Q: I recently bought what I took to be a 6.5mm Italian Carcano rifle at a gun show to use in military rifle competition. Imagine my surprise when I got it home and found it was chambered for the 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge. It is marked “7.92” on the rear sight base. Now I’ve found that the 7.92mm rounds won’t work through the standard Carcano charger and it has to be single loaded. I’d be interested in your comments on this gun.
Scott Donaldson
A: In the last year of World War II, the Germans were desperate and scraped up any firearm that could be made to shoot. Rifles were converted to fire the standard German military round whenever possible. The Carcano is
not what you’d call a “strong” action. Both of the Italian military cartridges in 6.5mm and 7.35mm were loaded to less than 38,000 psi breech pressures. Most military loads for the 7.92x57mm were around or below that figure, but some sporting loads generate 45,000 psi or more. If I were you, I’d not shoot the rifle, but seeing that the number converted was not large, it may hold some interest for a collector of military firearms.
0 Comments