I would like to hear from folks who have hunted with this round. How would you classify this cartridge and rifle? How did it perform? Any other hunting related comments? roger

Have absolutely no knowledge, but, how do you pronounce it: carKano or carsano?!!!
Peter.

They make good fishing sinkers!

They are so bad that the Italians didn't know what side to fight on in WW 2!

Hip

quote:

Originally posted by Peter:
Have absolutely no knowledge, but, how do you pronounce it: carKano or carsano?!!!
Peter.

CAR-KA-NO
roger

quote:

Originally posted by Hipshoot:
They make good fishing sinkers!

They are so bad that the Italians didn't know what side to fight on in WW 2! :conf Hip

I believe that someone from Long Island is intimateing that they know something about fishing?? Really???

I was once asked if I would rebarrel a man's Carcano.

I replied that that was akin to having sex with his mother-in-law.....that it was a bad idea when he first thought about it.....that it was a bad idea when he was doing it....but that the following morning when he awaken (and had to pay for it) he then knew exactly how bad an idea it really was.

If there is a worse milsurp rifle, it's French! But the Carcano is a close second.....

I don't own or shoot one, but I have a friend who is a serious bowhunter that has used a home sporterized 6.5 Carcano as his deer rifle all his life. His Dad owned a bar up in our coal regions and somebody gave it to his Dad to cover a bar bill. In his early teens, he did his own sporter work and has killed a bunch of deer with it. He buys a box of shells every couple years, rechecks it before season, then kills a deer or two, mostly one shot and they fall down. It's not a pretty rifle, but it works for him. He tried to get a gunsmith to put a scope on it about ten years ago, couldn't find anybody that would do it.
Bfly

quote:

He tried to get a gunsmith to put a scope on it about ten years ago, couldn't find anybody that would do it.

6.5 Caranco





Granted the Carcano has little snob appeal but mine as a youger man killed it's share of mule deer. roger fotos didn't take

quote:

the Carcano has little snob appeal

Please excuse me while I look to see if I'm bleeding.....



Good one Roger!

Bobby Tomek on the "biggest ever taken with a 6.5" thread has a really well written and beautifully illustrated posting. I'd like to borrow from his theme when I state that if cartridges like the 6.5 Jap. 6.5 carcano amd 6.5x54 mannlicher were chambered in strong modern actioned rifles with adequate magazine and throating lengths and loaded to contemporary pressures, we'd have some superior walk around deer rifles. These might be thought as minimum Elk rifles but in a pinch in the hands of an experienced HUNTER they could get the job done. In passing , the Carcano and the Mannlicher have under 10% less powder capacity than the .260 with it's short neck and throat and restrictive magazine.
Now back to topic; how many have hunted with the Carcano?

The Carcano was the rifle and cartridge that killed President Kennedy in 1963.
More than proof that it is capable of killing man sized game.

muck

There was a pretty comprehensive thread a while back that included an article that dealt with the problem reloading for the Carcano and American factory ammo. The main problem is that the actual groove diameter of most Carcanos is closer to .269 than .264 and "normal" 6.5 bullets are too small for a decent result. So it got a bad rap early on.

When loaded with the right bullets or factory ammo of the right diameter like Norma, they seem to have very good accuracy and any 6.5 bullet in the 130-160 grain range driven over 2500 fps is going to be a reliable killer.

Unfortunately a couple boxes of Norma ammo for the Carcano probably costs as much as the rifle now.

I've had several Carcanos, and very deeply regret having sold my early Model 91 long rifle. It had a nice bore and shot very accurately. Anything the 6.5 X 54 Mannlicher can do, the Carcano can do -- which is quite a bit indeed. Hornady used to make a proper .268 bullet, and I believe they still do.
Read Frank DeHaas' chapter on these in "Bolt Action Rifles" and you will have increased respect.

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:
There was a pretty comprehensive thread a while back that included an article that dealt with the problem reloading for the Carcano and American factory ammo. The main problem is that the actual groove diameter of most Carcanos is closer to .269 than .264 and "normal" 6.5 bullets are too small for a decent result. So it got a bad rap early on.

When loaded with the right bullets or factory ammo of the right diameter like Norma, they seem to have very good accuracy and any 6.5 bullet in the 130-160 grain range driven over 2500 fps is going to be a reliable killer.

Unfortunately a couple boxes of Norma ammo for the Carcano probably costs as much as the rifle now.

