Greetings.

In an impulse move today I purchased my first military weapon, a 1940 6.5mm Carcano M38 Calvary. The barrel markings are F.N.A BRESCIA, 40-XVIII, serial number XF3802 and the matching 3802 is burned into the stock. It appears to be complete with adjustable rear sight and folding bayonet (no cleaning rod under the butt plate).

I knew nothing about these rifles before today and have had a crash course in basic identification. I honestly bought it because it was a cool looking carbine. If I had done just a little checking on ammo availability/cost I may have walked away, but it’s mine now and I’d like to make the most of it.

With the help of YouTube I disassembled the bolt, cleaned and inspected the spring and firing pin. The action and safety both function, seemingly, as intended.

5 surplus rounds and 1 clip came with it; however, after doing some measurements with my dial caliper the cases seems to spec bigger than the 6.5x52 information provided by Hornady or Speer. Once I’m confident that I have the correct ammo I would like to shoot this rifle, but first, I need to have it checked over by someone who knows a lot more about this than I do. Can anyone recommend a qualified candidate within a reasonable distance from the Detroit Michigan area?

Thank you,
Bill
Information
Warning: This is a relatively older thread
This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.