Italy's Mannlicher-Carcano: how did such a good rifle get such a bad reputation?

Guns Magazine, August, 2007 by John Sheehan

Why this unusual locking system was adopted has never been made clear in any of the source material I have ever encountered. Speculation abounds, with the most frequently proffered explanation being this system prevented an opponent from snatching your bayonet off of your carbine while in the midst of hand-to-hand combat(!?). Personally, I find this line of discussion ridiculous.

The lock up is far less sturdy than the standard, traditional locking system used on the M91 rifle. Proof it was stupid is prior to the end of the war, Italian ordnance depots began to weld standard M91 rifle bayonet lugs in place of the transverse studs on the nose caps of many of the "TS" carbines, thus allowing them to be issued with standard rifle bayonets. (These interesting variations also provide today's collectors with an additional pattern to search for!)

Early versions of the "TS" carbine have a single set of sling swivels mounted underneath the butt stock and on the rearmost portion of the nose cap. Later on, as the troops gained more field experience with the Carcanos, a second set of sling attachment points were added to the side of the carbine stock beginning in 1908 thus allowing the soldiers an additional option for carrying their carbines, the side mounted sling posts preventing the inline magazine from digging into the soldiers back when the weapon was slung across the back, leaving both hands free.

Another later variation of the "TS" carbine was introduced during the war in late 1916 to early 1917, which had a single set of side-mounted sling attachment points. This last variation was produced without any bottom swivels at all, the top swivel having been removed from the rear of the nose cap and the rear butt swivel removed or in the case of newly produced carbines, simply never installed in the first place.

Production

Prior to Italy's entry into WWI, the M1891 Mannlicher-Carcano was produced at Italy's government arsenals at Terni, Brescia, Torre Annunziata and Torino. During WWI, the Italian Army was faced with constant small arms shortages, particularly after the disaster at Caporetto. In addition to the conversions of large numbers of obsolete rifles to 6.5x52mm, an increase in Carcano production was required and in 1917 two additional manufacturing facilities were tooled up to handle expanded wartime production. These were Ordnance Roma and Mida Brescia. The stocks of most pre-WWI and wartime Carcanos will be found with the distinctive cartouche of the particular arsenal producing the weapon. After WWI, many surviving M91s had the original cartouches removed during refinishing. In addition to the cartouche, the manufacturers mark is also found stamped into the top of the barrel just in front of the receiver.

The total production numbers of the Mannlicher-Carcano from the time of it's official adoption by the Italian Army on March 29, 1891 until the end of WWI in 1918 is not known, however when Italy went to war in 1915, the inventory of Model 1891 Infantry rifles stood at 700,000. An additional 150,000 carbines of both models brought the grand total of all M91s to an estimated 850,000. By the end of the war, the total number of M91s produced was approximately 3.5 to 4 million of all types combined.