Every Carcano military bullet I ever measured was .266" dia.but the groove dia. in the rifle was .268". If you are a reloader reasonably priced brass can be had.With a little talent Carcano cases can even be made from boxer primed .303 British brass OR with a little machining from Military Carcano brass.The latter may not be prudent but I did it. The .264" dia. bullets I used did quite well in the field.

Lee Harvey Oswald had no complaints...

Rich
DRSS

17 posts and so far Roger is the only one to claim to have hunted with it.

I've been hunting now for 50+ years and in my lifetime have never seen anyone hunting with one.....EVER!

I don't know anyone that actually owns one or has said they ever owned one.

I've never seen one at a range shooting....and actually don't recall one for sale in any gun store.....

At this rate,......these things have to be collectors items.....maybe I need to find one for the collection.....nnnaaaahhh!

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
17 posts and so far Roger is the only one to claim to have hunted with it.
At this rate,......these things have to be collectors items.....maybe I need to find one for the collection.....nnnaaaahhh!

If not collecters items at this time , pretty close. A small number of guys I know that own them will not sell me one( The folding bayonet model ). Back in the mid fifties Hunters Lodge and venders like them had tons on their racks and in barrels for about $12.00.
There is good reason why what VD is saying makes sence. At the time these were selling cheap so were a number of different model Enfields, Many different models and type Mausers , Arasakas and a smattering of many other military surplus rifles. Most of the guys that I know who bought these rifles did so for hunting, as did I. With the terrible trigger, horendous safety, and weighty bottom metal supporting the clip fed mechanism, not to mention the need for clips to operate, the Carcano was perhaps the least desirable surplus rifle in the bunch to buy and sporterize. I did it anyway and had five years, off and on, of fun making it into a silk purse and creating reloadable cases.
I am surprised that only one other fellow mentioned on this thread used one for hunting. roger

One of the real problems is that most Carcanos out there have been chopped. That does not translate to accuracy because these rifles have gain twist. I have a cut sporter. Have not shot it. The bore is off center, crown is lop-sided and the barrel quite short. Real shame. I will get it rebarreled when I get my sewer pipe Ross 303 rebarreled.

Years ago-----early 1960's a mail order place called Klein's (legal than) sold Carcanos with a scope thru the mail for $9.95---------Yes that's right folks just $9.95 and if you order now we will send two for the price of one and include shipping and a million rounds of ammo!

Hip

P.S. Just kidding about the last part but the rifles were advertized with a scope for $9.95 !

most 6.5 carcanos havnt been chopped they were issued with 17 and 20 in bbls the longer bbls were not as common, ive had 3 and they were all slightly more accurate than my sling shot, and no bs i did test them against a wrist rocket
the nice one i had looked nice but didnt shoot any better than the one that had a bore that looked like rebar

I read a African hunting book years ago,[ no idea what the books name is] ,the author said he used one for meat shooting buffalo with military surplus ammo and shot over 500 buffalo with it ,evidently he was a good shot, as he had no problem with it killing them ,i had one 30 years ago and shot some roos with it, but the military ammo didnt always go off ,my friend refused to use it again after a primer pierced and it spat burnt powder into his eye .swapped it for an FN 98 action which i still have [which is a wonder ]

I have a Australian gun mag with an article about opening a rem 700 223 and barreling into a carcano. I dont remember his reasoning other thewn to do it, but it was a nice enough cartridge when loaded up in the rifle I remember. Just for fun, a friend and I rebarreled a carcano to 35 rem and throated it to seat spitzers loaded way out. Works fine and is a great cast bullet shooter too!

quote:

Originally posted by theback40:
I have a Australian gun mag with an article about opening a rem 700 223 and barreling into a carcano.

Yep ... I have that on file. it was not a shabby performer either.
Cheers...
Con

My stepdad brought one home from the war. Why he didn't bring a Mauser I don't know. It was my first deer rifle. Ammo was cheap and I practiced a lot. It shot 3" groups at 100yrds from a rest and that was better than my buddy could do with his '06 Springfield and another buddy with a 30-30. It brought meat to the table. I have to admit, it sometimes took more than one shot as those metal jacketed bullets would drill on through if they didn't hit bone. As soon as I got a job I replaced it with a new .358 Winchester model 88.

