MOSCHETTO MODELLO 1891
PER TRUPPE SPECIALI
DEVELOPMENT
With the introduction of the Carcano Fucile mod. 91 to replace the Vetterli Fucile mod. 70/87, the Italian army bulk was covered, ordnance wise.
All regular Infantry units used the Fucile mod.91, mobile troops adopted the Moschetto mod. 91, but other support troops, like artillery crews, still used the Vetterli Moschetto per Truppe Speciali mod. 70/87, so an update was needed for them too.
The Vetterli Moschetto mod.70/87 per Truppe Speciali was basically a Fucile mod. 70/87 shortened by several inches, that kept the rifle's stock (shortened), furnitures and bayonet. It was a far handier gun for those troops that needed a proper gun but not as bulky as a fucile, nor as "fragile" as a cavalry carbine. They were still supposed to use the bayonet to fence off enemyes, especially enemy cavalry.
For the development of the Carcano Moschetto mod.91 per Truppe Speciali the same basics were mantained: the first pattern carbine was basically a Fucile mod. 91 shortened to Moschetto length, with a solid proprietary stock and handguard covering most of the barrel, proprietary front barrel ring, with a proprietary transversal bayonet lug and consequent proprietary bayonet, and sling swivels facing downward, as the Fucile one did.
In fact the Moschetto TS used the same, barely regulable Sling of the Fucile.
There's a drawing of a TS carbine circulating in reference books, often quoted by authors as an early TS design: it shows the gun with a reinforcing lug, straight bolt handle, as the early Fucile mod.91 had. This drawing is actually an artist interpretation of the TS, not based on a real model, as many other drawing on the same book are just approximations of the gun they should represent.
​Not a reliable source by any mean.
As far as actual findings indicate, TS carbines, as Moschettos mod. 91, started their existence without transversal lug nor straight bolt handle.
The carbine production began in 1897, while it was formally adopted in 1900.
PRODUCTION AND USE
Production began in the Brescia Arsenal (Regia Fabbrica d'Armi - Brescia) in 1897, and was mantained exclusively by Brescia up until its foreclosure around 1923.
The Moschetto mod.91 per TS was the only Carcano gun that needed a change of sights afte the adoption of Solenite cartridges in the early 1900s. This was applied with the Circolare N°281 of 30 August 1903, that solved it just by lowering the top of the front sight blade by 0.5 mm.
All mod.91 guns until 1912 were manufactured with the extractor passing through the bolt lug.Two extractors passing through the log were issued:
- The Early type (nicknamed Vecchio tipo after it got updsted), smaller and with sharp corner
- The New type (nicknamed Nuovo Tipo when introduced sometimes around 1902-1903), slightly longer than the early model and with smoother, more gently curved surfaces.
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After 1912 all extractor (and thus bolts) produced passed from the outside of the bolt and ran down from above the lug (Circolare n.40 28 gennaio 1913).
Extractors evolution
First World War
​The gun was the standard issue for the many artillery units of the Italian Royal Army during WW1, but it was adopted by many other units and armed forces (was particularly a Navy favourite, and became standard issue for infantry NCOs and Fighting officers in the late stages of the war).
Tradition claims that the first Italian shot of the First World War was fired on the night of May 23, 1915 by Pietro Dell'Acqua, Financier (Guardia di Finanzia) that, with his TS carbine (the GdF claims it had the serial number I 2485), forced Austrian sappers mining a bridge to run away. This episode happened at Corno di Rosazzo, small village on the Austro-Italian border guarded by Dell'acqua and his colleague Costantino Carta. A monument was built on that spot to remember the episode.
You can easily see pictures of Alpini, Bersaglieri and Arditi troops using Moschetti T.S. during WW1.There are couple fascinating pics of Arditi with T.S. with straight bolt handles, allegedly easier to grab and turn in the haste of their trench raids as shock troops.
During WW1 several issues rose up with the Moschetto T.S.:
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The Handguard had a tendency to crack, so the handguard and the front-end got modified to be more sturdy and Reliable. Circolare n. 125 1916: "To avoid the frequent breakages, caused by firing, on the current handguard of the Moschetto mod.91 per TS, it is adopted a new front-end with a specific appendix that, going over the handguard, keep it together with the gun."
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The proprietary bayonet lug and bayonet was an unneccesary logistical issue, both for production and for distribution. During and after WW1 many got adapted (on the field or in workshops) to use Fucile bayonets, and any T.S. Production after WW1 was made with standard Fucile bayonet lugs.
