R.E. Terni 6.5 Carcano

[soldierboy9908]

My friend has an Italian Carcano and he is trying to find out more about the rifle. The only info I have right now on his weapon is that it is a R.E. Terni 6.5 Carcano. The model number is 36 XIV and the serial number is K9238. It has all of the markings on it of a carcano. It has the crown above the action as well as stamps on the stock. I could not tell you what these markings are at this time. If that is necessary for the identification of the origin of the gun then I will get that info. Can anyone help us farther on identifying this weapon? I do believe that it is a 6.5x52 carbine; is this correct as well?

 

[SDC]

Terni was one of the Italian government arsenals that built rifles for their militayr, and it sounds like he has one of the versions of the M1891 Mannlicher-Carcano rifle or carbine; Italy chambered its bolt-actions in either 6.5x52 Carcano or 7.35x51 Carcano, and some of these rifles were re-worked from one to the other. If the barrel is around 30 3/4" long, it should be the stock 1891 rifle; if the barrel is around 18" long, it should be either the 1891 cavalry carbine (which has a permanently-mounted bayonet that folds into the stock), or the 1891/24 TS carbine, which was an arsenal-shortened 1891 rifle for special troops ("Truppe Specialli"), but which should have a circular stamp showing the date it was re-worked and the arsenal doing the work. There was also an 1891 TS carbine built as a carbine from the beginning, from 1894 until 1938

 

[Scorch]

I haven't seen any model 36 Terni rifles in 6.5X52mm. IIRC, the model 36 in 7.35mm was supposed to be the replacement for the 1891 in 6.5mm due to the generally acknowledged need for a more powerful cartridge. It's possible it was rebarreled with a 6.5X52mm barrel when 7.35X51mm got hard to find, or it could have been originally barreled in 6.5X52mm for whatever reason.

 

[ronl]

I have one made in Terni that is 6.5 that was manufactured in 1940. Used to have one in 7.35 that was manufactured in 1939, but someone had sporterized it and I traded it for a type 38 Arisaka. The Italians started WW2 using 6.5 then experimented with 7.35 then went back to the 6.5 ammo. Don't know the case length of the ammo but I do have one original box of each caliber on stripper clips so I could pull it out and measure it. They also rebarreled some of these for 8mm Mauser. That's the one I'm looking for.

 

[milty]

Terni Info

In 1969 I purchased one of these in, of all places, Dallas, Texas. It was one of a bulk sale, still in Cosmoline, and had a gunsmith clean it and check it out. It checked out I've fired many rounds of Carcano 6.5 through that "LongTom". The reason I mention Dallas is that this is the same type of weapon that Lee Harvey Oswald used and if you think that you can run 3 rounds through that long bolt action, in the time he allegedly did it, while reacquiring the target through a scope...you're superman.

 

[James K]

There was no Model 36. The 7.35 was adopted in 1938, along with the Model 38 short rifle and carbine. But after war broke out in 1939, the Italians had second thoughts about changing caliber and most of the rifles and carbines made in 7.35 were recalled and rebarrelled to the old 6.5 caliber.

The 36/XIV date is the date of manufacture, not the model number, and that gun would have been made in 6.5 originally, since 1936 was before the adoption of the 7.35.

The Roman number may require some explanation. Among Mussolini's sillier ego trips was changing the calendar to date from the year of his march on Rome, 1922, which became the year 1. While most Italians just ignored the decree (as they still ignore just about everything else about government, figuring that if they don't notice it, it will go away), arms makers had to comply, so guns of that era have both dates.

Jim

 

[BlueTrain]

I recall hearing that Oswald was left-handed and manipulated the bolt with his right hand. Even so, it was pretty remarkable and I guess if he couldn't, there would be no story.

It's funny how odd things turn up in unexpected places and I once saw a case of 7.35 Carcano ammo sitting in a country store in West Virginia. I can't imagine who would up with it.

 

[Gunplummer]

I have a very ugly Carcano I put a scope on and once you are used to a side mount it can be used very quickly. If your interested, I used a savage 340 side mount. Stamped sheet metal so you can bend it a little. Works good. The boys at deer camp call it "Lee Harvey".