They ought to have good bores, you know the old joke..."only been thrown down once" Referencing the Italian Armies reluctance to fight! Hornady does make 160 gr. RN bullets in .268 diameter. The Carcano was not the only euro 6.5 to suffer from oversize bores, I have a A&N Steyr sporter in 6.5x53r that cheerfully hurled all bullets sideways until I got the Hornady's from Graffs.

Since this posting Vapo Dog built me a sporter predicated on the Carcano but using a .470" head diameter. I designed this either in the early sixties or the late fifties. I use .243 untrimmed cases or .308 cases .The .308 cases have to have their necks trimmed, However.The case would be considered to have a long neck and the rifle is deep throated to accept the 160 grain bullets without infringing on the powder room. roger

I reloaded a few rounds for my son-in-law a few years back. He hunted with it but I don't think he ever killed anything with it. The brass was hard to find and there was only one supplier of the .268 bullets but data was available in one of my manuals. He still has it but no longer hunts with it. IIRC, it was a long barrel model and I think it was "unmodified". I can't see well enough to use iron sights any longer so I never shot the rifle.

Am I the only one who's ever heard of the 7.35mm Carcano??? My understanding is that it was the older 6.5mm rebarreled by Italy to a newer standard.

I bought one of those (well, my mom bought it for me . . .) for $12 sometime in the middle '50s. Mail order, packed in Cosmoline. It was my first CF rifle.

That rifle taught me an important lesson . . . that there are such things as corrosive primers, and what happens if you, er, don't clean such a rifle properly after shooting ammo that uses that kind of primer.

Ah...gentlemen..never concuse the cartridge with the weapon. For, elsewise, if all we had ever had was the Model 1905 and nor the Model 1911 we'd all be saying how bad .45 ACP was too!

I had a friend who had a Webley double rifle in 6.5x52R or 6.5x53R (which is the equvalent in not the exact same the Italian Carcano military round I believe) and it was both extremely accurate and killed deer dead right there.

These long, slow, 160 grain round nose bullets in that calibre...6.5x54 MS and the others, variations on the same recipe...all work very well.

Surprised to see this thread resurrected!!
Around 1966 I made a 5#, 6.5 x 55 "single shoot" by rechambering a 6.5 Carcano carbine and getting rid of all the bottom metal.
It safely used factory ammo with no problem. Well almost no problem; it had a rather severe recoil. At least my first wife thought so.I did manage to get a couple mule deer with it.
The Italians made this rifle for Japan chambered for the Arasaka cartridge'
I tried to sporterize a 7.35 Carcano but lost interest when I couldn't readily get any bullets . roger

I have a soft spot for Carcanos, especially pre-war Berettas, in 6.5.

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
I tried to sporterize a 7.35 Carcano but lost interest when I couldn't readily get any bullets . roger

And you're a better man for it! As a 12 year old (or thereabouts) I thought the rifle looked cool. And it was a CF . . . and it was cheap . . . and it was a military rifle, so it must be reasonably good! After all, who would arm their troops with a POS rifle? Right?

Me!
Not big game tho.. My stepdad bought it for me from Montgomery Wards, along with a box of 250 1930's mil ammo with my very first paperboy paycheck. Used to shoot at rabbits and such, occasionally I'd even hit one. Between the misfires and horrible trigger, game was pretty safe from me. I too learned the hard way that Hoppes's did not clean corrosive salts on this rifle also... Ended up... You know what... I don't know what ever happened to that rifle.

Ha! My neighbor across the street has a nice 1938 Carcano. He says he killed a bunch of deer with it in his younger days but has not hunted with it in some time because of lack of factory SP ammo. I have handled it but never fired it.

I am young enough to have read all the horror stories that the Carcano were a piece of shit.

So I never felt the need to own one.

Great round no different to any other 6.5 of that genre.

it will do what any other 6.5 will do !

Only one problem: the Carcano is not a 6.5 it is a 6.9 mm caliber and bullets though available are not commonly made by usual USA bullet makers !

I do not know how anyone can claim it to be shit ? perhaps the rifle " is shit" a bullet once launched is simply a bullet

So if i launch a 6.5mm bullet the platform does not matter it's simply a 6.5 bullet or in this case a 6.9mm bullet !

quote:

I do not know how anyone can claim it to be shit ? perhaps the rifle " is shit" a bullet once launched is simply a bullet

I think all the old stories were referring to the rifle not the bullets.

IIRC... Norma made soft's for it..