Alpini rifle

[Mike m]

Just curious as to which model or models were standard issue for the alpini?
I see alot of pictures from ww1 with alpini using m91 long rifles. I would have thought a ts rifle a better choice?o

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[Ovidio]

Yes, a shorty would have been better.
But generally they used the long ones.
In WWII, the 91/41 was developed for the Alpini. Again, a rather long one instead of a short carbine.
Don't look for logic in all this. I guess there is none.
Although, it must be said, plenty of Officers and NCO's had the cavalry or the TS versions.
After WWII, we got the Garand and then the fabulous BM59 TA, with foldable steel stock. Then the SC 70/90, again with foldable stock.
Those were good decisions, definitely.
I loved my BM59 TA, really. Great rifle, simple as it could be. A Garand with very minor changes. Reliable and sturdy.
The SC 70/90 never really convinced me, other than for the easy shooting due to the 5.56 cartridge. The BM was more...manly;-D

If you want more info about the Italian 91 rifles, there is a very good site Storia del fucile 91. It is in Italian, but it's really great!

By the way, I am a retired Alpini Officer.
Great Corp!!!

[AmEngRifles]

In preference to not break any forum rules, I will NOT link their web site, but there IS a manufacturer, James River Armory, very near to us in North Carolina that is now making "reconstituted" BM-59 paratroopers or Alpine models. I have both the full stocked model and the folding stock model. Both are very nice guns. I put them right up their with my M1A rifles.

[Ovidio]

Here in Italy they are selling them since a couple of years ago, but the "demilitarisation" is a bit too energetic. A real pity. As if anyone could find an Energa rifle grenade and be willing to fire it.
Idiots rule the world of gun laws!

[Daan Kemp]

For mountain work you need the longer barrel and sight radius for shooting longer distances because targets are usually further away, across valleys, etc.

For moving in the mountains shorter rifles are much easier to handle. You choose.

[Ovidio]

Well Daan, actually mountain warfare is more a question of patrols and small forces moving around in a stealthy way.
Modern weapons systems have made life quite dire over the tree line, plus the extremely broken terrain above it does not generally allow for very long shooting opportunities for the average soldier.
We have never trained or even considered long range shooting, other than for our marksmen or snipers.
A short rifle, and the BM59 is indeed a shorter Garand, was extremely handy and more than adequate for any kind of situation we were expected to face.
Also consider that valleys are quite wide, even the “narrow” ones.
The only down side of the BM59 was the weight, which is not a small issue in the mountains. 5,5 kg loaded is fairly heavy.
As an MG operator (and carrier) during officer school, I was a bit envious of them, but not as much as when they all got the SC70/90. That was again 1 kg less, while my 12 kept stable

Anyway, my experiences date back over 25 years. The cold war had ended, but we were still training more or less the same way.
I guess our guys in Afghanistan have worked differently.