7.35 Carcano, followed me home

[motorcycle_dan]

I know, possibly the LEAST desirable military bolt gun. But it was CHEAP, $50 and the bolt was the same serial number as the receiver. Taking bambi to the processor and got to go past a unfamiliar gun shop. On the way back stopped just to sniff around. couple of Nagants, SKS, and what's that back there in the corner.....

Don't know what model this was 1938 I assume. fixed sights and no other marks. May have been "sporterized" stock seems short so may have been cut down. I have not cast the chamber yet and intend to do so before firing.

My questions.
Can I make brass for this thing? Form it from .308 or '06 or something?
Bullet diameter according to what I've been able to find should be .298 for Jword and 0.300 for cast (preferred)
Can I start sizing a .308 down to .300 and use that? 0.008 sounds like a lot of squeez'n.

Anyone have useful load data. Thanks in advance.

[JeffinNZ]

If you want to buy some boolits to begin with Buffalo Arms have the correct size.

[BudRow]

You can rework 6.5 Carcano cases - watch for neck dimension after seating bullet.

[nekshot]

Ha ha ha, this is really gonna get good when the "experts" from another thread have a go at you!!!!! If you enjoy that little gun as much as I enjoy mine your good to go. If you need clips there is a surplus outfit in cal. I got mine from. Sorry don,t have their address but I found them by googleing. The price was better than ebay.

[I'll Make Mine]

The 7.35x52 Carcano case is a .448 head diameter; a .308 or .30-06 is roughly .020 too big at the head (though you might be able to do it in a pinch with a small base sizing die and turn the resulting oversize rim). As above, the 6.5 Carcano is probably your best parent case; my reference shows it .002 larger head, but that's almost certainly within tolerance for a military chamber (I'd bet the 6.5 Carcano was originally a modification of the 7.35x52). Anneal before you start expanding the neck, and you'll probably need to take two or three steps (and anneal again when finished expanding). A 7mm expanding spud is probably a good intermediate, though you might find lower fallout rate if you can reduce it to 6.8 mm or so. Alternately, you *might* be able to fire form with a granular filler and no bullet, but check with those who've done it first...

[Buckshot]

............Carcano brass is available from Graf& son. The 7.35x51 is easily made from 6.5x52 by merely expanding the caseneck in the Lee 7.35x51 size die. The case will shorten that silly millimeter in the process. Lee makes dies for the 7.35. On the barrel reinforce there should be stamped the maker, and also a set of Roman numerals which denote the years AFTER the beginning of Mussolini's fascist reign began. If there is a 'Boxed SA' stamp, your M38 Fucile Corto has been to Finland as many thousands were sent there to aid them against the Russians. None were carried by front line troops. The Finns also added a taller front sight. Originally the battle zero was set at 300 meters with the top of the front post even with the top of the rear sight. Italian troops were taught to bury the front sight in the 'V' of the rear sight.

The Carcano action (bolt) will generally seem a bit stiff, and it is. The troops were taught to operate it, "Con Gusto". You will need a few of the packet clips. They hold 6 rounds. They're available from a few sources and will last a long time. The M38 FC's were known for tight chambers. The grooves in my rifle slugged .300". In order for me to load a cast lead slug of .301" I had to turn the casenecks down a bit.



The above is a 7.35 with the Hornady 123gr SP. You can see on the caseneck that it has been turned for use with cast lead. One the right is my M38 FC as I bought it. It has a straight bolt which was incorrect. I bought a bolt with a turned down handle from Springfield Sporters and sold the straight bolt which had the very early 'tunnel extractor' for a small profit.



Yours should look like this, above. There are no flies on the Carcano. It has a split bridge which makes adding a scope problematic, but so did the Krag and the M1888 German Commission rifle, which was also built commercially as sporters. The Carcano isn't a real smooth action, but I believe the major negative to it is simply that it was the rifle of a looser. In addition, looking back many considered Italy's importance in WW2 as a farcical side show and almost a joke. Be that as it may the Italian government spent considerable time, effort, and expense in developing the Carcano. Realizing they didn't have the metallurgical expertise required (in 1891) for their new smokeless powder rifle design, they ended up contracting with a European outfit (I forget who and may have been an Austro-Hungarian outfit) to supply the steel.

