World War II Database

Country of Origin	Italy
Type	Rifle
Caliber	6.500 mm
Capacity	6 rounds
Length	1.295 m
Barrel Length	780.000 mm
Weight	3.800 kg
Range	600.000 m
Muzzle Velocity	700 m/s

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Carcano M1891 bolt-action rifles were designed by Salvatore Carcano of the Italian Army arsenal at Turin, and were the standard rifles used by Italian troops in WW1. In 1938, the variant design M1891/38 began production, but the new rifles were short lived as by 1941 the arsenals reverted back to the original design, though with the new designation of M1891/41. After the Italian Armistice in WW2 in 1943, large caches of Carcano M1891 rifles were captured by the Germans; these Italian rifles were later assigned to the German Volkssturm units toward the end of the European War. After WW2, the Italian Army retired the venerable Carcano M1891 rifles, opting to standardize the British Lee-Enfields and American M1 Garand rifles instead; the Carcano M1891 rifles were then sold to the civilian market. The most famous example sold into the civilian market was perhaps the one purchased by Lee Harvey Oswald, which was used to assassinate US President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

Source: Wikipedia. ww2dbase

Last Major Revision: Jan 2008

Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends:  Facebook  Reddit  Twitter Stay updated with WW2DB:  RSS Feeds

Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Email
	Your email will not be published
Comment Type	General comment/question Additional information about this page Looking for more information on this topic Looking for information about my relative
Your Comments
	Submit

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.