Finally got back to the range today

It's been five months, surgery, and two auto wrecks since I've been shooting, and it was a beautiful day to do it. Granted, I've not shot for five months, but my club has changed the target system. Instead of re-bar frames and thick cardboard insert squares, we now have a Nylon line stretched across the berm with targets suspended from binder clamps and cardboard box sides. Easier to use, but today the wind was blowing and the targets were swinging towards and away from me so I had to try to time my shots between swings.

I brought my two new antiques; an 1892 M88 Springfield trapdoor, and an 1884 Brescia M70/87/15 Italian Vetterli. Both rifles had not been shot in ages; the M88 in 1957, and who knows when the Vetterli was. Both have great bores. I shot 20 rounds from each at 100 yards; commercial reloads for the trapdoor with black powder substitute and 500gr flat point bullets and a box of prvi partizan 6,5 Carcano. Both rifles were stiff from non use, but got slicker as they warmed up, and no problems with either. It took four rounds to find how and where to set the sights (ladder down, and low on the paper) for the Springfield. I had moved the rear sight two notches left at first, but as I finished left, I put it back to center at the end. After 20 rounds the shoulder was a little sore. The Vetterli was harder to figure out with its odd rear sight. Turns out it shot about one meter above POA, so I had to aim at the ground under the target to hit center. It took the first 12 rounds to do that, and I hit 6 of the last eight afterwards. Recoil was very light; between a 22 and a M1 carbine.

It is personally a lot of fun for me to take out the real old ones from time to time. Happy shooting.

T

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps48738d55.jpg

With Carcanos, the usual sight picture is with the front sight down almost out of sight in the rear "V". Would suspect your rifle is the same, but I don't know the minimum distance at which these are sighted.


http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ps72e6f04a.jpg

Might help some with the "high shooting".

ETA: You may have the first actual range report of a 6,5mm Vetterli on this forum! If there's anybody else, please chime in. There's been "threats" but no actual action, IIRC.

That's where I wound up sighting, and then at the ground under the target. About 1M high from point of aim. Not complaining, and it won't get much action. At least the ammo is easy to get, and now that I know where to aim....

T

More pics four post lower down; "hopped on the Vetterli bandwagon".

Is the Vetterli safe to shoot with the Prvi Partisan ammo???

The Vetterli/Carcano was designed to be fired with the standard military load of WWI. Privi is not loaded to that level that I'm aware of.

The problem is that the Vetterli as originally designed was not built for those pressures.

So, you're running a risk that the action/bolt/receiver has been stretched, weakened, cracked by the overpressure of the carcano load.

These rifles were used in WWI by support troops (and did see extensive actual use against the Austrians) and in limited use in WWII by native troops in Africa. Had they commonly been blowing up, I doubt they would have ever been issued. It is good to have a rifle in your soldiers hands but not one that kills them rather than the enemy.

There is a video of a fellow firing full loads through a Vetterli/Carcano on Y Tube.

All that being said. Most recommend reduced loads if you are going to shoot them. I'm a bit leery of shooting mine but will probably do so from a sled and then make up some reduced loads for it.