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The Fucile sling swivels were terrible for most of T.S. uses, and artillery headquarters advanced a formal request to get side sling swivels as the Moschetto had. This modification, after several years of stalling, was introduced with the Circolare n° 434 dell' 11 agosto 1921. The circular ordered removal of the bottom sling swivels, their place filled, and created a side sling swivel attachments as the Moschetto did, with a proprietary front sling swivel unique to this conversion.
Moschetto mod. 91 per T.S. updated after August 1921
​with new front sight, side sling swivels and Fucile bayonet lug
Pics courtesy of D. Campi
In the late 1920s, many (about 3.6k found for now) Moschetto T.S. made by Brescia were refurbished by the private firm Napoleone & Vittorio Castelli, that disassembled the guns, repaired and refurbished parts, and reassembled them, with old or new production stocks, re-serialising barrel and stock.
Infographic is lacking Beretta's production numbers, that are still under research between navy contract and civilian productions.
MOSCHETTO MODELLO 1891
PER TRUPPE SPECIALI, MODIFICATO
(AKA 91/28)
DEVELOPMENT
Pics Courtesy of J Anderson and M. Holmes
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
This Moschetto T.S. was never called "91/28" in any kind of formal or colloquial way.
"91/28" is mostly a collector term to distinguish the 1928-38 T.S. productions with the updated wooden and metal furnitures.
The only place where the 91/28 term was used "officially" was in some Tromboncino Conversion stock cartouches, indicating "Trasformazione M° 91/28" to shorten into the cartouche's cramped space the union between the Mod.91 TS and the mod.28 Tromboncino.
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The guns mounting the Tromboncino were called "Moschetto con Tromboncino mod.28" in manuals and documents, but they always specify that the gun is "Derived from a Moschetto mod. 91 per T.S. [...] with light modifications " in order to add "a Tromboncino mod.28".
DEVELOPMENT
Circolare nº 121 del 26 febbraio 1920:
"In order to further standardize the construction of the Moschetto mod. 91 per T.S. to that of the Fucile mod. 91, this Ministry, having also heard the technical opinion of the artillery construction inspectorate, determines that in the manufacture of Moschetti T.S. to be set up, from now on, the following changes will be made compared to the actual standard type:
1-Replace the bayonet, the front end, its sling swivel and the front sight with the corresponding parts used for the construction of the Fucile mod. 91;
2-The current handguard must be replaced with another one identical to that of the rifle but with the rear sight notch moved in relation to the difference in the rear sight dimensions. The rear sight remains as it currently is;
3-The barrel and the stock must be replaced with parts similar to those used for the rifle, but cut down in relation to the shorter length of the weapon.
The Moschetto per T.S. mod. 91 already into service will, however, be kept in the conditions in which they are found, and the replacement of the already updated parts (NoA: like old front ends updated with the Fucile bayonet lug) with those mentioned above must be carried out only after the old model stocks have been exhausted, both at the factories (Army Arsenals), at the Direzioni di Artiglieria (Army Workshops) and at the corps.
Once said stocks have been used up completely, the old muskets will also have to be gradually updated to the new model, adapting, as the opportunity arises, the new model parts in place of the old ones requiring replacement. [...]
As you can read in the upstated 1920 communication of the War Ministry, all T.S. productions after February 1920 were planned to be produced with Fucile parts, in order to standardize production and logisitcs as much as possible: Same stock (but shorter), same handguard, same upper band, barrel band with sling swivel, same front sights mounted on a ring, same barrel production processes (but short).
Despite this communication, the Ministry didn't have any money to implement any new production of T.S. for the time being; the first to get this treatment wasn't in fact a pure T.S., but its cheap counterpart, the 91/24, a mass refurbishment of old Fucili mod. 91, cheaply converted in the hundreds of thousands to these new T.S. specifics, keeping their long rear sight base, ofc modified for the shortened barrel.
We have to wait up until 1928 to see a brand new bulk production of Moschetti T.S., mostly ignited by colonial clashes in Libya and along the Ethiopian border. The lessons learned during the Libyan campaigns against local guerrillas taught the Italian Army that the bulky Fucile mod.91 wasn't really practical for the motorized columns necessary for guerrilla and border warfare, and that a shorter rifle was preferable to the long one. Other issues discovered were that the lack of heavy or light artillery in guerrilla fighting needed some sort of tactical replacement, and that the terminal ballistics of 6.5x52, but we'll talk about this last point in the Mod. 38 section.
so in 1928 Terni and Gardone slowly started the production of new Moschetti mod.91 per T.S. , but this time with the brand new stocks.
Circolare n. 402, July 11th 1929
For employement reasons and a furhter semplification in the supplies, the ministry decided to adopt for the TS Moschettos a dual sling swivel system.
