Carcano 6.5x52

[STIHL]

At one of the LGS last week and ran across a few old milsurp Italian Carcano M91 rifles. Thought about it and said that might make a decent little cast rifle. I looked at 3 and 1 has pretty good rifling in it and looked fair. Numbers matched in stock and barrel and it comes with 1 clip. 199.99.
Is this a reasonable price, or not and I honestly have no idea about the cartridge other than a little research. I haven’t sought dies or brass or any load data. I do know there is some factory loads out there.

Question is, is anyone shooting one snd is it worth the aggravation? Or just leave it where it sits and spend that 200 somewhere else.

 

[Jeff H]

Not an expert on Carcanos, specifically, but had a C&R license for the duration of the last big glut of Mausers and Mosins, several years ago and have messed with this stuff for fifty years.

$200 for a Carcano seems ludicrous, except for the fact that $200 doesn't go far these days, and I haven't seen a decent milsurp of any iteration for much less than $400 in a few years now, and I'm not talking "pristine" specimens either.

My take is that if you like the gun, and it's complete and shootable, $200 isn't a whole lot to spend to have that kind of fun, and enjoy that kind of craftsmanship (I know, it's a greatly disparaged Carcano, but still) these days.

The Carcano was the first "high-powered rifle" I ever shot, at maybe ten(?) and I fell in love with milsurps and the 6.5 caliber. Those long, skinny bullets wreaked of "bulletness," looking something like fence-posts or the stubs of scoring pencils at bowling allies - from about the same era. The guy wouldn't sell it to me, because his wife had bought it for him, even though he acted embarrassed to own it. Back then, if I'd have paid $50 for it, I'd have been ridiculed mercilessly.

The Carcanos weren't highly thought of back in the day, but Rolling Blocks seemed to be even more disparaged, but look at RBs now.

Others can possibly provide greater-detailed Carcano-specific information, I'm sure.

 

[RBHarter]

PPU and Norma for factory ammo . .268 grooves . Gain twist . Gotta watch the snakes on clips , they will $10 each but they can be had for 1.50 about as often . $200 seems to be about the floor of the gun market these days .

As for loads my best suggestion is going to be to suggest pre 1980 load manuals , and after appropriate measures of course a case near full of IMR 4350 or full of 4831 and something like the 270-140 NOE .
I've been working with a 6.5 Japanese and that's what load data boils down to . My Carcano was chopped and very long head spaced , most of the gain was cut off leaving about 1-10" maybe , 120s would have been marginal .
Huntingtons has dies I saw some Lee's listed a while back . CH for case matched dies . 35 Rem brass will work in a pinch .

 

[Bret4207]

I'm not a Carcano fan having been assigned the use of one in my teens. Even with Norma factory hitting the target with 6" of POA was iffy. You may luck out and get a shooter. Barrels dimensions differ widely, most have a gain twist IIRC, and I haven't seen a lot that were well cared for. With cast? I think someone was working with one here last year. Research it.

IF you have a carbine and IF it's a shooter and you can get clips it might make a nice truck/tractor gun. You aren't going to get much these days for $200 bucks.

Seems like some years back I saw a photo of one somebody converted to a blind magazine and another caliber, like 35 Rem maybe. Lotta work, but it was decent when done. I've seen SMLE's converted to one piece stocks and rebarreled, so anything is possible.

 

[Edward R Southgate]

Probably the best you are gonna do now days . They sold them out of a wooden keg at Woolco in Nashville in the 70's for anywhere from $7.50 to $14.99 a pop . Rifles were cheap and carbines with a bayonet were on the higher end . I bought one ( carbine ) near perfect a couple of years ago in a pawn shop for $25.00 missing the bolt thinking I'd buy a clunker for the bolt . Can't find a bolt or a cheap clunker . I was gonna carry it on my old 801 for coyotes .

 

[STIHL]

They are pretty rough, but 1 looked pretty good considering, they are rough though. It is a carbine with the bayonet, but 200 stemmed mighty high to me. I mean if he would tried 1loose for 150 or buy it, but I think I’m just going to let them go. They are liable to sit there for a year or 2 before someone buys one. Ammo is hard to find and it’s a 100 or close to it year old gun. I have too many irons in the fire as it is to take on another cartridge. I agree for the money it would be a fun project, but I think I’m going to pass on these and out that 200 to work on something else.

 

[fiver]

i don't think your gonna look back and go maaan if only.
i seem to sort of remember some of those being made for the italian's by like the Japs or germans for a little while.

 

[STIHL]

Me either. I actually went ahead and ordered my 300 HAMR barrel tonight. It was on sale. Think I’ll finish that project up before I start another one.

 

[richhodg66]

There was a really nicelt sporterized one I almost bought at a gun show about a year ago, someone beat me to it while I considered it. Price was real cheap. I've heard they are a lot more accurate than people give them credit for if given good ammo with the proper size bullets, but I have no experience.

 

[Bret4207]

It's the same "If" used with other guns. The Savage 22 Hi Power can be accurate IF you have a good barrel and IF it's not a take down action thats loose and IF you can get proper ammo and IF...! Same thing with a lot of other surplus guns. There's a reason the Finn Moison Nagants (M39?) were preferred over the run of the mill Rooski jobs or why Star Gauged Springfields were so sought after.

 

[JustJim]

Don't know about the price, I'm terribly out of touch with milsurp prices (still in shock atwhat I was recently offered for my Turk Mauser). As for accuracy, I've seen more than a few that would put 5 rounds of Norma ammo in a poker-chip-sized group at 100 yards, shot over the pickup hood. Group location varied, that rear sight is terrible.

 

[Thumbcocker]

I think the Italians made a run of them for the Japanese in 6.5 Japanese.

 

[fiver]

maybe that was it, i knew sumthin went somewhere...LOL

 

[STIHL]

Thank Yal for the information it’s appreciated.