“The Kennedy thing” . That and the “Stalin was the kinda guy you listened to when he said something like that” has me convinced Ian is a master of understatement

I love the fact that in the last couple years old stereotype are being confronted. The sherman wasnt a shit tank the Italians were good soldiers just under equipped all this kind of stuff and it makes me glad to see an honest review of a decent rifle that's gotten such a bad reputation

Glad to see someone who knows about these things sing the virtues of the Carcano. I used to go to gun shows with my carcano looking for ammo, bayonet, cleaning kit, etc., just stuff that would go with it, and all I ever got was grief from everyone who saw me with it. "Just put it on the wall. It's not worth shooting." "The ammo is difficult to find, but those guns aren't good guns anyway." "Looks like you have a nice looking Italian paperweight." It made me stop going to gun shows for a good while, and when I did, I would research what I was looking for, mostly the ammo, get it, and leave. The attitude I got from those hawkers was not unlike the crap comments littering the subsequent stage videos talking about Ian's lefthandedness. Seriously. What a lame thing to needle someone about.

This video has to warm an Italians heart.

A fixed sight, set to have essentially the same aim angle across all common combat distances, is actually genius. Its simpler, cheaper, easier to mass produce and reliable, pretty much, regardless of situation or user skill. Exactly what you want for a standard weapon.

"The Carcano developed a reputation for [really poor accuracy]" Mr. Oswald would disagree.

4:31 "Cavalry's gone" *Poland and Italy charge in the scene* WELL, ALLOW US TO DISSENT, SIR

Ian talking well of an Italian ww 2 firearm. That's the most beautiful day of my life.

So many issues with rifles over history seen to come down to ammunition. Gorgeous looking rifle!

"And that's why I have -no money left- ammunition to shoot at the match"

hey, it's good enough for the president, it's good enough for me!

I have a 6.5 Carcano. Really handy little rifle. Really enjoyed the video. They're definitely underrated.

The sights are easy, if your target is close keep the front sight low, if it's far away raise the front sight, cannot get any more simple. The stock on the M38 was also shortened which is great for taking a fast quick shot, and the 7.35mm cartridge has an alloy insert inside over the lead base, which makes it a very effective bullet. I bought 3,000 rounds in unopened boxes for 3 cents a round back in 1968 and got to be a really good shot with all that ammo. These rifles just murder the jacks and coyotes!

I note that the M38 is actually five millimetres *shorter* than the SKS, which is (as everyone here knows) the autoloading rifle designed for the 7.62×39mm M43 cartridge. So it seems the Italians got the concepts right in '38 that the Soviets came to in '46 after 'extensive field trials' (The Great Patriotic War)

"You had to aim at a guy's boots to hit him" - So true about most WWI rifles. Hahahaha.

Trust the Italians to always make things aesthetically pleasing. That’s a nice looking carbine.

Additional Carcano FYI- 1- The earliest fixed sight carbines had 300 meter Zeroes; later changed to 200 meters for a better trajectory. 2- The Carcano bullet has an open base (think very shallow minnie ball) designed to expand into the deep rifling. Closed base, and boat tailed bullets don't work so well. 3- The Carcano rear sight was designed to place the tip of the front sight in the BOTTOM of sight V; not the normal "flush with the top" method !

At last! An unbiased warts and all opinion of Italian firearms that is given free of 70 year old allied propaganda Thank you Ian, Keep up the good work it's all greatly appreciated!

Thank you for talking so well about Italian firearms, It is much appreciated by us Also, again, it's an italian Fucile, not a spanish Fusil nor a French Fusìl The C is a CH not an S, the final E Is an Italian E, it's not decorative nor pronounced as an English EE sound

Unfortunately I know too many people who say "this rifle is shit" for the Carcano, Mosin, Berthier, and even the Enfield. And they NEVER have a valid reason against it. Just bullshit lore blown out of proportion.

"the kennedy thing"... how to trigger conspiracy theorists in 3 words.

Finally I get to hear the correct pronunciation of Carcano by a native English speaker, that is, "Càrcano" instead of "Carcàno"... Thanks Ian, most of all for reviving the "myth" of this short rifle, which still has a very solid reputation here in Italy.

