Carcano TS
I recently bought a Carcano TS carbine in 6.5mm. I bought four enbloc clips for it and loaded up a bunch of ammo. It shoots about 18 inches high at 50 yards, which I expected, but it is a nightmare to get the clips to lock in. The first clip may lock into place easily but the second clip won't lock in with any amount of pressure. I can't find any noticeable differences in the four clips. Any thoughts on what may be out of whack or is it likely just operator headspace and timing? Plus, I've never encountered a bolt so difficult to operate. Just read a couple of surplus gun magazine articles saying what great guns they are but sure not finding that to be the case with mine.
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"Carcano" and "great guns "............are 2 words I'd never use in the same sentence [;)]. as the 'clips' are ment to be used only once that isn't suprising. 0 -
I never thought they were great guns. Articles must have been written by folks that a box car full of them to sell.
So you are checking the differences between the clips with a dial caliper? I'm thinking some are undersized perhaps from wear or wartime quality control. Might be able to do some chiropractic work with punches or build up with brazing.
Take it apart completely and clean everything. De-burr all the working surfaces with a stone. Really fine grinding paste on rotating or sliding areas, work as in normal operation. Clean well and then test. Try again?
added Burrs can cause those sorts of issues. Gook luck with your project. If it were mine I'd make sure I had at least 5 fully functional clips.0 -
There are both brass and blued steel clips. the steel seem to work much better. Lots of people knock the whole Carcano series rifles, but the people using them carry more of the blame. When the Finns used them had a much better record, seem to remember an event in this country involving a Carcano that still causes discussion about accuracy. 0 -
When you say difficult to operate do you mean physically hard requiring much effort or do you mean complex? I own 8 carcano's of various types and the clips work pretty well in all of them. All I have are made of steel. Eighteen inches high at 50 yards seems pretty extreme. What ammo are you using? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by TWalker
When you say difficult to operate do you mean physically hard requiring much effort or do you mean complex? I own 8 carcano's of various types and the clips work pretty well in all of them. All I have are made of steel. Eighteen inches high at 50 yards seems pretty extreme. What ammo are you using?
Bolt takes a lot of effort to close.
139 gr FMJ with a mid-range powder charge of 4064.0 -
Several points on Carcanos.
- Yes the clips are easily bent. See if your bolt will close on a cartridge without the clip.
- Also make sure you are using the right ammo 6.5 or 7.35. 7.35 will not chamber in a 6.5.
- Most Carcanos are sighted in at 300 meters, so most shoot high. I have replaced front sights on Carcanos to make corrections.
- The 6.5 Carcano was designed to shoot .268 bullets.
- .265 bullet may or may not give acceptable accuracy. Bore diameters on Carcanos like other milsurps do vary. Some factory Carcano ammo you buy such as Prvi use .265 bullets, and Carcanos get an undeserved reputation for poor accuracy.
-- Original milsurp with long heavy 160grain .268 bullets gave great accuracy, but original milsurp is almost impossible to find now.
- The 7.35 Carcano uses a .298 bullet.
-- I have owned an fired a number of Carcanos over the years. All my 6.5 shooting is done with my own 160 grain .268 Hornady reloads. I have an 1891 Carcano and with my reloads, I can duplicate the original military load and shoot groups equal to other period rifles.0 -
Your bolt shouldn't be harder to close than on most other old military guns. You may have a problem. Have a gunsmith take a look at it and the ammo you are using. If ammo is not sized enough, it will cause the bolt to be hard to close, many times it can't be closed at all. That's happened to me before. I didn't have my die down enough and it wasn't sizing fully. If you are using neck size only dies, and the ammo was fired in another gun, then thr brass body might be too big to chamber without a lot of force. Try another brand or batch of ammo, or ammo sized in another die. As to clips, buy a couple more and try them. Good luck. 0 -
Worked on the carbine a bit more. Appears to be a clip issue on two of my clips but mostly a matter of the round binding as the bolt picks up the cartridge making it not fully seated again the bolt and causing it to jam during chambering. I suspect the extractor may not letting the cartridge move fully into position against the bolt face. Ammo specs out perfectly with caliper. Now just have to find a good gunsmith. Had a great one in Wisconsin but have moved to N.VA. and haven't found one here yet. 0 -
If the extractor is binding on the cartridge, a few possibilities.
1. Is it truly picking up the round and letting it start under the extractor, or just pushing it out of the clip?
2. Assuming it is picking it up, what brand of brass are you using? Norma seems to be too thick on the rim. Try some PRVI brass, or Hornady.
3. If it's still jamming, hey, it's an old military gun. The extractor isn't that hard to remove. I'd do so and detail clean the bolt, and while apart, look for any obvious burrs on the bolt face or under the extractor. If so a light filing might solve it all.
4. Just order a new extractor. Worth having on hand anyhow. See what that does for you. Springfield Sporters or Numrich should have one.
Finally, remember, the Carcano is NOT as smooth as a Springfield or Mauser 98. It's more like a Mosin. You should give the bolt a positive slap while pushing it forward. If you're babying it, odds are good you'd find the exact problem you're seeing.0
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