An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir March 2014 www.dfmagazine.ie 30 | A ssuming that a dozen men in their later sixties were to assemble in a lounge bar, it's likely most of them would remember where they were on the day that President John F Kennedy was shot. Likewise, they would probably remember the highlights of the dramatic events which unfolded in Dallas, texas, on that fateful November day in 1963. However, if asked what type of rifle Lee Harvey Oswald was alleged to have fired the fatal shots from, the answer could be slower to emerge. For the record it was a Mannlicher-Carcano. Of all of the bolt-action rifles used in WWII, the British .303" Lee-Enfield and the German 7.92mm Mauser Kar 98 were probably the two best known. Next would probably be Rus- sia's Moisin-Nagant, France's Lebel and Mas, followed by Italy's Mannlicher-Carcano. Clearly in the lower league of famous rifles, whatever promi- nence the Carcano gained after Kennedy's shooting has paled with the passing of time. The Carcano, in common with most WWII bolt-action rifles, had its origins in the late 19th century. In the 1880s the Ital- ian defence ministry set up a commission under Col Gustavo Parravicino at the state arsenal in Turin to investigate various designs to replace their ageing Vetterli rifle. The design selected was a modified form of the 7.65mm Bel- gian Mauser. The chosen design was developed during 1890-91 by the two men honoured in the rifle's name. Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher (born Mainz, Germany, 1848: died Austria 1903) was one of Europe's most prolific firearms in- ventors, carrying out much of his work at the Steyr arms factory in Austria. His main contribution to the new Italian rifle was the patented clip-loading magazine. Lt Col Salvatore Carcano (1827-1903) undertook the main de- sign of the rifle working in consultation with Col Parravicino. The weapon had quite a short development period and was accepted into service by the Italian army as the Mannlicher-Car- cano Model 1891 on 29th March 1892. Of 6.5mm (.256") calibre, it held six rounds; was 50.8" long with a 30.71" barrel; weighed 8lbs 6ozs; and was fitted with a knife bayonet. As well as Turin, these rifles were made in other state arsenals like Brescia and Terni. Private concerns, such as Pietro Beretta of Gardonne, were also involved in their manufacture. From all the above it's understandable how the rifle was sometimes referred to as the 'Parravicino-Carcano' or 'Terni'. Over its 54-year production life this weapon became noted for its different lengths and variants, although the basic action remained common to all of them. Following the traditional Mauser pattern, recesses are machined on the inside rear of the receiver ring to accommodate the bolt's two locking lugs. Just to the rear of this, an oblong opening is cut in the bottom of the receiver. This opening is profiled to retain the top end of the cartridge clip and the magazine is similarly profiled. As the rifle's bolt handle lies forward of the bridge when locked, the bridge is slotted to allow for the passage of the handle when unlocking. Beneath the bridge there are two small rectangular holes in the bottom of the receiver. The forward, offset, one admits the bolt stop, which itself pivots on an arm of the trigger. The stop bar retains the opened bolt by bearing on its right locking lug. By fully pulling back the trigger the stop is depressed, thus allowing the bolt to be removed. The other, centreline, hole allows the spring-loaded ejector to protrude from its seating on the front of the sear housing. A third hole is cut in the receiver's tang to enable the sear to engage the cock- ing piece. The bolt is of a one-piece design, having two opposed locking lugs and a gas vent at its front. The extractor's tapered stem is dovetailed into its body. During extraction a cammed groove in the bolt body aligns with the ejector and allows it to rise and By MICHAEL O'REILLy THE DALLAS CARBINE Carcano Model 1891 infantry rifle with bayonet Drawing of the Dallas Carbine minus its telescopic sight and sling. Also a drawing of its action cocked, with a live round in the chamber.

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