Special Troops M91 Carcano Carbine and the M91/24 Carbine

“Special Troops” does not mean Special Forces; it means all the various service branches that need neither a full length rifle nor a permanently attached bayonet. This included artillery, engineers, naval troops, and more. The Moschetto 91 TS was basically a carbine-length Carcano rifle, albeit with a unique perpendicular bayonet lug. These carbines became quite popular during World War One. After the war, instead of restarting M91 TS production, the Italian military opted to convert worn out M91 long rifles to TS carbine pattern. This model is easily identified by the short barrel but long rear sight base, and was designated the M91/24. More than a quarter million of these conversion were made at the Terni Arsenal between 1924 and 1929.

When the supply of suitable candidates for long rifle conversion ran dry, production of the M91 TS restarted, now using standard bayonet lugs. They would remain in production until 1938, when Italy adopted the 7.35mm cartridge, and after the reversion to 6.5mm in 1940. They are extremely handy little carbines!

Thanks to InterOrdnance / Royal Tiger Imports for providing these carbines from their Ethiopian imports for the video!

12 Comments

    • Sooo… This is totally not applicable to “Forgotten Weapons”. Why doesn’t the comment section’s self-appointed moderator gripe about this the same way he does when someone mentions anything pertaining to gun politics?
      Funny video, btw.

  1. 1,500 meter sights and a 455 mm barrel. It would be a (sorta) interesting project to see how that would work in practice. Perhaps a repurposed billboard papered white with a large — very large — aiming mark in the center, a few carbines with intact bores, a generous donation of surplus ammo, a team of dogged shooters with no sense of humor?

    • “1,500 meter sights and a 455 mm barrel.(…)”
      I am interesting how much rifle using training was assigned to supposed users of this weapon by Regio Esercito? Were they maybe instructed to NEVER USE MAXIMAL SETTING?

      • In the vaunted French army–one of the largest, and until June 1940, held to be qualitatively excellent as well, it was understood that the soldier would never fire his rifle at a target over 400 meters away without an explicit order from a superior officer to do so. It would be a waste of ammunition.

        Recall, that in African colonies–while the Italians were liquidating a quarter of Libya’s population in the 1920s and 1930s say, or in the Beau Geste or Annual style of fighting Berber and Arab tribesmen in the desert– that “indirect fire” at bodies of people at great distance was en vogue due to the relative absence of artillery.

    • I have one of these rifles and know a place where we can get the distance. If someone is willing to facilitate the target and ammo… I’m game to see what it would take to make it work. HAHA

  2. I suppose this type of carbine would have been carried around by courier soldiers on motorcycle in 1935. It certainly packs more ranged punch than a Glisenti pistol (not that the Glisenti’s a downright suicidal choice, but I’d prefer a Beretta) and makes a much better club/spear if needed (not that anyone would joust a highway robber while on motorcycle). I could be wrong…

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  4. These carbines became quite popular during World War One. After the war, instead of restarting M91 TS production, the Italian military opted to convert worn out M91 long rifles to TS carbine pattern.

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