initially had a different handguard and nosecap and no second barrel band (and these are not 'prototypes', as Richard Hobbs incorrectly named them, but regular production). Upon negative reports from the troops, these features were changed, and the old style rifles were almost all retroconverted to the later (common) standard, by exchanging the handguard and nosecap and re-milling the stock's front end to accomodate the new nosecap.
The Short Rifle is often confused with the Moschetto TS. Beware. See the explanation later on this page for a listing of the differences.
Moschetto TS
A short carbine, stocked almost to the muzzle, with a bayonet lug and a handguard. Comes as M91 (in various modifications), M91/24, M91/28, M38, M38 S (in 7.9/7.92/8mm Mauser) and M91/38.
Moschetto per Cavalleria
A half-stocked cavalry carbine, with the unmistakable triangular folding bayonet; it is fixed to a permanent muzzle mounting, but hinges back under the stock, into a slot there. Not infrequently the bayonet is missing. Exists as M91, M38, M 38 S, M91/38. One manufacturer, FNA Brescia, continued its previous M91 pattern throughout the Second World War and never made a M91/38 with fixed sights. Please note that the round barrel base (instead of the old half-octagonal configuration with five facets on the upper side and a round base) was already introduced way before 1938 for the last M91 carbines and is not a sign for a M91/38 model in and by itself.
How to distinguish a Short Rifle and a Moschetto TS:
- The Short Rifle has a gripping groove milled into each side of the wooden forearm; the Moschetto TS not.
- The Short Rifle has a buttplate with a small (hard-to-pry-open) trapdoor for its three-piece cleaning rod; the Moschetto TS has its rod right under the barrel, screwed into a channel like the Fucile 91.
- The Short Rifle is xxx cms (40 inches) long, the Moschetto TS only xx cms (36 inches).
How to distinguish the manifold Moschetto TS sub-variants:
Have you ever taken a broom and begon to sweep the forest ? *Sigh* The Moschetto TS underwent constant minor modifications and alterations like no other Carcano, and I find it very difficult to gain an overview. Collectors hould keep in mind that these were all undertaken man mano, that is, successively as soon as a gun would have to be repaired and came back to the arsenal. Many different stages and variants thus co-existed at the same time and to speak of 'introduction times' would mislead the reader. The changes mainly involve the following parts:
- bayonet lug on original nose cap altered from transversal TS shape to usual straight fucile shape
- handguard retainer hook added to nosecap; handguard accordingly loses its retaining inner front metal lip, like the fucile's handguard did earlier
- additional side sling swivel mounted into the forearm
- long curved nose cap exchanged to short fucile style
- second barrel band added (fucile style)
- side sling swivel added onto the fucile style barrel band.
There are other Carcano variants, but these tend to be extremely rare or conversions of other types. For example, there are the Guardie del Re (King's Guard) and Moschettieri del Duce (Mussolini's Guard) variants, both of which are rare, and are distinguished by the coloring (gilded ornamentation and black stock, respectively), and non-standard stock/bayonet treatments.
One conversion is the Tromboni Launchi Bombe (aka Troboncino Launcia Bombe), the Grenade Launcher variants of the M91/28 T.S., M38 T.S. and M38 Cav. The Tromboni Launchi Bombe is permanently attached to the right side of the gun. Guns with the Tromboni removed should have a small notch cut on the top of the chamber end of the barrel and the right side of the stock inletted. 1943 saw the introduction of a German style grenade launcher that fit underneath the barrel of the M91, M91/41 and T.S.'s.
There are also late war official German 8x57 IS conversions, undertaken as an emergency measure for the Volkssturm in both magazine and single-shot configurations (Heinrich Krieghoff branch factory in Tyrol). These are very rare, and must not be confused by the much more commonly offered following variant:
Some Moschetti TS M38 were chambered for the 7,92x57 Mauser (aka 7,9x57 Mauser; 8 x 57 IS; 8mm Mauser). We call them 'M38 S' here, because they usually bear a large 'S' mark on the receiver, and often also on the bolt handle; their receiver breech end has a half-moon cut to accomodate for the longer 8 x 57 IS cartridges (just as with the Norvegian Kar 98k converted to .30-06, and the Turkish M 1903/38 conversions).
Richard Hobbs thinks, based on an oblique and unclear remark in Italian army supply documents, that these guns were intended for Italian troops operating on the Russian front, and he thus calls this sub-model the Moschetto M38 TS Russi (Russian); but this appears to be a naming after the fact (unless further Italian sources be discovered). Others disagree, based e.g. on the argument that the term 'Fucili Russi 8mm' could as well and even more literally refer to two not uncommon RUSSIAN World War I bounty weapons: to the Austrian-captured Mosin-Nagants converted to 8 x 50 R Steyr and to the German-captured Mosin-Nagants converted to 8 x 57 IS. Besides, the Italian armed forces had enormous stocks of original Austrian M1895 rifles and carbines, and also used them in WW II. These critics identify those Moschetti either as post-war conversions done for Egypt, some of which were captured by Israel, or as direct war aid deliveries to Israel.
The most likely conclusion is therefore that at least two, maybe three different Carcano types in 8x57 IS exist; their history still remains somewhat unclear until now.
For those of you who are challenged by the Italian language, the table below is a translation of the model/variant nomenclature:
English | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Model | |||||||||
Rifle | |||||||||
Short Rifle | |||||||||
Cavalry Carbine | |||||||||
Special Troop Carbine | |||||||||
Type I | |||||||||
S | |||||||||
91/24 | 91/41 | Cav. | T.S. | Fucile Corto | T.S. | Cav. | Fucile |
---|
Other Markings/Features
Other markings and features you may find on a Carcano are:- Tiro a Segno Nazionale (Two crossed rifles superimposing a bullseye target stamped on barrel or stock).
