6.5 Carcano in stock

Outstanding!

Strike that.... already out of stock.

Todd.

Great deal finding that. The oddball calibers do come up once in awhile. I am still waiting to find 32 acp for a reasonable price. I would probably pay $25 or under for 50 but I doubt we will see that for awhile

I'm still waiting for Carcano ammo I ordered from Steinel in December. They said six months backorder, and it'll be six months in about two weeks.

Signed up for the email alert and managed to get 20 boxes when they were in stock, excellent price. I am feeling the shortage in this cal will be over soon.

Things are starting to show back up. This is good news. Alot of the obscure calibers are on a seasonal run basis, even in the good times. Some manufacturer that can produce things other than high use rounds (read max profit) and sell them at a reasonable price these days needs to be rewarded in the good times as well. Same for the LGS that even though prices go up does not activly gouge the consumer.

BigAlShooter said:

I order some Steinel ammo in Nov and I think I received it in March.
It seems this is the hardest ammo to find, well, besides 30-30.

Click to expand...

.30-30 is like trying to find a needle in a haystack next to a chicken that lays golden eggs.

Well, at least the chicken isn't nesting on top of the haystack!! Now....that would be difficult!!

I've had multiple alerts from Ammoseek this for Carcano ammo and right now there is 2 listings for a box of 20 under $25 a box at Selway Armory Impact Guns. They day before Sportsman Guide had them for $21 a box and I ordered 2 boxes.

Is this stuff even the proper bullet diameter? I’ve read some loads out there use the wrong diameter bullets and are inaccurate in Carcanos. Imagine paying over a buck a pop for ammo that doesn’t even match your bore diameter? Much less the $4 a round it’s been going for?

When I bought a M1941 Carcano rifle at the Appalachian Trade Fair (back in the time When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, 1970), the only readily available ammo in 6.5 Carcano was Norma of Sweden 160gr softnose with .264" bullets same as their 6.5 Mannlicher Schonauer. One box of twenty Norma 6.5 Carcano ammo cost more than what I paid for the rifle. I quickly acquired a classic Lee Loader kit for it. Rechambering Carcanos for the more readily available 6.5 M-S was actually a thing back then but I did not see the point of rechambering the barrel when I can reload cartrdges (my Hornady manual showed the 6.5 Carcano (21" bbl) & 6.5 M-S (18" bbl) with 30 gr IMR 3031, .264" 160gr as giving 2100fps & 2000fps).

Also back in them thar days it was 6.5 Italian or 6.5 Carcano not 6.5x52mm and 6.5 M-s not 6.5x54mm and .30 Carbine not 7.62x33mm. This younger x generation and their NATOizing traditional cartridge names with xmms, bah, humbug.

Whether .268 bullets work better than .264 bullets in a Carcano rifle depends a lot the condition of the bore of the individual Carcano rifle. I don't see any difference in group size between reloads with .264" vs .268" bullets in my M1938 short rifle. I have learned to match 6.5 Carcano cases by neck thickness to bullet diameter, using Norma casings with .264" bullets, Graf casings with .268" bullets and not mixing them.

JCooperfan1911 said:

Is this stuff even the proper bullet diameter? I’ve read some loads out there use the wrong diameter bullets and are inaccurate in Carcanos. ...

Click to expand...

It's really only a big problem if you're got one of the rifles that have had the long barrel reduced to carbine length. That would be the model 91/24. They're distinguished by having a carbine-length barrel and stock but still have the long-rifle rear sight. The reason they don't shoot the undersized bullet is because of the gain-twist rifling - too much of the tightest twist near the end of the barrel is lost. As noted above, with all other Carcano models, whether the undersized bullets shoot well depends more on bore condition. And no Carcano will shoot worth a hills of beans if one doesn't understand the unique sight picture required. Note for hand loaders: PPU sells the .268 bullets.

At 13.50 a box it's worth it just for the brass. It does my heart good to know I'm not the only Carcano shooter out here.

I’m very glad the legion of fellow users who bought the recent onslaught of Carcarbines (Carcano carbines) from the recent import finally have a source to feed their little Italian stallions.