I was putting this one off, but today is the day. Carcano Cavalry Carbines. The actual term is Moschetto per cavalleria, but cav carbine gets us all on the same page.
This could actually be a collecting genre by itself due to the many variations and calibers. For starters, they are divided into 2 categories:
M91 and M38 (or M91-38) = Before 1938 and after 1938
The M91 Cav carbines were all made before 1938 - the M38 cav carbines were made 1938 or later and are all in 7.35 caliber. The M91-38 were all made 1938 or later and are in 6.5 caliber. The 7.9 conversions were all made late in the war & were converted to 7.9 ca. 1950.
M91s were made by:
Brescia @ 285,000 from 1893 to 1919
Beretta @ 60,000 from 1935 to 1938
FNA @ 67,000 from 1932 to 1938
Gardone Val Trompia @ 153,000 1935 to 1937
Terni @ 225,000 from 1935 to 1938
In this category, never pass up an antique in original condition. A Beretta is also a good grab. All of these had adjustable sights.
M38 cav carbines were made in 1938 and 1939 only and all have fixed sights ( I think - I've never seen adjustable sights on a 7.35). The Italians started to change over to the 7.35 caliber, and changed their mind after it became obvious what a supply nightmare that would become. While around 300,000 were reported to have been made, you don't see them very often in America. 300 and up seems to be the going money.
Beretta made around 60,000
FNA made around 9,000
Gardone made around 70,000
Terni also shows around 70,000
They should all have 7.35 stamped on the left side of the stock in large numerals. This was supposedly so troops could tell what ammo was needed in the dark... no word on how to tell the ammo apart at that time!
Having halted M38 production, the arsenals began making the M91-38 cav carbine in 1940 = 6.5 Carcano caliber. To simplify things, a fixed sight was used on this model... except those made by Brescia. For some reason, they stayed with the adjustable sights. Not to worry - you can tell them from the M91 by barrel date - 1940 and after = an M91-38.
Beretta made something like 200,000 of this model
FNA made 325,000
and Gardone made over a million.
Unless you are offered a very nice Gardone for a small sum, there are other variations you will want worse.
Probably the most controversial variation is the 7.9 conversion. We call that the 8mm Mauser, but the sight is marked 7.9 or 7.92 You will hear some pretty wild stories about these - The Hobbs book says they were used in the Russian campaign, but that now looks very doubtful. Other ads claim they were altered during the war so Italians and their German allies could share ammo. Hogwash.
While nothing is chiseled in stone, it very much appears they were all converted from FNA-B M91-38TS and M91-38 cav carbines circa 1950 - a couple years either way but figure around 1950. Production is between 5 and 10 thousand. I believe it's closer to 10 than 5, but that's just me. There seems to be no shortage of them on the auctions right now.
A lot if not most of these wound up in Egypt or Syria where they were used as trainers. They had an Arabic word in white paint on the stock. "Taleem" means trainer or a similar concept. The marking adds to the value so it's well to leave it intact.
Go for the best one you can find - the Egyptian trainers are usually beat all TO heck like a daily drill for recruits was "Throw your rifle down and sprint to the rear!" Seriously, they are more often beat up than not.
Another variation to look for is the bayonet release. Most common is the simple button set up. There was a lever lock and a sliding catch. Neither were a very sturdy system and were not around long, but if you have a chance at either, they are worth a slight premium over a button bayonet release.
Is the 8mm conversion safe to shoot? Possibly. Slug the bore and check headspace first - it's not unusual for both to be out of spec. If everyhing is like it should be, you may blast away with a happy heart... if not a happy shoulder. I stick to light cast bullet loads in mine, but you may prefer something else.
The cav carbines were used first by the cavalry, of course. It's such a light, handy arm that use quickly spread. Italian paratroops used them in one form or another. Occasionally, you will see them advertised as "paratroop carbines" but that is mostly advertising hype. Police used them - carabineri, as did partisans who managed to capture same.
I'm sure I've omitted something and will edit this later. Possibly add a few more pics.
Top pic shows a 7.9 conversion with the Arabic "Taleem" marking. Notice the two added recoil lugs to keep the stock from shattering from hot German 7.9 Mauser ammo. Under that is the 7.35 stock marking that should be on all M38 cav carbines. Bottom is a native of the African desert with a cav carbine. You see these in the oddest places!
Thus endeth Steve's crash course on Carcano cavalry carbine collecting! SW
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SW
SW
I get by there, but I think that's mostly due to the tolerance of the forum members. 
