What to Expect from RTI Italian Surplus Carcano Carbines

[@BattlefieldCurator]

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[@FC-ue1yc]

🇪🇹: cracks, pitting, patina, worn out bores. 🇮🇹: gouges, dents, surface rust, good bores with functional rifling.

[@BattlefieldCurator]

Yep!

[@imperialhonorguard1483]

I got my carcano carbine1899-1918 hand selected from RTI and it came back with rust and lots of dings. the hand select option said it'd be in very good to excellent condition.

[@BattlefieldCurator]

A few of mine had a lot of dings, it sucks but they ship these things in crates so I can imagine they get tossed around a lot in the shipping process.

[@Db131FPT]

Just got mine from RTI, hand select good bore, very happy with my purchase! Wood was rough on upper hand guard and the stock and such. Little bit of rusting on the barrel and receiver, probably will clean up nicely though. I did order brass clips but got mat black instead but whatever. Can’t wait to clean it up and shoot it when Sentinel gets their new ammo out.

[@BattlefieldCurator]

Just waiting on Steinel now

[@TheMilsurpMan]

I've been debating on picking up some of these myself

[@BattlefieldCurator]

I had jumped on them as soon as I found out through a friend that they weren’t from Ethiopia! They are imported from Italy and his Carcano had a nice bore and overall very good appearance.

[@Crazcosmopwnu]

I bought my Carcano carbine from Classic Firearms years ago when they got the batch of Italian Carabinieri issued rifles, and for $160 it's been a great buy!

[@BattlefieldCurator]

Nice!

[@paulnola-v2f]

I was pleasantly surprised. When I unwrapped my rifle at my FFL, I started at the muzzle. First thing I noticed was that it was the first type of bayonet release. As I unwrapped more, I was impressed at the condition of the stock. When I reached the receiver, I was almost speechless. It was dated 1900 from the Brescia arsenal. The number on the butt of the stock matched the one on the receiver. There is no cartouche or other markings on the stock. Perhaps it was never sent back for refurbishment? Not sure. Aside from the usual dings and dents for a combat weapon, it is in surprisingly good shape. I would say very good. I did pay the extra $80 for a cosmetically nicer one, but I did not pay the extra fee to ensure it would be pre-1918. I have not cleaned it yet. It does have a fair amount of cosmoline (did the Italians use it?) on the bolt and receiver. There is some light surface rust, but much less than I expected. It will clean up nicely. I did not get a picture of it, but the bore appears to be in great shape. I have been stocking up on the 6,5 mm ammo. I picked some up at a recent gun show. $35 for a box of 20 feels high compared to 9mm 0r .223/556, but it is what it is. I was able to get some hand loads from a guy out of AL. They are the correct .268 diameter, with a 140 gr bullet. I look forward to shooting her. I am very happy with this purchase. I think I was lucky to receive what I did. Maybe my luck will continue. I ordered a TS and am waiting for it. We shall see.

[@BattlefieldCurator]

Great write up and very detailed. Thanks for sharing and hope the TS is just as good

[@chopper7352]

In Australia we have a good number of Carcano's around in good to very good condition, & generally still at good/reasonable prices (A$300-$400 which is approx US $200-$300). None seem to have come ex Ethiopia. Only thing is theres very little variation in models as 70% are 91/38 Carbines (fixed sight) & around 25% being full length rifles (mostly 91/41 models), with very few Cavalry Carbines or TS's ever seen on the open market for sale. Being a Commonwealth country, SMLE's (No.1 Mk 3's & No.4 Mk 1's) are our most plentiful Military Surplus rifles on the open market re availability (priced fm $A400 - A$1500, depending on model, age & condition). ...& like the US, prices for K-98's has gone nuts in the last 8 years (anywhere from A$1000-$4000...with the average more around A$2000-$3000 (for Vintage/German WW2 in 8mm, with RC's in around the A$1400-$2000 bracket. But with K98's the prices jump around depending also on how scarce the maker was & condition. Well that's my observations anyway in Australia. 🇦🇺 As always..."experiences may vary ". Cheers

[@BattlefieldCurator]

Interesting

[@theoriginalshotgunoutdoors3269]

Good luck finding the ammo! And, when you do, it is very expensive. Maybe someone will find some surplus to flood the market?

[@gabrielhuntz4527]

Ppu and steinal ammo are always in stock and never had issues finding ammo

[@SahilChaudhary-e9w]

Thank you for this video. I have been looking to get into collecting for a while now.

[@BattlefieldCurator]

Glad I could help!

[@jarodcrazyindian]

Nice. I have 2 from RTI, both Italian imports, both Brescia. 1917 and a 1941 fascist marked. Great bores, otherwise good + +.

[@BattlefieldCurator]

Nice! 😎

[@RUSTYSURPLUS]

Hey Dan they look good !

[@BattlefieldCurator]

Yes, I have been very satisfied with these

[@jacspring5459]

Ah - you have some good ammo there - these need .268" ish diameter bullets. I see a lot of mention of .264" bullets being used - "standard" 6.5mm bullets used by 6.5x55 and the modern 6.5 cartridges. Thanks for the review.

[@FC-ue1yc]

You don't really need those 268 bullets that sometimes can be hard to find. The Hornaday #2645 will serve you well. It is 264 but the long javelin shape does improve the stability.

[@Antonio-j1g]

from Utopia are junk! You cannot use them even for parts