What should I do with this old rifle?

calebib · January 2015

Not long ago, I bought an old Carcano rifle from a gun auction in Pennsylvania. It was "sporterized" at some point, poorly I might add, and nobody else bid on it so I got it for $30. I believe it to be a Troop Special variant though I'm not 100% certain, I've not spent much time researching it just yet. The barreled action was not touched, just the stock and other hardware and the bore is good. I'm thinking about trying to restore it to original configuration as I find the parts but I am open to other suggestions.

It is dated 1918 and was produced in Brescia.

Big Al1 · January 2015

Shoot it first, then decide!! But it will probably cost more than buying a complete rifle. I've got one and it will barely hit the earth, when you drop it!! Crapcano!

calebib · January 2015

Good point, I just need to scrounge up some ammo for it. I get a good laugh out of the rear sight. It's a tangent style with a rather optimistic range of 1500 meters. I'd be surprised if you were able to lob a round out to within 50 feet of where you aimed it.

Bigslug · January 2015

Find the original style furniture and the rest of the hardware to replicate Lee Harvey Oswald's rifle as best you can. That rifle has no other claim to history than the events in Dallas, and it would be a lot of fun to see what kind of timed fire drills you can manage with one in proper "curtain rod" configuration.

calebib · January 2015

Ill have to see what length barrel his had. Tbis one is just under 18". Numrich probably has the long barrels.

Big Al1 · January 2015

If you can't find any ammo, I'll send you a box.

bullsi1911 · January 2015

tacti-**** it up with an AR pistol grip, a side folding AK stock, rails, and a Leapers 12-20x50 scope with coke bottle lenses. Sell it at a gun show for $500

Or restore it. Whatever. &#55357;&#56841;

tennmike · January 2015

I'd shoot it first to access it's accuracy potential (or lack thereof). If it's promising as a milsurp shooter, I'd try to refit it with the proper stock and parts to bring it back to an as issued state.

calebib · January 2015

Big Al1 wrote: »

If you can't find any ammo, I'll send you a box.

Thanks. I need to chamber cast it before I do anything else.

Freezer · January 2015

First that's an ugly rifle. Second I'd chamber cast or fire it with a string on the trigger to fire form a piece of brass before going too far. Rechambering was a common pratice for sporterized rifles after WWll. I had an Arisaka with a nice birds eye maple stock that had been rechambered to 6.5x 257 rob. I found out after extracting the second round of $40 ammo. After spending $125 on dies I found out that no matter what I tried it shot a shotgun pattern at 50 yards. I gave it to my brother. It now wears an E.R. Shaw 260 Rem barrel and sports a Timney trigger. It shoots well but there was so much money invested in a $75 rifle.

It sure turns heads in deer camp where Mausers are commom place. If you like turning heads it might be a fun project.

If it's still chambered in 6.5 Carcano it might be fun to try different bullet weights and powder before condemming it or restoring it.

BigDanS · January 2015

I would look at it as trade fodder. Shoot it, and find out how accurate it is and then sell it with a target and ammo. Here's an 18 inch Carcano that sold on GB absolute auction at $130.00.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=459590713

With a decent target and ammo I think you could get up to $200.00.

Use it to buy a real gun that won't cost you 30 hours to turn into a 2.5 MOA shooter. Or if it is a shooter, just groom it up a bit.

IMHO

D

Teach · January 2015

Oswald's Carcano was a carbine. You could prpbably make a clone of it if you can find the right scope and mount somewhere.

rifle+handled+disregard+fingerprints.jpg

rifle+handled+disregard+fingerprints.jpg

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Looks like a real tack-driver!

I wonder what became of "Ordnance Optics"
:uhm:
Jerry

Freezer · January 2015

This post brought back old memories so I went to Wikapedia. Interesting history, not good, but interesting. Then I started looking for parts. The military stock and acessories will cost about $200, more than the rifle is worth. Since the Carcano was 6.5x51 and the 257 Roberts was based off the 7x57 Mauser your sporter could have been rechambered.

Uncle Fester · January 2015

Teach wrote: »

Oswald's Carcano was a carbine. You could prpbably make a clone of it if you can find the right scope and mount somewhere.

I wonder what became of "Ordnance Optics"
:uhm:
Jerry

You should read The Third Bullet by Stephen Hunter. Fun read.

Big Chief · February 2015

Fix it up and call it the Eyetalian Job :tooth:

Freezer · February 2015

Note the finger grove in the forend of Teach's and Oswald's rifle. Calibeb's doesn't have that. A different model.

Freezer · February 2015

Big Chief wrote: »

Fix it up and call it the Eyetalian Job :tooth:

Just don't drop it! You know what sound it will make

Varmintmist · February 2015

I have a buddy that has a full set in original dresses. They arent target rifles, but when loaded correctly, they dont completely inhale for what they are. We just shot his carbine at my 200 yard steel, and besides it needing drifted real badly, it clanged a 9 in plate more often then not once you figured out the kentucky windage.

He has a Oswald and a longer rifle that will hold pretty fair on a target. It aint no springfield or even a Mauser, but it will put rounds on target.

I cant believe that it would be worth it to restore OR upgrade, however, since the 03's and 98's have pretty much dried up, they are fetching a couple of bucks.

If it were me, shoot it, find a load it likes, and keep it as a loaner or barn gun. If a 30 dollar rifle falls off the tractor, who cares?

Gene L · February 2015

Don't you need clips to hold the rounds in the magazines? I can't remember. I thought the empty clips dropped out of the bottom on the magazine.

Jayhawker · February 2015

Put it back into military configuration.....every collection should have an example of the worst rifle of WWII...

calebib · February 2015

Gene L wrote: »

Don't you need clips to hold the rounds in the magazines? I can't remember. I thought the empty clips dropped out of the bottom on the magazine.

Yes

Big Chief · February 2015

I have a friend who tried to give me one of them and it was given to him before that. Never seen a rifle that gets given away as much or sold fer as little as those are.

I saw one and thought at first from its stock it was a pellet rifle or something like a cheap .22

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