Traffer
Member
I remember when JFK was assassinated. I watched Jack Ruby shoot Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV. Will never forget that. Back then a friend of mine collected military surplus rifles. I remember reading ads for them in (I believe Herters Catalog). Many rifles were in the $10 to $15 range. I believe that included M98 Mausers, 303 Enfields, 7.7 Arisakas, Italian Carcano's etc. As I recall American rifies were a little more expensive, In the $20 to $35 range. You could order one from a catalog and the mailman would bring it to your door. That's it. Nothing more. Back then you could buy guns in gas stations, auto parts stores, general stores, etc. I remember reading the ad for the Carcano in Herters Catalog maybe a year before JFK was shot. Herters described it as "the gun that lost the war for Italy". They made no bones that it was a piece of junk. This friend of mine had one. I recall that it seemed like a "nice little carbine" but very crudely made. My question is this, "why would someone buy arguably the worst gun on the market for such a purpose. Especially if you could get many other models for the same price. To me it just doesn't make sense that Oswald used a Carcano. Am I missing something?
Edited: OK I just read this: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/cold-case-jfk.html
It still seems strange to chose the Carcano.
Edited: OK I just read this: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/cold-case-jfk.html
It still seems strange to chose the Carcano.
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