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help w/ 6.5 Carcano
I have a sporterized 6.5 Carcano I picked up at a flea market for $60.00
The rear leaf is gone but the fixed portion of the rear sight is there.
I loaded up some .265 139gr gc lead I had, using 8.0gr Unique
The rifle shot over a foot high at 50yds.
I know I could get a taller front sight any idea how much taller?
I think I have to raise the rear to get it to also shoot lower.
Didn't have any factory ammo with me but I do have some.
I am trying to ready this gun for my grandson as the lop is pretty short.
A guy at the range said cast bullets shoot higher.
I might try to go up to 10gr. of Unique, but I can't see how this will make
it shoot too much different.
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The Carcano sights are set up so you just see top of the front sight in the bottom of the V in the rear sight.
Most Carcano barrels I have slugged are about .270"/.271" in the throat, and I have seen them up to .275". My buddy has a Carcano that shoots pretty good with the Group Buy Cruise Missile. That bullet is available from MidSouth. He shoots ten grains of Red Dot in it.
Cheers,
Phil
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> I have a sporterized 6.5 Carcano I picked up at a flea market for $60.00. The rear leaf is gone but the fixed portion of the rear sight is there.
Price sounds about right if the bore is good.
> I loaded up some .265 139gr gc lead I had, using 8.0gr Unique
First of all, I suspect your accuracy was pretty sorry: The preceeding comment about .270 bores is about right in my experience too. a 0.264 slug will often just slide along the tops of the lands. I recommend lightweight .270 bullets (0.277") if the throat is big enough to accept them. If you're into cast bullets, I really recommend that approach as most satisfactory with these things.
> The rifle shot over a foot high at 50yds. I know I could get a taller front sight any idea how much taller?
Easy to calculate: 50 yds = 1800 inches. Let's assume a sight radius of 16 inches. 12/1800 = x/16. x = (16*12)/1800 = 0.107" more sight height needed.
> I think I have to raise the rear to get it to also shoot lower.
That'll work, but replacing the front sight is a lot easier.
> A guy at the range said cast bullets shoot higher.
Don't believe everything you hear. Point of impact is almost infinitely adjustable.
Changing bullet weight or velocity will almost always change impact. Play with it until it shoots to suit you.
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.............I have a couple Carcanos. A M38 Fucile Corto in 7.35x51 and a M91/38 Moschetto Truppe Speciale, heh, heh, I just LOVE typing that out :-) They are both quite fine military rifles, and in some ways quite ahead of their time. Not as bolt actions but in size for being handy and robust, but also realistic fixed sights for real world combat distances, and a manageable cartridge.
This is the M91/38 in 6.5x52:
http://www.fototime.com/53D2620532682B9/standard.jpg
http://www.fototime.com/E462C2C8BEB3C04/standard.jpg
Almost toy like compared to a Garand or a Mauser. Post WW2 manufacture and looked un-issued.
All comments about the bore and groove are truthfull. Slug that thing to see what you have. Hornady produced 160gr RNSP slugs for these and pegged the diameter at .268".
Ditto the sights. Bury the front blade as that's the way the Italian troopers were taught. Odd to us but useable, and especially against tall targets. For target shooting use some JB Weld to build up the front sight blade. Works well. Of course, fabbing one out of steel is the 1st class way to go.
This is what I use to determine front sight height. Math makes my head hurt, so this is pretty neanderthal:
http://www.fototime.com/13CE8BA4DA1EB3C/standard.jpg
I take a pair of side cutters and a 6" pile. Shoot and clip and shoot and clip, then finally file for fine adjustment :-). Kludgy but it works for me.
One final thing, if I'm not mistaken the M1891 Infantry rifle was the only 6.5mm Carcano to have gain twist. However, the Italians in a fit of a misguided desire for shorter handier rifles shortened quite a few M91's in 1924 by cutting back the barrels. In effect, they removed the most effective portion of the twist! The M24's were NOT known for steller accuracy. Most were later converted to the grenade launching role. Bombas Tromboni, or something like that :-)
I doubt your sporterized one was made from one of these, but it's an interesting tidbit anyway.
The Carcanos WILL shoot. Just like anything else you feed cast lead, it has to follow the rules.
...............Buckshot