Carcano model 1891
| Carcano model 1891 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| general information | |
| Country of operation: | Italy |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Salvatore M. Carcano, Arsenale in Turin and Terni , Beretta , later Fiat |
| Manufacturer country: | Italy |
| Production time: | 1892 to 1945 |
| Model variants: | various |
| Weapon Category: | gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1,285 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 3.90 kg |
| Barrel length : | 780 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 6.5 × 52 mm Mannlicher-Carcano, 7.35 × 51 mm Carcano |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 6 cartridges |
| Ammunition supply : | Fixed box magazine, Mannlicher loading frame |
| Cadence : | 12 rounds / min |
| Fire types: | Single fire |
| Number of trains : | 4th |
| Twist : | right, progressive |
| Closure : | Cylinder lock with bolt handle |
| Charging principle: | Multiple loaders |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Carcano Model 91 ( Italian Fucile Mod. 91 ) is the first variant of the repeating rifles of the series of Italian Carcano rifles manufactured until 1945 .
history
The Carcano was commissioned by the Italian War Ministry in 1888 , which even set up a commission for it. Instead of adopting an existing system (Mauser and Mannlicher participated unsuccessfully in the tender), the Italians decided to develop their own. On March 29, 1892, the Mannlicher-Carcano was declared the standard weapon of the Italian infantry by the War Ministry . The Carcano Model 91 was named after the Italian weapons engineer Salvatore M. Carcano, who further developed, improved and combined various already existing basic elements into a new rifle system.
Technology, function
The Carcano is a multi-loading rifle with a cylinder lock and a magazine integrated in the central stock. A loading frame containing 6 cartridges was used to fill the magazine . The locking cylinder was operated with the bolt handle , this was stretched in early rifles, later bent downwards. The locking took place directly behind the chamber, which later allowed the use of more powerful cartridges. The safety device is attached between the firing pin nut and the locking cylinder. The 6.5 mm Carcano cartridge, first developed by M. Parravicini, had a bullet with a rounded front and was often criticized for its poor ballistic properties. Rounding the tip of the cartridge reduced the power and range considerably. Despite the deficiencies identified in the first troop attempts, the ammunition was retained and only replaced by the more modern 7.35 Carcano cartridge with a pointed bullet during World War II. The disadvantage was that the Italian armed forces had three different types of infantry cartridge in use by the end of World War II, the 6.5 mm Carcano cartridge, the 7.35 Carcano cartridge and the 8 mm cartridge for the Fiat 8mm Model 35 machine gun .
After the first missions in Ethiopia (controversial), China and in the Italo-Turkish War, the weapon and cartridge were retained and these continued to be used as the standard weapon in the First and Second World Wars . In the early 1960s, the Mannlicher-Carcano was finally replaced by the Lee-Enfield No. 4 and then replaced by the Beretta BM59 , which was built on the basis of the M1 Garand .
literature
- Jaroslav Lugs: Handguns. Systematic overview of handguns and their history . Military publishing house of the German Democratic Republic, Berlin 1956.
- Reiner Lidschun, Günter Wollert: Infantry weapons yesterday (1918–1945) . In: Illustrated encyclopedia of infantry weapons from around the world . 3. Edition. tape 2 . Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-89488-036-8 , weapons, p. 320-322 .
Web links
- Mannlicher-Carcano 1891. In: WaffenHQ. whq-forum.de, accessed on September 10, 2015 .