The significance of this oft-encountered mark is still not totally cleared up. It is quite certain, however, that this was neither a unit mark denoting actual sniper usage, nor a sign for 'prize guns' in shooting competitions (as was the case with some Fucili Vetterli M 1870, which were not serial numbered, bore the same sign, and were given as prizes to the winners - thence the tradition is derived). Nor can one assume that all those many rifles (and cavalry carbines) were used by sharpshooters; rather, they may have been the pool from which proper snipers (tiratori scelti), as well as any unit's 'good shots' could select their guns.
Rather than actual usage, the 'two stylized crossed rifles' indicate that these guns were by the selected by the factories right after production, though I am not sure whether the grading was based just on barrel diameter gauging, or on the results of test shooting showing superior accuracy. Such a sign can be found on all models, also on short rifes, cavalry carbines and special troops' carbines. Incidentally, many guns with this sign have rather used or bad barrels now, and thus are not worth more. The stamping is, in my experience, more common than some think: I would say between 5 % and 10 % of the guns bore it. - Dual Target Triggers.
Some guns produced for competition have dual set triggers. - Regia Aeronautica (Letters 'RA' stamped).
These guns were issued to the Italian Royal Air Force. - San Marco (An anchor stamp).
These guns were issued to the San Marco Marines or to the 'San Marco' RSI infantry division (post-1943). - Finnish Army (Letters 'SA' in box, meaning 'Suomen Armeija').
M38 short rifles given to the Finns as war aid for use against the Russians have this stamp. In addition, the front sights have received higher blades to provide for a zeroing distance of only 150 m. - 'Large S' on 7.92x57 IS Mauser caliber gun.
Mauser caliber guns required slight reworking of the bolt and receiver to accept the 8 x 57 IS Mauser round, and are stamped as such. - German WaA Markings.
Guns used by the Wehrmacht and the Volkssturm may have these armed forces WaA acceptance markings and/or military proof marks. - Bavaria Police; Bavaria Rural Police.
The Bavaria Police used M91/24's after WWII as carbines. - Heinrich Krieghoff (Letters 'HK' in circle - 8mm conversion).
Guns reworked to accept the 7.92x57IS Mauser round. These guns were either repeaters or single shot and have original serial numbers crossed out and new numbers that start with 'H'. - Star of David and/or 'zahal' mark.
After the establishment of the Israeli state, the Israelis used any guns they could procure somehow. Some M38 in 8x57 IS found their way to Israel and are mark with the Star of David and the Israeli armed forces mark ('zahal'). - Tubato (Tubular rifling insert).
In the 1920's some guns were reworked via the Salerno method by boring out the worn barrel and inserting a rifled, tubular barrel liner. These guns are marked Tubato, letters running in a 'U' shape on the middle barrel facet, and may bear the additional date of the rework. The Finnish used the same method not much later for some of their Mosin-Nagants.
Specifications
The primary distinction between the models/sub-models/variants is made by the year of manufacture (indicated on the barrel up to roughly mid-1943), length, and the bayonet mounting. The table below shows the specifications for the models/sub-models/variants:Caliber (mm) | Twist Type | Sights (m) | Weight | Length (cm) | Bayonet |
---|---|---|---|---|
Adjustable | Battle | Fixed | Barrel | Overall |
6.5x52 Carcano | 450-2000 | 78 | Detachable | |
6.5x52 Carcano | 450-1500 | 45 | Attached/Folding | |
6.5x52 Carcano | 450-1500 | 44.9 | Detachable | |
6.5x52 Carcano | 450-1500 | 45.2 | Detachable | |
6.5x52 Carcano | 450-1500 | 45.7 | Detachable | |
7.35x51 Carcano | 200 | 53.5 | Detachable/Folding | |
7.35x51 Carcano | 200 | 44.7 | Attached/Folding | |
7.35x51 Carcano | 200 | 45.1 | Detachable | |
6.5x52 Carcano | 200 | 53.8 | Detachable/Folding | |
6.5x52 Carcano | 450-1500 | 200 | 44.6 | Attached/Folding |
6.5x52 Carcano | 200 | 45.9 | Detachable | |
6.5x52 Carcano | 300-1000 | 69.2 | Detachable | |
8x57 IS Mauser | 200 | 45.6 | Attached/Folding | |
8x57 IS Mauser | 200 | 45.2 | Detachable | |
6.5x50 Japanese | 400-2400 | 78.1 | Detachable Arisaka bayonet |
Carcano Serial Number Database
Joseph: You have a Fucile Modelo 1891 Rifle (commonly called the Carcano) designed by Salvator Carcano and adopted as Italy's standard rifle in 1892. Your specimen was made before 1922, however, there are no records to give a more exact date.
The AO marking is likely an inspector or assembly marking.
Your rifle Is chambered for the 6.5 X 52 mm Carcano cartridge which is both difficult to find and somewhat pricey.
To return this rifle to original condition, from what I can see, you need a complete stock, upper and lower handguards, upper and lower barrel bands, rear sling swivel and cleaning rod.
You should consider the cost of restoring this rifle. In its present condition, your rifle is worth $50-$100. The cost of the stock and other parts will likely meet or exceed the value of the rifle. When you restore this rifle, the value will be $150-$225.
From a cost effectiveness standpoint, if you desire a Model 1891 Carcano rifle, they are available at the various internet auction and sales sites for the value of the restored rifle and you will not have the time involved in finding the parts and installing them.
Original parts are occasionally available on ebay, www.gunbroker.com and www.gunauction.com.
Also google SARCO and Carcano parts.