Truth it looks like a 1881 tomatoe stake to me. Bad pics, there wasn't a decent 30 caliber barrel made in the 1880's, I wouldn't give you five bucks for it. No doubt some collector thinks differently, but my thoughts are put it on the scale and sell it for scrap metal.
Posts: 1486 | Location: Idaho | Registered: 28 May 2004
A second look I wouldn't pay the postage on that POS if the guy gave it to me. Torino sounds Spanish to me, and anything spanish made out of the 1880's is a wall hanger at best.
The reason he found it in his attic is its been up there for 50 years as a doorstop. Garbage in my opinion.
Posts: 1486 | Location: Idaho | Registered: 28 May 2004
Italian Vetterli. A Swiss design. IIRC it was originally a single shot chambered in some large bore blackpowder cartridge. I have one which was converted to magazine feed in 6.5x52 in WW1. It uses the standard Carcano clip. The magazine conversion was designed by Vitali so mine is what is known as a Vetterli-Vitali. It is a rear locking action and obviously not to strong. I have shot mine with mild loads but it has an oversize bore so is not real accurate.
What is interesting to me is that it has a 34" barrel and is therefore a long heavy rifle. I would think the average Italian infantryman in WW1 wasn't much over 5' tall. The rifle was probably about as tall as the man carrying it!
Posts: 8352 | Location: Jennings Louisiana, Arkansas by way of Alabama by way of South Carloina by way of County Antrim Irland by way of Lanarkshire Scotland. | Registered: 02 November 2001