Thank you for making this video, Ian! I have been trying to find more info on the Carcano rifles and carbines since I was just informed yesterday that my great-great-grandfather was part of the Italian infantry in the 1890s.

Ian, that sweater with a long sleeve undershirt tells me you either have one hell of an AC or one hell of a backlog.

I love that Ian places relevant literature in view on his shelf. His attention to detail isn't unnoticed!

Your enthusiasm and the knowledge you impart is a pleasure to watch!

Coming to theaters near you: "That Kennedy Thing"

I have been watching some of your videos and I have to say that you are a freaking expert on guns, how did you manage to get all this knowledge, I am in awe of your knowledge about fine details about individual weapons. Well done!!

Can't help it, but this little guy has pretty awesome proportions. If the barrel was a bit shorter (18-20 inches) the overall design would look pretty aweseome! Maybe even something I'd use for a modern design for high-standard recreational purposes and hunting (if I was a gunsmith).

"you dont wanna totally deafen your soldiers.....within the first weeks of training" that pause

To be fair, most of the rifles of WWI era had sights for 1800-2400 yards, meters, arshins or schritte for the purpose of 'volley fire'. That is all the troops in a unit would be directed by the Officer or non-com in charge to set sights for "X" number of units aim at 'that little hill over there and when I give command, fire [a stated number] of rounds. The effect was to bombard a certain area not directly seen but thought to have enemy troops. The Brits did it most famously, but the concept wasn't exclusive. It was a hold over from the black powder days. By the time WWII started, machine guns were reliable and plentiful enough - in most armies - to make the practice obsolete. I do WWI rifles and have a Carcano model 91. It shoots better than I was told as a youth. (I'm no longer a youth even to trees.) Interestingly, the 6.5x52mm cartridge was a physical ringer for the 6.5x54mm M-S, the 6.5x53mmR Dutch, and the 6.5x50 Arasaka. Ballistically similar to 6.5x55mm Swede and the 6.5x53.5mm Daudeteau. All fired a 150 to 160 grain (10.1 or 10.2 gram) bullet at around 2200 to 2400 fps (640 to 730 meters per second). The Carcano was as advanced as most any of them. The U. S. didn't have the Krag until the next year.

I just got one of these from my grandpa last week. good to see you guys putting out some great content on them. Thanks!

Excellent video! Quite aside from the very commendable effort to pour your own thoughts into this rifle instead of just parroting the outright libel and misinformed banter, you even took great care to properly pronounce Càrcano. BRAVISSIMO!

Great video, you explained the evolution of this rifle very well. I really appreciate the Mod. 38. Thanks

I know this is long after the fact that this was done but would like to say a few things about the M38 Carcano I bought mine in 1964 at the age of 128 It was an old looking rifle but I only saw in it my next hunting gun. I bought that gun and about 450 rounds 7.35mm cartridges That along with a box of 128 gr bullets from Hornady would last me into the 2000's as a great shooter taking many deer over the years. I bought that rifle in a gun shop paying for it and walking out taking it home the same day Something you won't se often today As a young man I did not think to leave this rifle as is but did a Williams & Sons Sports converson using their book to guide me Today I am 73 years old and that was the best deer rifle I have owned I no longer own this rifle as I have pass it along to my youngest son who I hope will use it for many years to come(I gave him the reloading equipment also) Well thats my thoughts on he M38 Carcano , Great gun , Better than most would think , when cleaned up it was a smooth operating action and with a little work it shot better with reloads Mike Clare Olivehill Tn.

I just completed Sniper Elite 3 again and I came on You Tube looking for a video on the Carcano Rifle and as always, you never fail to deliver, Ian. Gun Jesus Rocks!

2:25 Imagine being in the Italian army in World War 1, grabbing your snazzy M91 Carcano, adjusting your sights, popping off a shot, and actually killing an enemy soldier from 2 *kilometers* away

Love the Egyptian hakim just casually sitting in the background.

It is a shame we never came out with a carbine version of the US M1917. That said, I agree the Carcano carbine was one of the best WW2 bolt actions.

Great video - I've had a 91/38 for years and I've always thought it's a wonderfully practical little rifle.

