Good evening fellow traders! My grandfather recently found this rifle he acquired back in the late 60’s/early 70’s. He has been doing some research, and he seems to be fairly accurate. He believes it is a 6.5x52 mm Mannlicher-Carcano model 38. Which would be the same rifle used to assassinate president Kennedy in 1963. I have a decent knowledge of modern firearms, but I’m not able to help him much with this rifle. I am hoping there are some traders out there that may have some information to provide to us as he’s very interested in knowing more about the model and what it’s potentially worth. The pictures aren’t the best, he’s not the most experienced with an IPhone, but I would be more than happy to visit with him and take some more pictures if anyone needs them. Thanks in advance!
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- Thread starter rustyguns
- Start date
Pretty interesting. Visit with your Grandfather regardless of the gun. If you don't you will regret it.
your grandpa is right, the Oswald gun was purchased mail order for around $50 dollars and delivered to his door. That was stopped with the Firearm Act of 1968.
Looks like a Carcano 91/38, yes, the same model used in the assassination. Roswell purchased his mail-order from a ad in a magazine for $20.
of course she did it under a fake name-- he bought a revolver the same way. Here's a copy of his order form on the rifle:
These rifles are not particularly desired ir respected as shooters, and they are far too common and numerous to have a lot of value as collectors' items.
They may have been reasonably accurate with the correct ammo, but I don't think any ammo company has made the "correct" ammunition in over 50 years!! Modern 6.5 Carcano ammo uses an undersized bullet so that ammo companies can share that same project tile between many different 6.5 cartridges. Saves The money well frankly people wouldn't pay the required cost for ammo companies to make batches of 6.5 Carcano bullets that are the correct diameter-- a spec that is not used by any other rifle from any other country.
PS: I don't think the rifle was ever really known by The Mannlicher name -- that's an error that came from a bunch of politicians sitting on the Warren Commission . The only thing about the carcano rifle that's related to Mannlicher that a few years after this Italian rifle came out in the 1890's they altered the design to use the Mannlicher magazine system using a loading clip that has to be in the gun for it to function even as a single shot.
One of my good friends has this Italian M91-38 rifle that his father bought in the 1960s. My friend and I have shot it a few times in the 1990s, and then he put it away as a wall hanger, with about half a box of ammunition left to use "just in case" or to shoot on "special occasions."
That's what I would do if I owned one of these myself.
That's what I would do if I owned one of these myself.
I remember these rifles being sold at Western Auto for $12.
