November 22nd, 1963: A day that will live in infamy. Actually, that was December 7th, 1941, to be precise, but November 22nd, 1963 lives in infamy all the same.
On that fateful day, the 35th President of the United States of America, John F. Kennedy, was riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. Though it might seem alien to modern viewers, the President, his wife, Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis, the governor of Texas and his wife occupied the same open-air vehicle, a Lincoln Continental Convertible.
At 12:30 PM, three shots erupted from a building overlooking the route of the motorcade. Endless theories have risen in the years that lay between the present time and that early afternoon, but the official conclusion of the Warren Commission organized to investigate the event is that Lee Harvey Oswald fired three shots, killing the President and injuring Texas governor John Connally.
What does this have to do with a posting about Carcano rifle parts? Well, Lee Harvey Oswald used a 6.5x52mm M91 Carcano rifle in the assassination. If it wasn’t for this one particular fact, this family of rifles would otherwise be a footnote in the annals of history.
The original Carcano rifle, a bolt-action, magazine fed repeater, was developed in the Kingdom of Italy in 1891, chambered in the 6.5x52mm Carcano round, and labelled as the Cartuccia Modello 1895. Produced consistently from 1892 to 1945, variants of Carcano rifles were adopted into military service by Italians and Germans, where they saw service through both World Wars.
Actually, variants of the rifle were widely produced during its lifetime and distributed far and wide across the world, notably for the Japanese before the Second World War, who adapted the platform to the 6.5x50mm Arisaka cartridge. Carcano variants were also carried at one time or another by militaries from over 20 different independent, sovereign countries, including Albania, Somalia, Finland, Egypt, Austria-Hungary, China, Saudi Arabia, and Romania, among many others.
Despite these interesting facts, the Carcano rifle lacks the clout of more famous, more widely used models like the M1 Garand, M1903, Lee-Enfield, and Mauser rifles that were carried and served with distinction more or less contemporaneously. In short, it was the assassination of President Kennedy that cemented the Carcano rifle as a notable historical arm and has buoyed up demand for Carcano rifle parts ever since.
Sometimes a rifle should be labeled more as “infamous” than famous, and if there is one firearm to earn this title, it is the Carcano rifle, simply because of the role it played in the unfortunate incident. Like the Lee-Enfield that distinguished itself in the First World War and the M1 Garand that made its name in the Second, the Carcano rifle owes its fame to its pivotal, if unfortunate, office as the implement of execution.
Alright, So Where Can I Find Carcano Rifle Parts?
Now for the meat-and-potatoes of the article. Realistically, if you own a Carcano variant, there is almost no chance whatsoever that you didn’t know everything you just read. It would be like owning a British Land Pattern musket and not knowing that it was one of the most widely distributed smoothbore muzzleloaders in history. You’re here for the parts, not the history lecture.
At any rate, if you do happen to be looking for Carcano rifle parts, don’t trust your success to chance or blind Google queries. Go straight to Sarco, Inc., at SarcoInc.com and see what’s in stock. They have plenty of parts for Carcano rifles, and access to plenty more that aren’t listed.
If you visit their website and you can’t find the precise part you need, either call them directly at 610-250-3960 or visit them at their physical storefront in Easton, Pennsylvania.
