This was a full-length Fucile 91 when it was made in 1918.
Nice rifles, same horsepower as a .30-30 but MUCH better in bush nd longer ranges due to the incredible sectional density of the bullet.
Yes, these had "progressive" rifling (nothing to do with Socialism: the twist started slow and increased toward the muzzle), which was holdover from the Black-powder era Match rifles. It worked just fine but the Italians were the only ones to use it. It was clumsy to cut, but they thought that it was worth the effort. That they just might have had something going for them i witnessed by the fact that the Italians kept a number of Carcanos in service into the 1960s because they were more accurate than their Garands and BM-59s, neither of which is any slouch on the target range!
Springfield Sporters in the Excited States has just about any Carcano part your black little heart might desire and their prices are VERY fair. The PROBLEM is hat the US and Canada have never signed off on this silly treaty regarding firearms under the Homeland Security law. Right now the easiest way to get their parts is to have them sent to a friend in ICELAND (which has signed the treaty) who sends them on to you (and we don't need ermission to import such from Iceland). The rifle actually counts under the Curio and Relic class in the US, so some pressure on the Harper Government might get something SANE underway in this department. Until then, your only two options are (1) a good pal in Reykjavik or (2) having a friendly dealer get them in for you through a Broker...... which costs even more than sending the things to Iceland and back.
There HAS to be some sanity SOMEWHERE, one might think!
Good luck, friend.
