Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine
- Category
- Carbine
- Barrel
- 447 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.98 kg
- Introduced
- 1938
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine (Moschetto Modello 1938 da Cavalleria) is an Italian bolt-action carbine introduced in 1938 as the cavalry version of the new Modello 1938 system chambered in the experimental 7.35x51mm Carcano cartridge. A short, half-stocked carbine fed by a six-round en bloc clip, it retained the Carcano family's permanently attached triangular folding bayonet that hinges back beneath the forend. Unlike the M91/38 pattern, the M38 cavalry carbine carries only a fixed 200-meter rear sight, reflecting the Italian decision to simplify wartime carbines for short-range fighting.
The 7.35x51mm cartridge was Italy's answer to lessons of the Spanish Civil War - a heavier, more lethal round to replace the long-serving 6.5mm. The M38 cavalry carbine was built around it, but wartime ammunition logistics forced Italy to abandon the new caliber in 1940, leaving the 7.35mm Carcanos as one of World War Two's shortest-lived service cartridges.
Italy adopted the 7.35x51mm cartridge in 1938 but reverted to 6.5x52mm Carcano in 1940 due to wartime logistics, so M38 carbines were also produced (and many existing ones rebarreled) in 6.5mm. The 7.35mm M38 cavalry carbine is the earlier short-production configuration. Weight figure (~2.98 kg) converted from 6 lb 9 oz.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Italian State Arsenals (Terni / Brescia / Gardone)
- Category
- Carbine
- Country
- Italy
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1938 to 1944
- Variant of
- Cavalry carbine
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 447 mm
- Overall length
- 915 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.98 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Rotating bolt
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 6
- Magazine
- En bloc clip
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 630 m/s
- Effective range
- 200 m
- Maximum range
- 1500 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Integral folding bayonet
Fixed 200m rear sight
En bloc clip feed
Turned down bolt handle
Half stock carbine
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 409 carbines | 2.98 kg | 3.00 kg | Near the median |
| Overall lengthAmong 407 carbines | 915 mm | 895 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 423 carbines | 447 mm | 406 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 423 carbines | 6 | 21 | Holds fewer rounds than about 80% |
Answers
Questions about the Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine
How much does the Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine weigh?
The Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine weighs 2.98 kg (6.57 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine?
The Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine is chambered in 7.35x51mm Carcano.
How many rounds does the Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine hold?
The Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine holds 6 rounds, fed from an en bloc clip.
How long is the Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine?
The Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine is 915 mm (36.0 in) long overall, with a 447 mm (17.6 in) barrel.
Who makes the Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine?
The Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine is made by Italian State Arsenals (Terni / Brescia / Gardone) (Italy). It was designed by Salvatore Carcano.
When was the Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine introduced?
The Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine was introduced in 1938 and discontinued in 1944.
How does the Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine operate?
The Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is rotating bolt.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Royal Italian Army (Regio Esercito)
- 1938
Provenance
Confidence in this record
72%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/carcano-m38-cavalry' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "carcano-m38-cavalry", "name": "Carcano M38 Cavalry Carbine", "manufacturer": { "id": "regio-esercito-arsenals", "name": "Italian State Arsenals (Terni / Brescia / Gardone)", "countryCode": "IT", "foundedYear": 1875, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "updatedAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "version": "6de7e72b4412acb112d424e900f74c649ff4787b994443b6f6b3ef1ed7848d26" }, "category": { "id": "carbine", "name": "Carbine", "description": "Shortened rifles for close-quarters use" }, "country_of_origin": "IT", "year_introduced": 1938, "barrel_length_mm": 447, "weight_empty_g": 2980, "action_type": "bolt_action"}