The Finns were nominally Axis-alliedTalking about the Axis is misleading for the period when the Carcanos were sold to Finland i.e. 1939-40.
, or at least friendlyIn this case, you're not being so much misleading as willfully incorrect. The Nazis and the Soviet had agreed that the Soviet Union could occupy Finland in the Winter War. Finland's main allies during that period were the British and the French, not the "Axis" which didn't even exist then
, so the Italians were obligated to give at least some equipment to themThere was no obligation.The Finnish government paid the Italians cash for the Carcanos, Fiat G.50 fighter planes and torpedo boats
. As their re-armament program had failed due to a shortage of 7.35 ammo, and subsequent return to only using 6.5, they dumped the now-nonstandard rifles on the Finns, taking care of their obligation while also not compromising their war effort by giving away useful equipment.The Fiat fighters were better planes than the planes most of the Italian airforce were flying
In much the same way, the Germans gave the Finns Chauchat machine-rifles captured from France and some Lewis guns captured from the British at Dunkirk.
Were did you hear this? The French govt. sold/ gave, their allies, the Finns all sorts of weapons. Some (very, very few) Lewis guns in 7.62*54 were captured in the Finnish Civil War. Am unaware, and I'm not going to believe you, that Finland made any use of Lewis guns in 0.303. LMG's were perhaps the only weapon the Finnish Army wasn't short of
The Finns were awash with more Mosins following the Russian Revolution than they knew what to do with and they were much too poor to be buying new Carcanos.Cash could be found for weapons once the Winter War started