Another Carcano sporter

[Trail Rated]

A while back I posted about refinishing a cheap and badly sporterized Carcano, still in 6.5x52. I ended up liking it so much that I found another one to fix up.
 

This one is an M38 made in 1941. Someone had cut and reshaped the stock to give it a kind of Schnäbel fore-end, but it was dinged up and covered in … something. A previous owner also had soldered a makeshift peep site to the fixed rear notch. 

I refinished the stock but decided to leave the metal alone, other than again building a taller front sight blade with some JB Weld artistry. I shot it today and was pleased to see it shoots cheap PPU ammo just as well as the scarce Norma stuff. 
 

I’m starting to really appreciate these as lightweight rifles for backpack hunts. The Carcano bolt is kind of unwieldy and the safety is a cruel joke, but they make a very handy and low-recoil stalking rifle, at a much lower price than a Mannlicher-Schönauer in the nearly identical 6.5x54. Carcanos seem to be the last of the cheapie milsurps, and no one wants the sporterized ones so they’re even cheaper. 

Edited May 8, 2022 by Trail Rated

[Dr.Hess]

I agree, they are probably the last of the MilSurps.  From what I have read of them (I don't own one,) they are are accurate, reliable and powerful.  Just "kinda u-ga-ly."

[ken98k]

I've long been interested in them but have never found one for sale.

[AzRednek]

I’d like to get hands on one of the Carcano the Germans converted to 8MM as a collection piece. I’d be scared shootless to shoot it with factory or surplus ammo but would put some mild hand loads through it. From what I recall reading back in the 80s. The WW2 German surplus ammo was 10,000 lbs more pressure than the 7.35 Carcano cartridge.