Arma semplice, poco costosa ma accurata. La possibilità di rilasciare la tensione della molla dell'otturatore serviva per non stressare la molla stessa e come sicura. Il grande problema, in Italia, è che ti veniva consegnata un arma senza alcuna effettiva istruzione e senza poter sparare un sufficiente numero di colpi per addestramento.

You know how they say "when all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail?" When militaries were handed those first smokeless high-power rounds, it was like handing them a sledgehammer... they thought the only task they needed to perform was driving railroad spikes (at 2000m).

Ian I hope you know you have a great way of explaining the history of all these guns, the fact you can remember everything in one take blows my mind, truly the greatest gun channel in my opinion

Always remember... Fat Freddy buys a rifle: " According to the Warrern Commission, this is one of the most accurate, rapidist-firing rifles ever made, and it's only $9.95. "

A friend with a K98? Who could that be? :D

As a finn I've always heard about how these rifles were supposedly utter trash accuracy wise, but this vid definitely explains where that ancient meme came from.

You inspired me to pick up an ex-Finnish M38. Definitely underappreciated. Despite some quirks it's a very convenient length and weight, handles nicely and is pleasant to shoot. Hornaday makes a 128 grain .300 bullet, which is carried by Graf and Sons, who also carry loaded PCI ammo at a not unreasonable price.

@ 00:15 seconds, "Fucile" is pronounced "Foo-CHEE-leh". And kudos on the correct pronounciation of "CAR-cuh-no" !

Just picked up a 1938 for $150. Went through it and it is definitely still in good workable condition. Came with 4 stripper clips. my only concern is ammo availability. 7.35 is not a commonly stocked ammunition. Might have to purchase a die set and load my own.

"By the end of World War 1, cavalry..." had tracks, machine guns and significant knife resistance.

BTW, great video as always, Ian! Reminds me ALOT of both of my Steyr M1895 carbines in 8 x 56R!-John in Texas

This is by far one of the most informative videos you've done.

Agree, These are undeservedly under appreciated rifles. I was eyeballing one at a gun show a few months ago. It would have come home with me but I wouldn't discern if it was a TS or one of the older long rifles that had undergone arsenal reining as a carbine. Unfortunately those simply, in some cases had the barrels cut down eliminating the gain portion of the gain twist rifling. They are very hard to stabilize.

When I was a kid, you could go to the local army surplus store, buy a case of ammo and pick any three rifles out of a barrel for $15. And Carcanos were considered junk pre-JFK.

Thanks for the videos Ian, keep kicking ass!

Thank you! all of your videos are great fun while being educational.

This is fascinating. I love discussions of ballistics and cartridge design.

Having handled that very rifle (thanks Ian), I found it to be quite handy, well balanced, smooth, and generally good ergonomics for the time. I rather liked it.

Thanks for this video! I have one of these rifles and although I haven't been able to shoot it very much it is one of the easiest shooting milsurp rifles I own. I agree with you that it is under-appreciated, but not by me.

The FDF considered these these carbines as sub exceptable for war. They were issued to teenagers serving in AA and home patrol. Accuracy was found to be less than acceptable and the cartridge was considered too weak. The comparison was made against the 200gr D166 firing extremely accurate and durable M39 of course so the FDF kinda missed the conscept in general :D

I understand the ammo problem, I've been using 1939 stamped surplus, so much cleaning involved, sometimes the primers or powder are less then optimal for accuracy. I would love to score a find on ammo like you did, I also scored a original folding bayonet for mine.

The problems of the Carcano boils down to standardization of ammo. The US had the standard 30-06 Springfield and the Brits had the 303 Lee Enfield. When you have obscure and silly types of ammo to fit your rifles you get the problems outlined by Ian in this video. The Japanese in WW2 had the same problems. They had TWO main infantry rifles with different ammo. Standardization during wartime is the key folks.

a friend gave me one made 1940 did not know a lot about this rifle.your video was verry helpful. sgammo has 6.5 carcano for 1295 20 rounds

Interesting video...thanks. As you point out with flat ballistics a fixed sight makes sense as long as there is some ability to tap either it or the foresight left or right to get initial zero.

Love how the books in the background match the weapon being showcased.

