6.5x52 Carcano

[MaxJon]

Hi all, I was offered a 6.5X52 Carcano (carbine) by a mate for $250. The barrel looks almost as it is unfired, bluing is good also, and the stock could do with a refinish. It has the clip in the mag also. Read some posts here they seem like a fun short range gun. It has 1944 stamped on the barrel so i dont think it has the gain rifling twist, but am yet to check this. Would this be a good cast gun?? A mate also has a .268 cruise misssile mould i think would be fun. Could be perfect for the 50m service rifle match we shoot at our pistol club. Lee dies $55 and brass $49/100 about the same as most other cartridges here in Australia. Anymore info appreciated!!
BB03

[c1skout]

I love my Carcano but haven't shot any cast from it yet. I think they all had the gain twist rifling, other than the long rifles that got hacksawed off. You'll want to find more en-blok clips for it, without them the rifle is almost unuseable.

[JeffinNZ]

$250 sounds a bit much. I paid NZD180.00 for mine which is about AUD140.00 right now.

My Carcano is a heap of fun. Mild to shoot and great to carry. I have shot wallabies with it. A solid 2 MOA rifle with the issue sights.

[MaxJon]

$250 sounds a bit much. I paid NZD180.00 for mine which is about AUD140.00 right now.

My Carcano is a heap of fun. Mild to shoot and great to carry. I have shot wallabies with it. A solid 2 MOA rifle with the issue sights.

Yeah thanks Jeff!
I think i will pass on it, too expensive, they are going for around a $100 to $150 here. There is one on usedguns.com.au for $295!! Think i will save the money for my other castboolit projects!
Thanks again!
BB03

[darwinmauser]

Yeah thanks Jeff!
I think i will pass on it, too expensive, they are going for around a $100 to $150 here. There is one on usedguns.com.au for $295!! Think i will save the money for my other castboolit projects!
Thanks again!
BB03


BB03 , have a look at Australian arms auctions ,they have an auction at the end of April , there's a few Carcano's and heaps of other stuff there.

Pete

[MaxJon]

BB03 , have a look at Australian arms auctions ,they have an auction at the end of April , there's a few Carcano's and heaps of other stuff there.

Pete

Thanks Peter! Great to talk to someone home here in Oz!

[Rio Grande]

I was just looking at one in a Pawn Shop here in Texas. Had three clips to go with it. They sure are neat little rifles. This one had no import stamp and the bore was wonderful. Stock had been slightly sportered.
I've been considering it. bullbarrel033, you've almost convinced me to buy it!
Interesting about the gain twist - .577 Enfields had that too, I understand, and they are accurate.
From what I've read, you either love or hate Carcanos, but of course not all of us can be members of the RemChesterby's Ultra-short/long magnum rifles of the month club.
I sure like shooting the old rifles w/ moderate cast loads.
The price was $100 or less 'out' as they say. About like there, I see.
But can you really say what a rifle is worth. Money ain't everything, and one day that ol' rifle may prove itself priceless.
BTW, once at my club range I met a man shooting a $40,000 French-made engraved double elephant gun, and me, I was shooting my $40 Mosin. He very kindly let me shoot his rifle, while I returned the favor. Tell you the honest truth, I preferred the trigger pull and sights on the Mosin. And it shot as well too.
Now if I was being chased by a Water Buffalo or an Elephant...I might prefer the big double.

[MaxJon]

I was just looking at one in a Pawn Shop here in Texas. Had three clips to go with it. They sure are neat little rifles. This one had no import stamp and the bore was wonderful. Stock had been slightly sportered.
I've been considering it. bullbarrel033, you've almost convinced me to buy it!
Interesting about the gain twist - .577 Enfields had that too, I understand, and they are accurate.
From what I've read, you either love or hate Carcanos, but of course not all of us can be members of the RemChesterby's Ultra-short/long magnum rifles of the month club.
I sure like shooting the old rifles w/ moderate cast loads.
The price was $100 or less 'out' as they say. About like there, I see.
But can you really say what a rifle is worth. Money ain't everything, and one day that ol' rifle may prove itself priceless.
BTW, once at my club range I met a man shooting a $40,000 French-made engraved double elephant gun, and me, I was shooting my $40 Mosin. He very kindly let me shoot his rifle, while I returned the favor. Tell you the honest truth, I preferred the trigger pull and sights on the Mosin. And it shot as well too.
Now if I was being chased by a Water Buffalo or an Elephant...I might prefer the big double.

