Italian 6.5 Carcano?

[DLCTEX]

I have in hand what I think is an Italian Carcano in 6.5X 52. The rifle is in good condition considering it's age, but is suffering from neglect with a light coat of rust on some of the outside parts. The date is 1937 so I think that means it is 6.5X52. The bore looks good. It is a long barrel with the wood stopping about 16 inches before the end of the barrel. Rear sight is adjustable and has marks from 1 to 20. The sight is about 2 inches higher than the reciever when set on 20. Front sight is a round post in a large ring with a hole in the top. There is no provision for attaching a bayonet that I can see. Questions: Am I correct in cal.? Has anyone had good results shooting cast in a 6.6 Carcano? What is it worth? It seems to be all original and numbers match. I am researching this for a friend, but may make an offer on it if he declines to buy it. Thanks for any help you can give me. DALE

[DLCTEX]

Hold on, I got down in the military rifle section and the first thread I opened had a picture of a M44 Ishevsk? I have no idea what cal or country this is from, but the picture is a dead ringer for the rifle in hand. DALE

[jim4065]

My 44 MN's both have a swing out bayonet and are 30 caliber. That's the only Ishvesk (or whatever spelling) arsenal that I know of. Are you sure it's not Russian? Come to think of it - they both have short barrels, too. The long barrel sounds like a Model 91 - if it's Russian......

[DLCTEX]

After some searching I believe it is a model 91/30. The brass seems to be costly. DALE

[jim4065]

Yes - the brass is high. The bright side is that you can still buy 880 rounds for $135 plus freight. That's a lot of banging away at whatever. This "Yellow Tip" ammo will shoot through three 12" pines with no propblem. It does make for some sticky extraction - especially in the summer.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=93570319

or http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=8498860

Every now and again someone will list boxer primed ammo at a good price, but the bidding can get stupid really fast. I ended up buying 250 cases from Midway but haven't gotten around to loading any yet. Too much of the cheap stuff to burn still.

You'll love the 91/30. Quieter than the carbines and just more fun.

[DanM]

Graf's has your x54R brass for $39.00/100. It is Serbian made, Privi Partizan brand. http://www.grafs.com/metallic/776 Not cheap, but works fine, and is probably as good as you can do for a new brass price. Winchester makes
7.62x54R ammo, but availibility is spotty. I have found American made, boxer primed ball ammo at gun shows. Packaged in plain military looking boxes, it is supposedly sandbox surplus. BTW....Mosins work great with cast boolits.