The biggest objection to the Carcano is the poor gas venting when something goes wrong . It has none of the gas safety provisions of the Model "98" Mauser. I owed a Carcano carbine at one time and almost put out my right eye out because of a ruptured case. The gas, along with molten brass came right back into my face and lodged brass in my right eyebrow. Yes this was partly my fault as the ammo I was shooting was WWII Italian service ammo of questionable quality. However If the same rupture had happened in a Model "98" I believe nothing would have happened to me. All rifle designs are not equal.

Thank you for this very informative video. You really know your stuff.

Many many years ago I ordered by mail a single-shot .22 bolt action carbine that looked just like a shrunken Carcano. $14.95 was the price. Of course I knew nothing about Carcanos back then, but I thought it was a cool looking little gun (my first .22) and still do. Wish I still had it. Has anyone else ever seen one of these???

Finally an appropriate Carcano video. Thanks Ian

I'm interested on wether you're up for making a video on the rare and obscure Soviet-era Bull-pup experimental rifles? More specifically, those of the TKB series.

I love how Ian pronounces "fucile" (rifle) as "fusilli" (a type of pasta)

Great video as always. I have one of these in very good shape but only have two stripper clips of ammo so I have never shot. It seems like a very high quality gun,

A great rifle!! One of the best ww2 rifles!! Congratulations for the video!!!

The Mannlicher type clips may LOOK odd but on my Carcano long rifle they worked just fine in my shooting experience.

Nice review... I totally agree with the ammo issue... Really difficult to find also in Italy (fiocchi has old-timer line...). I lost if you told anything about the progressive bore... One of the reason responsible for overpressure in case of non correct ammo. Col. Carcano didn't think to much about increasing the safety device in case of trouble... But, you know, was just 1891... Last but not least, barrel steel is a mild one, very good for the use but a quite sensible to heat... It change the point of impact... This is just my opinion... Compared to Mosin, it has a good trigger but a weaker bolt... The best one remains the 6.5 cartridge.. Nice job. Have fun and luck.

I've got one of these. It was a sporter but I restored it with a stock from SARCO and parts from Numrich. I had a guy make me a .301 Lee style bullet sizer and I size down the Lee .312 155gr bullets made for the 7.62x39. I can shoot 1 inch groups at 50 yards. 17gr 2400. Only problem is my bolt is extremely hard to open...still haven't figured that out. The Hornady .300 128gr bullets shoot nice too.

hes talking about the Carcano but all im looking at it the AG42 in the backround

I found the m38 to be a very visually pleasing rifle

I have a hypothesis as well. That's the best thought out Ian outfit I have seen. Nice sweater. I don't drink but I'm not sure about my sobriety when I wrote this cause it seems unintelligible now.

Very cool info! Thanks Ian (going to watch the 2g match now)

These older videos make me really appreciate Ian's lav mic in the newer videos. 😂

11:26 "It's 1940 all the sudden we're ****"

This channel is history buff heaven. Really cant enough of these videos.

Very well said.... very informative video... always loved the carcano... thanks

I agree. I've always thought that the Carcano got a really bad rap that it didn't really deserve.

Well, it clearly is better than the Krag, or the Lebel and I would argue that it also beats the "garbage rod" so it is not that bad. What few people realise is just how many different rifles where around during WW1 and WW2. Not everybody was running around with a Mauser 98 variant or a Lee-Enfield. More towards WW2, yes. The Germans where very thankful for this when they crushed yet another county and reissued the rifles. This is a perfectly fine middle ground rifle. Nothing special, but not terrible either. Same deal with the Berthier, older pattern Mausers like the Belgium M1889 Mauser or the Dutch Mannlicher M.95, and the many, many different types of carbines of that rifle. :P In the end it is not about the rifle, but about the complete package of combined arms. The Italian army failed in this regard, badly so. Not because of the soldiers, but of severe deficiencies in there industry, incompetent and corrupt leadership from Mussolini and his cronies, and the absolutely useless standard set by a lot of Italian officers, especially senior and staff officers.

