I seem to have a memory of seeing a photo of C2766 showing the "MADE ITALY" stamping,either above or below the "CAL 6,5" stamping, but I am now beginning to think it may have been put there by the suggestion of reading this in the WC evidence. While the "CAL 6,5" is plainly visible, just ahead of the rear sight, in photos of C2766, where is the stamping that says "MADE ITALY"? We know it must be there, for the simple fact the WCR told us it was there. While C2766 has the date 1940 stamped on its barrel, the Fascist date is absent, making this rifle possibly the only Carcano made after 1922 that does not have the Fascist date on it.įinally, there is something that is supposed to be on C2766 (and every other surplus Carcano) that I am unable to find.
The fixed rear sight gives this rifle away as being an M91/38 carbine. Beside the 941, we see the numeral "XIX", meaning this rifle was made between October 1940 and October 1941. Instead of writing the whole date of 1941, it was, sometimes, written as "941" instead. If the date of manufacture of a rifle was, for example, between October 1939 and October 1940, an "XVII" (18) was stamped beside 1940, and if made in 1940 but after October, a "XIX" (20) was stamped beside 1940. This peculiar date stamping was ordered by Mussolini to commemorate his March on Rome in October of 1922. Something that cannot be seen on C2766, making it quite unique, is a thing called the "Fascist date", stamped alongside of the regular date, in Roman numerals. All of these things can be plainly seen on these rifles, stamped on the base of the barrel. There must have been some miscommunication with the gunsmith hired to do this work, a man named Riva, as there do not seem to be any surplus Carcanos in America with the serial numbers, place of manufacture and date of manufacture removed. As part of the contract dealing with the dispersal of these rifles, all markings and stampings on these rifles were to be removed, and only two markings were to be allowed one saying "CAL 6,5" and another saying "MADE ITALY".
The 6.5mm Carcano M91/38 short rifle with the serial number C2766 was part of a large group of surplus Carcano rifles sold off by the Italian government.