Carcano M91/38
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 531 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.40 kg
- Introduced
- 1938
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Carcano M91/38 is an Italian bolt-action rifle, a shortened development of the Modello 1891 service rifle adopted by the Royal Italian Army in 1938. Originally introduced in the more powerful 7.35x51mm cartridge, production reverted to the standard 6.5x52mm Mannlicher-Carcano round in 1940 for logistical simplicity. It feeds from a six-round integral magazine loaded by a Mannlicher en-bloc clip and was the principal Italian infantry rifle of the Second World War. A 91/38 carbine is internationally notorious as the weapon used in the 1963 assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
The Carcano M91/38 carbine became one of the most infamous rifles in history when a surplus example, purchased by mail order under the alias 'A. Hidell', was identified as the weapon used by Lee Harvey Oswald to assassinate President John F. Kennedy in Dallas on 22 November 1963.
The M91/38 used fixed battle sights set for 300 metres, unlike the graduated tangent sights of the earlier M91. Like all Carcanos it uses progressive gain-twist (gain-twist) rifling. The en-bloc clip is integral to feeding; the magazine cannot be loaded without it.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Regio Esercito Arsenal (Terni)
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- Italy
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1938 to 1945
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 531 mm
- Overall length
- 1015 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.40 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 6
- Magazine
- Fixed box
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
- 700 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 2560 J
- Effective range
- 600 m
- Maximum range
- 2000 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.
Fixed sights
En bloc clip loading
Gain twist rifling
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 1,612 rifles | 3.40 kg | 3.50 kg | Lighter than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,557 rifles | 1015 mm | 1080 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,659 rifles | 531 mm | 584 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,611 rifles | 6 | 5 | Holds more rounds than about 60% |
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.
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 a fixed box magazine.
How long is the Carcano M91/38?
The Carcano M91/38 is 1015 mm (40.0 in) long overall, with a 531 mm (20.9 in) barrel.
Who makes the Carcano M91/38?
The Carcano M91/38 is made by Regio Esercito Arsenal (Terni) (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
- Nazi Germany
- 1943
- Empire of Japan
- Japan
- Finnish Defence Forces
- Finland
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
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/mannlicher-carcano-m91-38' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "mannlicher-carcano-m91-38", "name": "Carcano M91/38", "manufacturer": { "id": "terni-army-arsenal", "name": "Regio Esercito Arsenal (Terni)", "countryCode": "IT", "foundedYear": 1875, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "dbcd562914b76174abfefd7d47ecd28bd7b76f4719d0c1b678608d26b1aa4654" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "IT", "year_introduced": 1938, "barrel_length_mm": 531, "weight_empty_g": 3400, "action_type": "bolt_action"}