Gonna have to agree on almost all of this, though I'm not a fan of fixed rifle sights. It's almost like an OCD issue for me, knowing my POI is off and there's nothing I can do to fix it "properly" by sight adjustments rather than holding over or whatever. That's just me. I will vouch that the Carcano is perfectly fine for accuracy when using proper ammo. Thing is, ammo is hard to find, and what little I have is WWII surplus in its original waffenampt marked clips and packaging. I'd rather keep it as a collectable than shoot it. The Carcano being an inaccurate POS is one of those immortal gun myths that will likely never be eradicated; like the infamous Garand ping issue or people claiming the Russians could use our ammo but we couldn't use theirs (or vice versa), which is one I've heard commonly even from vets of that era who should really know better. Firearms have the most enduring but utter nonsense myths of any field I can think of.

Birthday today, I was wondering about that rifle. Thanks, Ian.

Ian when are we getting a sweater collection video

I didn't know JFK had 12 accounts.

Terminal ballistics... Like the sound of that. Learning so much from you Ian :D

Shooted with original cartridge 5 yrs ago and it was the most accurate italian rifle i've ever tried. Good Job Ian love ur videos!!

Speaking of the recoil of those Mosin-Nagant carbines, our relatives back in the day managed to find a couple of firearms that belonged to deserters, or as we call them, "members of the pine cone guard". One of them is a Mosin-Nagant carbine that IIRC was manufactured in Tula in 1942 and that thing kicks like a mule. I've only shot it a couple of times, but the muzzle flash and recoil can only be described as brutal. The longer barrel of the Finnish M39 really does mitigate the felt recoil quite a bit and it's far easier to shoot than the Mosin-Nagant carbine. It's still a fun gun, but not really something you'd want to out to the range and put too many rounds through it.

Maybe, using a simple 2 or 3-position sight (like 50-100-200 meters or similar) would be a good compromise between totally non-adjustable and fully adjustable complex sight? Thanks for another interesting video.

This makes a lot of sense. I owned a 91/38 back in the late 1980's and even bench rested, it wouldn't fit a group on a 12 inch target past 75 yards. I never knew about the ammunition issue while I owned it.

I think you laid out some pretty good reasoning for the rifle and its features, but I had a pretty bad experience with a M38 in 7.35mm, this was years ago. I got it as a random impulse buy for $79 in a gun shop, I knew what it was and saw it for so cheap so I just did it. I then realized the ammo situation was pretty bad and I wasn't hand-loading at the time, so I had to put some actual Italian wartime-produced ammo on order from a seller on gun broker. When I finally shot it, it was shooting legitimately about a 18" high at 50 yards with the period-correct ammo (the only ammo I ever shot out of it). Unless it's a combat sidearm or defensive carry gun, I personally can't deal with fixed sights, and there was nothing I could do unless I wanted to mess with the front sight blade height, to this day I have no idea why it was so off in elevation (windage was perfect though). I generally don't sell guns ever, I always just acquire guns, but I made an exemption for this rifle. Ammo was impossible/expensive to acquire, the rifle was shooting woefully off, and I just didn't want to undertake yet another project to get it shooting straight. Sold it to a Carcano collector, sold the spent brass, the original ammo cardboard boxes, and the clips and eventually broke even on the deal, but to this day I think I'll pass on getting another Carcano. Unless it's a clone build for the Lee Harvey Oswald rifle to own as an interesting collection piece, I think I'm done with the Carcano game. If it had a better ammo situation and had adjustable sights, I would definitely be on board, and I definitely think they had something right with the barrel length and overall light weight and good handling of the rifle, but as a modern-day collector I just couldn't do it. Looking at the rest of my collection, between my K98k, No4Mk1 Lee Enfield, and some of the others, the Carcano comparatively is quite frankly a piece of junk. It definitely needed to go to a home where it would be appreciated, which is where it eventually went, but never again.

Mic is a little bad this vid. Something different with the setup? Lots of echo.

You mention the turned down bolt handle being a superior design. What is the advantage of the turned down bolt as opposed to a simple straight handled bolt?

all done without autocue . just knowledge and enthusiasm. love it.

I found a way to get decent accuracy out of both calibers of Carcano rifles. In the 6.5, I use an unsized cast bullet of 120 grain weight, at .269 diameter. In the 7.35, I use an unsized "paper-patched" bullet of 140 grain weight, with a diameter of .301 diameter. I believe Lyman still makes those molds.