Carcano 8mm Mauser

[DerZilla]

So i just acquired a Carcano rifle from my girlfriends dad. Its not your standard 6.5 or 7.3 caliber, but is marked as a 7.92. Its been been modified. I believe it is a M91/38 carbine. I was just curious if anyone has seen or used one before. Also i have read that there not safe to shoot due go the excessive pressure from the mauser round. Also the bore looks small for a 8mm. Photos attached.

Thanks again

[Emdawg]

Well it is a chop job by Bubba.

As for 8mm Mauser, I can say that it can be a little hot for it. Converted Carcanos also have ejector problems as well from what I have heard.

[Mike A]

Much discussion of these conversions on the "Italian Firearms" forum on www.gunboards.com/forums. I'd do a forum search for "8mm Carcano" or "Carcano 7.92 conversion". "Italian Firearms" is about 15 forums down on their forum list.

[sfsppe]

Many of these were converted for Arab nations in the late 1940's.

[DerZilla]

Yeah i know that it was chopped down unfortunately. But he gave it to me for telling him what it was. His dad had it and modified it. He didn't know what kind of rifle it was. I was thinking of buying an original stock for it, but not sure if its worth the effort, time, and MONEY as it might be unsafe to shoot the 8mm rounds and the clips have to be modified, and even then it doesnt feed correctly. Anyone thinks its worth the effort to restore?

[ironhorse1]

It's not worth restoring.

You could shoot it as is with mild reloads.

Carcanos are cheap to buy and not in high demand.

I have read on wiki or somewhere about the 8mm conversions.

While the barrel and chamber may be ok with the pressures I doubt that the bolt and locking system would fare well.

Hang it on a wall and if you want a shooter buy anything else.

irh

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=813269

You will find a model 38 7.35 Terni in this gallery. I'm not real fond of it but have shot it.

[DerZilla]

Yeah that the way i am feeling about the riflem. I have a 7.35 carcano already. Might restore down the road when im bored and have some cash. But for now ill just keep as is, need to buy a band as the handguard and stock is held with electric tape.

Side note, the bolt doesnt close when i manually add a round into the chamber. Appears the volt is not catching the round. When i take the bolt out and try to out a round on it, you have to use a lot of force to get it on the bolt head. Any ideas or remedies?

[ironhorse1]

It's a controlled feed bolt. A round cannot be chambered then have the bolt closed.

I've had the same problem. Gun would not feed cases worth a darn.

I had to use a small file and rework the extractor claw to remove burrs and give it a better shape.

I made up six dummy rounds to test feeding and it took some time before I had it where they would feed properly.

I've noticed that brass really collects on the bolt face and the rim is so small that feeding issues may continue.

irh

[knucklehead0202]

Yeah that the way i am feeling about the riflem. I have a 7.35 carcano already. Might restore down the road when im bored and have some cash. But for now ill just keep as is, need to buy a band as the handguard and stock is held with electric tape.

Side note, the bolt doesnt close when i manually add a round into the chamber. Appears the volt is not catching the round. When i take the bolt out and try to out a round on it, you have to use a lot of force to get it on the bolt head. Any ideas or remedies?

You've got a postwar conversion with an incorrect bolt. Proper 8mm bolts were marked with an "S" at the base of the bolt, denoting use with the 8mm converted rifles. Only real difference is that the extractor is trimmed a bit to get around the larger diameter case. You can either modify the extractor yourself, or seek out an "S"-marked bolt. I got one from liberty tree collectors. Although they don't list it, they probably have one. Your rifle looks to have been a T.S. carbine, it's really a shame the stock was cut because that'll be hard to find. As far as it being "safe" to fire, the carcano is a stronger rifle than it's ever been made out to be. Slugging the bore and perhaps having a chamber cast done might not be a bad idea, but there's not many reasons it wouldn't be safe. They tend to be hard on stocks, and that one would be VERY hard on your shoulder, but they are a hard gun to destroy. If you decide to get rid of it I'd be interested, and if you keep it, I'd be glad to help you find parts to restore it. I'm currently working on an 8mm cavalry carbine that needs a lot of love. I also have 2-6.5 91/38 cav carbines, one in 7.35, a 91 cav carbine in 6.5, and an m38 short rifle in 7.35. Guess I've got a little thing for carcanos.

[DerZilla]

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Don't think I will sell, was given to me by my girlfriend's father. Please send me some links to were I can get parts and things that can be done to the rifle.

[knucklehead0202]

https://www.libertytreecollectors.com/productcart/pc/viewcategories.asp?idCategory=28

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Manufacturers/Carcano-33174.htm

there's a good start. there are other places to get this stuff and I'd highly recommend talking to the boys on gunboards as well. they've been invaluable in helping me with my projects and are fountains of information. Also, I've bought a lot of parts for them on ebay. Good luck and let me know if I can help you find something specific.