In a way, most of the Italian rifles and carbines made a lot of realistic sense. First of all they were simple. Some did use adjustable rear sights, but the vast majority had a fixed rear sight. It was designed to be used against a tall slender target (an upright human), was robust and had few small parts.



I also have a Moschetto per Truppe Speciali Mod. 91 (Special Troops Carbine) in 6.5x52. In the right photo it is stamped as being made by Fabrica National de Armas, Brescia. It was produced after the Italian capitulation as it isn't stamped for the year of fascist rule. The serial number is on the left side and the fascist marking would have been on the right.



It doesn't appear to me as if this carbine had ever been issued. It is as near to perfect as I'd believe possible.



The first and ONLY groups fired with the M38 FC and cast lead. Some of those 5 shot groups were in the 18-1900 fps range. Considering the boolit and having to have just the tip of the front blade visible in the rear 'V', I don'tthink any of them were too terrible. I used the Lee C309 - 150 - F. They were lube-sized .308" and then run up through a .301" die I'd made. The bore riding nose at .300" was too large to enter the barrel. As a consequence they were seated quite short. I forget now what the bore was. Lyman did make a mould for this cartridge. It was the 300136 with a GC, and looks just like Lyman's 30 cal 311410. BTW, Boyds makes sporter stocks for these @ $74 with a barrel channel for the military barrel.

..............Buckshot

[texassako]

I have fun with my little 7.35mm Carcano Mod. 1938 Cavalry Carbine, and love the history as it was converted from a Moschetto per Truppe Speciali con Tromboncino Mod. 91/28(fancy name for the grenade launcher version). Lots of precisely fitted and pegged patches in the stock. Shoots well but high with the fixed sight. The original bullet had an aluminum insert in the nose to make it long and light. I found Hornady's bullet was not especially accurate(to short), but some ~175gr bullets I found on here matched the originals profile pretty well and were much more accurate. Now I need to try it with a cast boolit that fills the long throat. Graf's actually sells proper headstamp 7.35 brass for less than 6.5; so I wouldn't bother resizing 6.5 unless you already have some.

[jonk]

I got a proper .301" mold from CBE in Australia, and a fine mold it is too.

The Carcano is a much misaligned gun. It's simple, strong, and reliable, and if the bore is in good shape, accurate.

I haven't had much luck sizing down .308 bullets, as the lube grooves are uniformly destroyed, but know others have managed it without issue, so by all means try.

[leadhead]

jonk, lube your .308 bullets in a .308 sizer first, then size them down
to what ever size you use for the 7.35 The grooves won't get distorted
once there lubed first.
Denny

[jonk]

jonk, lube your .308 bullets in a .308 sizer first, then size them down
to what ever size you use for the 7.35 The grooves won't get distorted
once there lubed first.
Denny

Did that. No go.

[Buckshot]

Did that. No go.

............After lub-sizing to .308", are you then going up through a Lee type push through size die? Works a treat I've sized 8mm Lyman 323470's from .324" down to .314", the mentioned 150gr .308" Lee's to .301", and a couple others that escape me at the moment.

...........Buckshot

[Dschuttig]

You don't need to resize 6.5 Brass. Grafs has both the 6.5 and 7,35 with correct headstamps. I think for like a buck more you can get the bag of 100 already primed./ Dan

[DCM]

Another easy donor brass that works well is 6.5MS brass, but as others have said you should be able to get brass and FLGC bullets from Grafs.
After you try the safety a few times you may want to not close the bolt in lieu of using that in the field.
Contrary to the old myth these actions are quite strong.
Good luck and have fun!

[Lead]

I just got me a 7.35 carcona in ruff shape with a set of lee dies an one bullet for 70.00. Thanks for the useful info guys. Anyone know where I can get the front peice of the stock.

[junkbug]

https://www.libertytreecollectors.co...?idCategory=28

Look here.

[madsenshooter]

I'm thinking NEI had a mold for the 7.35, yea their #36, 140gr.

[texassako]

I'm thinking NEI had a mold for the 7.35, yea their #36, 140gr.

Accurate does as well.

[shanep]

Thanx guys