Well I picked up a replacement M91 Carcano Moschetto (cavalry) version. RTI was having a sale, and this VG example was $165 shipped with an original 1939 steel clip. I asked for the oldest date possible rather than pay the “antique” fee which would have doubled the price. Wound up with a 1918 Brescia with a VG bore and a 1924 rebuild stamp. These are recent Italian imports; not Ethiopian. Stock had been renumbered during the rebuild.
It was fairly dirty and greasy. The retaining nut on the cocking piece on the bolt had been over tightened so much I had to use a pipe wrench to get it off. Firing pin was bent. A hammer and Vice edge got it mostly straight…I did request a replacement. Wood screws for the butt plate were stripped, so I used the old trick of half a wooden toothpick to provide purchase for the screws. Stock washed with warm soapy water and then a coat of cut BLO.
I didn’t get for shooting, although I’ll put a box or two out of it to try. It’s actually for German WW2 reenacting. I’m rapidly approaching the age and physical limitations of being unable to field fully anymore. So I came up with a Volkssturm impression. A little research showed me that the Volkssturm on the Czechoslovakia/German border had about 22,000 or so rifles of various types…about 1500 pre WWI M71 and M88s, about 1500 WW1 rifles, about 900 French capture rifles, 350 K98s, 9 Russian M91/30s, 3 G/K43s, and a whopping 17,500 Italian Manlicher-Carcano type rifles…with about 15 rounds per man.
So it will stay in my gun cabinet until then. Thought I’d get now while it was cheap and available. Before and after pics.
T
It was fairly dirty and greasy. The retaining nut on the cocking piece on the bolt had been over tightened so much I had to use a pipe wrench to get it off. Firing pin was bent. A hammer and Vice edge got it mostly straight…I did request a replacement. Wood screws for the butt plate were stripped, so I used the old trick of half a wooden toothpick to provide purchase for the screws. Stock washed with warm soapy water and then a coat of cut BLO.
I didn’t get for shooting, although I’ll put a box or two out of it to try. It’s actually for German WW2 reenacting. I’m rapidly approaching the age and physical limitations of being unable to field fully anymore. So I came up with a Volkssturm impression. A little research showed me that the Volkssturm on the Czechoslovakia/German border had about 22,000 or so rifles of various types…about 1500 pre WWI M71 and M88s, about 1500 WW1 rifles, about 900 French capture rifles, 350 K98s, 9 Russian M91/30s, 3 G/K43s, and a whopping 17,500 Italian Manlicher-Carcano type rifles…with about 15 rounds per man.
So it will stay in my gun cabinet until then. Thought I’d get now while it was cheap and available. Before and after pics.
T
Attachments
-
2E0CE729-218C-4D96-91DF-92CE90D2BE61.jpeg -
E5074A0A-1EAC-412D-9C31-94A9186154D0.jpeg -
0C1CD1FA-F024-4146-9A05-0A4193F1E5EF.jpeg -
3899EACD-087F-408E-9D81-2863EF6F9DBD.jpeg -
7F95C548-8545-4F4F-BA4A-6987692B2980.jpeg -
44240118-D7EF-4084-98FA-4669FFB60369.jpeg -
5C39B2EA-C5FC-491A-AF3D-ED70A7BE0685.jpeg -
54104FE2-EB78-4C90-97DB-55F70F41AD9C.jpeg -
48D55E11-ABC1-4F3F-B340-353244F90B62.jpeg
