From WIKI ~ An estimated 30,000 specimens were produced between 1930 and 1940. A number of specimens was brought home by US soldiers engaged in Italy , in the military operations of the Allies during the Second World War . Despite these figures, the rifle, known in the United Statesicon as Youth Italianicon Carbine (YIC), is considered quite rare by the collector market. Even more rare are the special blank bullets, which have become precious and refined collectibles.

Characteristics

A gathering of Balilla with the shoulder musket
The weapon was an almost identical - but on a smaller scale - reproduction of the Carcano-Mannlincher mod. 1891 for cavalry with foldable awl bayonet, the tip of which had been rounded to render it harmless.

The first models were capable of firing 6.5 mm or 5.5 mm weakened cartridges with 4 right-handed lines, constant pitch and equipped with a movable breech thanks to the thread . The musket had an elevation graduated from 3 to 13 hm and, near the elevation, there was a protrusion on which the factory of origin was printed, the year, and its unique serial number, while the frieze of the Opera was imprinted on the breech Nazionale Balilla (ONB) together with possible commemorative plaques referring to the figure of Giovan Battista Perasso called Balilla, or other young Italian patriots. On this musket there was the possibility to insert the bayonet .

Subsequently, ball ammunition on this type of musket was prohibited and therefore the following models had the barrel blocked, and could only chamber paper cartridges. For this reason, the musket, despite being equipped with a combustion chamber, could only be loaded with a " blank " cartridge , with special specially produced bullets. These new typologies were equipped with smooth rods in whose breech, since it had no thread, a piece of wood was inserted. Other companies also manufactured the Balilla musket, also by adopting simpler procedures, such as, for example, obstructing the barrel and preparing the shutter without the extractor. It therefore became an inoffensive weapon, unlike the children's rifles sold in theUnited States of America , the Youth rifles , which are fully fledged weapons. The Balilla musket was produced by toy weapon factories.