Carcano M91/38
- Category
- Sniper Rifle
- Barrel
- 450 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.40 kg
- Introduced
- 1938
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Carcano M91/38 is a short-barreled Italian bolt-action rifle chambered in 6.5x52mm Carcano, derived from the venerable Modello 1891 system designed by Salvatore Carcano. The M91/38 designation indicates it was a Model 1891 action fitted with a shorter 450mm barrel as standardized in 1938, originally intended for the new 7.35x51mm cartridge before wartime exigencies forced a return to the 6.5mm chambering in 1940. At just 3.4 kg, it was one of the lightest military rifles of World War II, though the short barrel reduced muzzle velocity compared to the full-length M91. The rifle used a distinctive Mannlicher-type en-bloc clip holding 6 rounds.
The Carcano M91/38 became one of the most infamous firearms in history when Lee Harvey Oswald used a Fucile di Fanteria Modello 1891/38 (serial number C2766) to assassinate President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Oswald had purchased the rifle by mail order from Klein's Sporting Goods in Chicago for $19.95 (plus $1.50 postage) under the alias 'A. Hidell.' The rifle, fitted with a cheap 4x Japanese-made scope, was found on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository after the assassination.
Despite its notoriety, the Carcano M91/38 was never a dedicated sniper rifle. While some M91 full-length variants were fitted with telescopic sights during WWI, the M91/38 short rifle was a standard infantry carbine. The rifle's gain-twist rifling (progressively increasing twist rate from breech to muzzle) was an advanced feature for its era. Wartime Italian ammunition quality was inconsistent, which contributed to the rifle's mixed reputation for accuracy. The 6.5mm Carcano round was actually quite effective ballistically, with low recoil and a relatively flat trajectory.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Italian State Arsenals (Terni / Brescia / Gardone)
- Category
- Sniper Rifle
- Country
- Italy
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1938 to 1945
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 450 mm
- Overall length
- 1015 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.40 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 3.60 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- 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
- Walnut
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 700 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 2572 J
- Effective range
- 400 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.
Mannlicher style en bloc clip
Gain twist rifling
Folding bayonet lug- Carbine length
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 430 sniper rifles | 3.40 kg | 5.40 kg | Lighter than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 429 sniper rifles | 1015 mm | 1150 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 434 sniper rifles | 450 mm | 620 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 434 sniper rifles | 6 | 6 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the Carcano M91/38
How much does the Carcano M91/38 weigh?
The Carcano M91/38 weighs 3.40 kg (7.50 lb) empty and 3.60 kg (7.94 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Carcano M91/38?
The Carcano M91/38 is chambered in 6.5x52mm Carcano.
How many rounds does the Carcano M91/38 hold?
The Carcano M91/38 holds 6 rounds, fed from an en bloc clip.
How long is the Carcano M91/38?
The Carcano M91/38 is 1015 mm (40.0 in) long overall, with a 450 mm (17.7 in) barrel.
Who makes the Carcano M91/38?
The Carcano M91/38 is made by Italian State Arsenals (Terni / Brescia / Gardone) (Italy). It was designed by Salvatore Carcano.
When was the Carcano M91/38 introduced?
The Carcano M91/38 was introduced in 1938 and discontinued in 1945.
How does the Carcano M91/38 operate?
The Carcano M91/38 uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is striker fired.
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
- 1938
- Italian Co-Belligerent Army
- 1943
- Finnish Defence Forces
- Finland
Provenance
Confidence in this record
84%
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-m91-38-sniper' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "carcano-m91-38-sniper", "name": "Carcano M91/38", "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": "sniper-rifle", "name": "Sniper Rifle", "description": "Precision rifles optimized for long-range accuracy" }, "country_of_origin": "IT", "year_introduced": 1938, "barrel_length_mm": 450, "weight_empty_g": 3400, "action_type": "bolt_action"}