WW1 Italian Carcano M1891

[Gildwiller1918]

Here is my newly acquired M91 Carcano. This rifle had many advantages, such as being relatively cheap and easy to manufacture, lightweight (8.6 lbs), and it was very simple and its tolerances were low, meaning it could operate under field conditions easily. The action of the bolt is not as smooth and feels a bit rough to operate compared to other rifles. The 6.5×52mm Modello 1895 cartridge was less powerful than some of the other nations during the conflict, but the M91 had less recoil, required less materials to produce and soldiers could carry more. This rifle like many others of the time used the en bloc clip feature that allowed for several bullets to be loaded and dropped into the magazine well, and the clip would fall out the bottom when empty. 

This particular rifle was made by Mida Brescia in 1918 and its estimated about 120,000 were produced by them between late 1916 to war's end in 1918. The Italians did not have a large manufacturing capability or resources as other nations did and managed to produce close to 2 million rifles between 1891 and 1918. By comparison, Germany had over 2 million Mauser rifles by 1914 and made over 7 million during the war. 

[Gildwiller1918]

Just picked up a nice WW1 era bayonet to go with the rifle. This bayonet model was produced from 1892 to 1945, with little to no modifications being made. WW2 models typically have a date stamp on them, whereas earlier models do not. The M91 bayonet was used in both rifle (fucile) and shorter-barreled carbine (moschetto) in both wars. Overall length is 16.25 inches, blade length is 12 inches. Its hard to tell in the photos, but the leather scabbard is dated 1918. Lots of M91 rifles and accessories are coming out of Africa currently. 

[Fritz]

The leather would need some attention to preserve it. There is a small screw missing from above the belt hook. Just seen a similar example for 550,00 Euros, so not a cheap item any more.

[Gildwiller1918]

Yes, they are getting quite expensive a decent condition one here with the scabbard is around $200+. I have also begun treating the leather scabbard. 

[Gildwiller1918]

I decided to clean up the Carcano a bit, the stock had some worm damage and lots of dings/dents, etc. I steamed most of the them out and now you can actually see the serial number in the butt stock area. I replaced the rear sight with a NOS period sight as well as the front barrel band. Also cleaned up some metal parts. Turned out pretty good. Just need a nice sling and cleaning rod.