Carcano Carbines and TSs come in a bewildering variety of variations.
Originally, both were called Model 91 and both were in 6.5x52 and they even had adjustable sights. Then in 1938 Italy changed to the new 7,35x52 cartridge using the .300" 128-grain bullet that looked like a Hornady but wasn't. So they had to have new names for their Carbines and TSs, so they were chambered for the 7.35 and called Model 38s.
Everything was going just wonderfabobbly when Benzino Gasolini (oops! Been watching Charlie Chaplin too much! Alessandra's uncle, you know the guy: Il Duce) got Italy into the Second World War. So the Italian Army was trying to change over to the new calibre right in the middle of this, so they did the logical thing and just gave up, continued the Model 38TS and the Model 38 Carbines in production but in 6.5mm, giving us yet more variants, these with fixed battlesights rather than adjustable sights.
AND their was a special BALILLA carbine as well, a youth-training thingie that used a very special 6.5mm round which I have not been able to score even a single copy of and which is not listed in COTW or almost anywhere else. This was a reduced-size copy of a Carcano Carbine, believe it or not!
The Steyr Carbines can be found in 3 different calibres (8x50R which is the original cartridge, 8x56R30M which a lot of them were converted to in the 1930s and 7.92x57 in the Yugoslav and some other conversions), In addition, you can find them with markings from Steyr and Budapest for manufacture and there also was the 1903 contract for Bulgaria (seemingly made at Steyr and Budapest both), which is more than a bit scarce in rifles and carbines both. And there are variants here, too, with both Cavalry and Pioneers shorties being made. 8x56R30M brass is available from Tradex and LEE makes dies which are available and inexpensive and work. 8x50R is best made by pushing back the shoulder and trimming 7.62x54R Russian brass, which also is available, but dies tend to be expensive.
And be sure to remember the Mauser Kar.'71 on .43 Mauser and the quite rare 71/84 in the same calibre and the 1888 Carbine (really scarce) and the original German Cavalry version, the Kar.'98, made only until 1904, I am told. And there are others, too: most rifles during the 19th and early 20th Centuries had a Carbine version, at least for Cavalry, and that included the Lee-Enfield and Lee-Metfords.
You, my friend, are gonna have one HEAP of shorties!
Have fun!
