MOSCHETTO MODELLO 1938
PER TRUPPE SPECIALI
DEVELOPMENT
After the adoption of 7.35 and the new Fucile corto mod. 38 for the infantry, the other carcano models needed an upgrade, since they would still be useful in their roles (mobile troops for the Moschetto and Artillery/support troops for the T.S.) and since their update/conversion would be far cheaper and effective than giving a brand new short rifle to every enlisted man.
So the arms industry for the adoption and production of the Moschetto per Truppe Speciali modello 1938 followed basically the same production pattern they used with the Fucile corto:
they took old, mistreated T.S. Moschettos, rounded their barrel shank, drilled and rifled the barrel for the new .300 bullet, changed the old battered rear sights to brand new fixed sights zeroed for 200 meters, changed the handguard and presto, they obtained a wonderful new T.S. moschetto, ready to be used in the new 7.35 supply lines.
PRODUCTION AND USE
Carbines were converted and produced by Terni, Gardone V.T., Beretta and FNA, total production numbers are around the 160k figures.
The production of this model of course derailed as the whole 7.35 mod.38 project when WW2 broke out, kept as away as possible from the army 6.5x52 supply lines. Meanwhile, the factories simply switched their production to the same exact guns but in 6.5x52, leading to the [Moschetto per T.S. mod.91/38]()
Most Moschetto T.S. mod. 38 in 7.35 were used in rear guard use, with local militias, for training, police actions and similar, but in general kept as much away as possible from the front lines and from the army supply lines.