Yesterday's Weapons Forums

The seller didn't mention this is a 7,35 or the markings. I didn't notice them in the pics. Scratched onto the stock are Cyrillic letters. They are crudely applied and I'm not able to make out specific words in Russian. Possibly they represent a partisan's nom de guerre. The two letters together may be someone's initials. Hard to say.

My best guess is that they were put onto the stock by a Bulgarian communist. They may not be Bulgarian, but that scenario is a lot more likely than Russian.

Also of interest is the caliber. Italy only fielded the 7.35 weapons for a short time before they were warehoused. Some were issued to Fascist youth groups for drilling and familiarization, but the majority langiushed in storage. This one shows hard use - much more so than would be seen on a trainer. The bore has been well cared for.

All of which is an enigma to me. Any theories or comments are very welcome! SW

The two letters that may be initials

steyr88 001 (1024x758).jpg [ 432.54 KiB | Viewed 2523 times ]


In Russian Cyrillic, these spell "Puki" or something similar

steyr88 004 (1024x683).jpg [ 323.38 KiB | Viewed 2523 times ]


Opposite the serial number on the stock is this set. I've not seen anything like this before and am not able to explain it.

steyr88 005 (683x1024).jpg [ 372.46 KiB | Viewed 2523 times ]


Overall view showing the worn condition.

steyr88 008 (1024x206).jpg [ 153.26 KiB | Viewed 2523 times ]

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I think I'm getting a little closer. On another site, a fellow from Bulgaria cited a Bulgarian book which sez during the war, Germany gave Bulgaria a quantity of arms. A lot of M.95 Steyr variations - Mausers, etc & so forth and "20,000 Carcanos".

It's already known Germany siezed 7,35 rifles, and I have one. Apparently, others were siezed after 1943. That was when Germany emptied Italian arsenals and applied the HZa armorer's mark to show the Carcano was fit for service.

After that, they were simply carted off to Germany. Perhaps the armorers were sent to the Eastern Front.

In any case, once in Bulgaria, it was a simple matter for the Carcanos to find their way into Partisan groups. I firmly believe that's what we see here. SW

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Slava Ukraini!!