Early in the evening, the Dallas office had notified Washington that the rifle found on the 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository building was a 6.5-caliber Mannlicher-Carcano with the serial number C2766 stamped on it. 1941 Model 1891/41 Carcano Infantry Rifle (marked for accuracy) (Modello M91/41 Fucile Tiro a Segno Nazionale) Caliber. 6.5X52 Carcano. Note the FAT cartouche and the I block serial number. There is minor piting that's been blued over during refurbishment. It is localized to the barrel shank and receiver ring makign it easy to imagine.
Carcano Serial Number Database
One of the less common Japanese rifles of the WWII era is the Type I (pronounced “Type Eye”). The Japanese Imperial Army and Navy procured small arms independently of each other, and the Army received priority as the ground war in China escalated. This left the Navy short of rifles and unable to get them from domestic producers, so they turned to Italy. A contract was signed ordering tens of thousands of Type I rifles (the exact quantity is unclear – most sources say 60,000, but the serial number range would suggest more than double that number).
Terni Carcano Rifle Serial Numbers
The rifle was based on a Carcano receiver and bolt, but otherwise configured like a Type 38 Arisaka. For a thorough still-photo comparison between the two rifles, take a look at Teri’s excellent page on the Type I at Nambu World.
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