Yeah good luck Rio! I think the one i was looking at is only worth about $150 at best! I gunna pass on it, and save the money for a M96 6.5X55. Just makes more sense for my uses! I may kick myself in years to come, when it will be worth heaps more??
BB03

[fortrenokid]

Howdy Pards

Just for what it's worth, a shootin' buddy in our rifle club has an old 6.5 Carcano carbine. It may have the fixed rear sight of late, war-time manufacture but my recollection is that the rear sight has the ladder-type adjustment for elevation. It's diminutive and looks just like a military carbine should. Definitely has some "style" points. Shooting it is another matter. He had some old mil-surp ammo that went "bang" maybe half the time and some of those with a definite hang-fire interval. The ones that went "bang" shot with a big, orange flash at the muzzle. Very bright muzzle flash even in the intense sunlight of El Paso. His carbine DID NOT like a cast lead bullet of about the same weight and profile as mil-surp ammo. It did shoot modern Hornady ammo okay but nothing to write home about.

A side note: I'm old enough to remember , in the days before the 1968 Gun Control Act, when Carcanos sold for mail order in the $10-15 range. If you inflation-adjust those prices, you're probably in the $125-$150 range nowadays so those old rifles have probably at least held even with inflation.

The price you've been quoted seems, IMHO, to be a bit on the high side unless that particular shootin' iron has some definite collector attributes or something that makes it rarer than the typical Carcano. A lower bid might result in a more reasonable price. Would definitely suggest having a gunsmith check it and a test-fire before purchase. Have read that the Carcano is not the strongest action and that some late-war production models were definitely unsafe to fire, even with light, cast loads.

[MaxJon]

Thanks all guys for the replies so far! I am not gunna bother with the Carcano, sounds like too much hard work, not to mention too expensive! Im gunna save the money for a 6.5X55 Swede M96.

[blastit37]

The only carcanos with gain twist are the older ones, the M38 (6.5 & 7.35) and m41's (6.5)don't. Also not true about the strength of the action, the Germans re-chambered the late model carbines to full power 8mm as "Peoples Army" weapons. Italy used Czech steel formula for their gun making, none better (many Carcanos were made by Beretta).

[tom threepersons]

If you are an old timer and recall the 1960s. The Carcanos sold $12 bucks thru Kliens Sporting goods of Chicago. You could get one these rifles complete with a 4X B Weaver scope for $18 dollars. Lee Harvey Oswald bought his Carcano from Kliens and so ended guns sold by mail order in the U.S. Many of these were chambered in 7.7 Jap by Italy for the Axis powers. The 7.7 was over pressuered and many of these little rifles exploded. These rifles have very weak actions and the bores varied they need to be used with some caution.

[JeffinNZ]

Weak actions is an urban myth. As "blastit37" points out, the Carcano was chambered for 8X57 the proof for which is 60K. They are plenty strong for the rounds they are chambered for.

I wrote an article for NZ Guns recently regarding the fun I have had with my 6.5 and I pointed to the bad press the Carcano gets being a factor of the "alleged" Kennedy assassination, wrong diameter bullets being used (.264 and not .268) and mil surp ball ammo being used for hunting.

[Brasso]

The Carcano has NEVER been arsenal chambered for 7.7 Jap, it was the Type I in 6.5 Jap. Consequently one in 7.7 Jap could NEVER have blown up!!

Sam

[Uncle Grinch]

As different as they were, they still can make a dandy little carbine...

[tom threepersons]

During the Winter War of 1939-1940 Finnland was issued these rifles. The Finns who were riflemen threw them away. They picked up Nagants to replace these Italian made firearms.:(

[JeffinNZ]

During the Winter War of 1939-1940 Finnland was issued these rifles. The Finns who were riflemen threw them away. They picked up Nagants to replace these Italian made firearms.:(

Well, that's just good common sense. The 54R has much better knock down power than the 6.5X52.

Hey, either way, both rifles are ugly as sin!

[tom threepersons]

Soooo true on ugly rifles.:lol: