Carcano 38TS

i take it these are the after photos,

A total mystery then.
the Rifles themselves look mighty fine after restoration.

to often i have seen military stuff just left to rot.

These were made post war by speculators who bought leftover parts at scrap metal prices. They were then altered to 8mm caliber by people being paid on a piece work basis, meaning they're not always in spec. Check headspace and bore diameter before firing.

The majority were sold to Arab countries (mostly Egypt) where they were used as trainers for drill and marching. They can be found with the Arabic word for trainer painted on the stock which is worth a small premium on the collector market.

A popular gun show story has it they were made in 8mm so Italian troops could take advantage of abundant German ammo. Hogwash - that's completely untrue. They were strictly a post war item.

As you might imagine, such a small, light arm will recoil with vigor when fired with surplus ammo. I use a mild cast bullet mold load which is much easier on the shoulder.

They can be told from regular Carcanos by the double recoil bolts in the stock and the receiver cut for use with longer 8mm bullets. The rear sight should be marked "7.92" but it isn't always there.