Nelsdou Posted December 21, 2008 Report Share Posted December 21, 2008 Anybody re-barreled a Carcano? I was musing over cartridges with similar dimensions to the Carcano's to see what might work with the clip system without too much difficulty and came across the 35 Rem. 9 thou difference on the rim, 5 thou difference on the shoulder, .147" difference in cartridge length; should be doable to feed. Marlin is still making the 35 Rem lever action rifles so brass should be available. Power-wise the 35 Rem is less than the 358 Win but looks plenty potent for most game, and within reasonable limits of the Carcano action. Looks ideal for a short carbine, easy to carry and moderate recoil. A poor man's Mannlicher-Schonauer comes to mind if one could put a 20 inch barrel, folding leaf sights, and a full length stock on a Carcano. The bottom metal would be a dead give away though, much like a Mosin. Given that I've got a Carcano short rifle in good working order except for a shot out pitted barrel, looks like a possible "project" would be a 35 cal barrel, 35 Rem reamer, and machine work to cut threads to Carcano specs. Possible obstacles could be needing to make an action wrench to fit the action to get the old barrel off and the usual fun of pulling a barrel that's been torqued since 1939. Assuming I get that far, my guess a Mannlicher type stock for this kind of frankenstein would be a custom affair and could get pretty pricey unless I do alot of my own whittling. Anywho, I've put a lot of rounds through this particular Carcano and the metal is in excellent shape except for the bore. Hate to toss it into the wall hanger category. Looking for some feed back from anyone thats been there done that or if I'm overlooking any major gotchas. Nels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonic1 Posted December 21, 2008 Report Share Posted December 21, 2008 sounds like my kind of project..i don:t own a carcano..but the round should work..it would made a one of a kind.. heres a barrel.. http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/...leitemid=537134 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiris Posted December 21, 2008 Report Share Posted December 21, 2008 I'd hang that action with the barrel down and douse the action/barrel with Kroil for a few days before trying to wrench the barrel loose. It usually makes a big difference in the project. Spiris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkerfive Posted December 21, 2008 Report Share Posted December 21, 2008 Nels Are you referring to a 6.5? If so please document well what you do . I have a 6.5 Calvary carbine. If you have luck making it into something semi accurate, I may be inspired to do something with mine. I've never fired mine, I understand that the 6.5 carcano is none too accurate. Tinker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimro Posted December 22, 2008 Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 The 6.5 Carcano got a reputation for crappy accuracy because handloaders used .264 diameter bullets instead of .268 diameter bullets. Jimro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelsdou Posted December 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 I have the M38 short rifle in both the 6.5 and 7.35mm. The 6.5 was pretty accurate using the .268 Hornady bullets but the throat wear has become severe. $80 A&B barrel is pretty reasonable; I've used one in a Tweed that shoots very well. I've got some more homework to do in trying to figure out what to stock this thing in. Nels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscoedoh Posted December 22, 2008 Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 Guys, Are Carcano's considered a "safe" action? Seems like a read somewhere where they're gas handling ability was questionable. Any ideas? This does sound like a cool project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken98k Posted December 22, 2008 Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 Guys, Are Carcano's considered a "safe" action? Seems like a read somewhere where they're gas handling ability was questionable. Any ideas? This does sound like a cool project. I've read "DO NOT SHOOT" artcles about Carcanos that were rechambered to 8X57 by the Nazis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonic1 Posted December 22, 2008 Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 this stock will be a good start..no inleting http://www.boydsgunstocks.com/product-p/999-110.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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