I have actually covered the 1891 Carcano before. But there are two sub models we should probably consider as well.

Basically in from about 1886 to 1895 every modern country was scrambling to catch up with the French 8mm Lebel smokeless cartridge. Previously there had been some experimental success with small bore cartridges propelled by strong, compressed black powder but the unburnt propellent would foul the barrel's rifling quickly. This is actually why we see rear locking actions for so long despite people knowing that front locking was stronger.

Well smokeless burned up fast and left little in the bore, it pushed a bullet much faster, and combined with the smaller calibers now available effectively doubled the range of military arms over night.

Around this same time Italy was actually a very young country, having just been unified, roughly complete in 1871. This process was carried out with a variety of arms before they finally standardized on the Swiss Vetterli action. While the bolt and ammo were advanced at that time, they skipped on a magazine and would face years of catch up conversion processes.

This time around Italy was determined to get ahead of the game. They turned to Swiss ammunition research which had found that small bore cartridges between roughly 6mm to 8mm gave excellent performance and lethality at range and could remain stable.

Most nations would be coming down from roughly 11mm bores. The want for "knock down" power left the earliest adopters as the big end of the small bore revolution, hovering at 8mm. Italy was the first to jump straight down to 6.5mm. Considering the direction modern ammo has gone, it was a good choice.

6.5 was light and fast, it had a longer point blank range. This meant easier "point and click" shooting with high accuracy. The cartridges were also very light and smaller than normal, making it easy to carry more.

When looking for a rifle, they found favor with the then cutting edge Mannlicher loading system. At the same time Steyr in Austria (who had the rights to the system) were looking to market their newly acquired Gew.88, with a few improvements. The gun they offered would actually go on to become the Romanian 1892, and evolve further into the Dutch 1895.

Italy took a long, hard look at the gun and obviously found it favorable but there was a strong sense of national pride and unity. They wanted to involve a native arms designer. So in steps Salvatore Carcano who had previously designed a breech-loading conversion using a thumb activated, decocking-style safety. He would take the Mannlicher magazine and the overall receiver style, twist the cocking piece guide 90 degrees, and create a new trigger and ejector system. Instead of the separate bolt head of the Gew.88, he kept the locking lugs milled into the bolt body directly. A set of improved Vetterli sights of Italian design were retained.

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So now we have a hybrid gun in the first 6.5mm adopted cartridge. How does it square up to the competition at the time? Well it's looser tolerances mean sand and mud aren't a huge issue, but the open magazine well is troublesome, although common for the time.

A pair of carbines follow quickly behind the short rifle. The Cavalry with it's folding bayonet and the Truppe Speciali for use by artillery men, messengers, or anyone not meant to be on the front line. These really shine in their era. They are some of the shortest and handiest little rifles in the world. Their small caliber, small size, lower recoiling, shorter range operation would be much more in line with wars to come.

The Carcano serves well through WWI with few complaints, certainly no more than any other rifle of the day outside the Gew.98. It's balanced and accurate, rugged and reliable.

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After WWI we see many nations moving to the short rifle as a standard service pattern. This gives the Carcano a leg up. Especially because the now-worn infantry rifles have had a military secret: they were equipped with gain twist rifling to prevent unnecessary erosion. This means they can be shortened readily while retaining precision without rebarreling. This becomes the Model 91/24. After worn long rifle stockpiles are depleted, a similar 91/28 is assembled.

A little before these two guns we see Mussolini rise to power and he starts shoving Italy onto the world colonial stage. His Mare Nostrum notion strains Italy's industrial capacity and, truthfully, there just isn't enough production in place. Standard, mass production just isn't Italy's thing. Well the Carcano design just must do, because there sure isn't anything else being invented for cheaper and there is no money or time to put into whole new assembly lines.

By the 1930's it's way overdue for one very considerable upgrade. The world has moved on to the pointed spitzer cartridge, but the Carcano actions won't feed anything but rounded nose 6.5mm. The Italians know they can't afford to switch guns entirely but they do settle on a cartridge change to 7.35mm with a spitzer bullet. This is another round ahead of its time and is now paired with a grandfather of a gun. It performs well and the Italians fully realize (ahead of the rest of the world) that most battles will occur under 300 meters. So they sight their new standard short rifle, and two carbines with non-adjustable rear leaves. The soldiers will just have to use Kentucky windage, which is fine because that's all most were doing in real battle anyway.

So now we have a really dated magazine, a loose action, and thankfully handy frame paired with a 7.35mm cartridge and fixed sights. At this point, other than the open magazine bottom it's actually looking pretty good despite not being the sexiest of guns. This new Carcano is perfect for mechanized warfare where troops spend more time on trains, planes, and trucks than in trenches. The guns take up little space and place little weight on the soldiers. Accuracy just isn't that important with machinery makes sustained sniping unnecessary.

But, of course, it doesn't go too well for long. Even the cartridge changeover is too much for the strained colonial Italian armed forces' infrastructure. Having two active rifle cartridges is creating a mess and since the new guns can't be everywhere at once, the old cartridges still much be made and issued. So the 7.35mm is scrapped. These guns are pulled from the front and issued to police, guards, and other rear echelon operations. Many are given to Finland.

Now we're back to the 6.5mm bottle-nosed cartridge, designed in 1890. It just doesn't compete like the 7.35 did. The gun still has an open magazine, also with a war in the desert the Italians find the one place where an adjustable sight and longer barrel might have been nice after all. So another attempt at a long infantry rifle is made. An inch shorter than the original, it was supposed to have a range and windage adjustable rear aperture sight, not unlike the Garand. Even this small change is too much, however, and the old adjustable carbine rear sight is slapped on instead. This is the Model 1941 and the last of the Carcano.

After Italy's capitulation it would receive US weapons as aid. These were just a major jump in technology that they would never look back.

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As for the rumors about the Carcano being dangerous, I believe they are wives tales all stemming from a letter to the editor in a 1950's or 60's magazine. I know I saw the actual issue date but I can't recall it now. This popularized the notion that they were horribly constructed but I'm afraid it just isn't true. The front locking lugs are a strong design, way beyond the cartridge's chamber pressure. The receivers and bolts were also made of superior steel. I've never actually found evidence of someone "blowing up" a Carcano without having it rechambered for something god awful. Even overloaded ammo seems to have little to no effect.

As for handling, many imported Carcano were refurbished after the war before being sold off. This process sorta gummed the interior with thick bluing. Since bolts were not serialized they were not kept with the rifles, making for odd, rough fits. The recoated ejectors also tend to bind on the recoated bolts, making a horrid dragging sensation. Original Carcano with plain bolts and worn bluing tend to feel much smoother (though still not as fine as some other rifles).

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Overall, I'd say a Carcano would be a fine enough weapon to be carrying in a war.

Definitely tough, definitely reliable, reasonably accurate, very light, slightly weak in power, slightly more prone to mud and dirt.

If you would like to know more I'd recommend Italy's Battle Rifle and Il Novantuno Mannlicher-Carcano 91