Such system (that will only be applied on new production carbines and to those that will arrive at FARE Terni for refurbishment) is composed of the following parts:
a) A barrel band, with bottom and side sling swivels, obtained by modifying the current barrel bands.
b) A bottom sling swivel for the buttstock
c) A side sling swivel composed by a metal bar without rolling tube (new adoption)
d) two stock screws for the bottom sling swivel in the buttstock
e) two stock screws for the metal bar side sling swivel. For these side swivels the standard Moschetto sling must be used.
In the future the new modfications to the model and the variations to the construction blueprints will be published for the archives.
How to use the dual sling swivel system:
In order to switch from the bottom to the side swivels and vice versa, you just need to remove the sling from the bottom sling swivel in the front and from the bottom sling swivel on the buttstock, and apply it on their rispective positions on the side sling swivels. The new side sling swivel on the buttstock will be moved further on the buttstock, of about 90mm from the position of the old rolling tube buttstock side sling swivel, in order to have a more comfortable adaptation of the carbine when carried sideways on the back.
With this Circolare, the side sling swivels were implemented in all following TS productions, and the metal bar buttstock side sling swivel was introduced for the first time, moved further compared to the previous rolling tube buttstock side sling swivel.
TROMBONCINO MOD. 28
At the same time the Army purposefully produced some T.S. with proprietary handguard and stocks in order to host, on the side of the carbine, a Grenade launcher: this was known as Tromboncino modello 1928, and was basically a hand held grenade propeller, devised to implement a new tactical concept planned to replace artillery support during long range expeditions by giving 3 Tromboncinos for each infantry squad.
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The Tromboncino was activated by putting a proprietary grenade in the Tromboncino muzzle, then taking the bolt out of the carbine, inserting a live round on its bolt face and inserting the bolt into the Tromboncino receiver (identical to the one of the carbine), closing it. At this point, by pulling the carbine trigger, the Tromboncino sear was activated, the round shot and the grenade propelled in the air.
This Tromboncino Concept was really short lived, for several reasons: - Tromboncinos mod. 28 were bulky, expensive, cumbersome to load and took away the ability of riflemen to fire the carbine while using the Tromboncino. - Tromboncino had a really short barrel, so precision was really randomic and range was 200m at best.
Tromboncinos mod. 28 were completely ditched with the introduction of the Brixia mod. 35 light mortar, that was essentially a glorified tromboncino, with longer barrel, better precision, improved blasting charge, larger projectile and it was placed on a proprietary mount being squad operated. The former carbines mounting the Tromboncino mod.28 were disassembled, most tromboncinos were recycled in foundries, while the old stocks were filled with wood patches, recycled for Moschettos and T.S. carbines.
​You can easily spot TS moschettos that were built to host a Tromboncino mod.28: they have the manufacturer markingoccupying only half of the top facet of the barrel shank. Only Terni and Gardone V.T. assembled Tromboncinos, so only these two manufacturers have this kind of treatment, usually between 1928 and 1935.
Another indication of former Tromboncino presence is the rear sight, that on its left side keep its old tromboncino sight notches for 100, 150 and 200 meters, while the rear tromboncino sight blade is removed.
​Other Tromboncino features that you can find on other Carcano models are:
- the TSM/Fucile Frontends with an extra metal tang holding the upper handguard
- the Moschetto con Tromboncino Stock with the former holes filled with wooden patches, often recycled on Moschettos mod. 38 in 7.35 and in other carbines during further refurbishments.
PRODUCTION AND USE
Production of the TS carbines in the new configuration (and often with Tromboncino) started in the two State Arsenals that still manufactured guns, Terni and Gardone Val Trompia, formally a Terni subsection.
ITALIAN ROYAL NAVY CONTRACTS
In 1929 the Italian Navy, seeing the bulk production of TS by the State arsenals, decided to completely standardize its ordnance around the Moschetto mod.91 per T.S.. But before starting producing guns from scratch, they decided to convert the old long rifles they still had in their warehouses. Since the Navy had a completely different procurment system than the Army, they decided to directly contact several private gun manufacturers to explete this conversion.
These private factory were:
- MBT converting about 6000 guns
- P. Lorenzotti (then F.N.A.) converting about 10,500 guns
- Beretta, converting about 20,000 guns
All these "new" TS carbines recycled the old Rifle' stock, Bolt, receiver and metal parts, adapted to the new TS configuration.
Basically the companies in charge of the conversions just produced new TS barrels and sights, cut down and fitte the stock to the new dimensions and turned down the bolt handle.
Beretta marked their guns from this navy contract in a specific way, quite different from the standard Carcano production up until that point (and after):
- BERETTA on the top facet
- GARDONE V.T. and the year of production on the 45° left facet
- the Serial Number (no prefix) on the 45° right facet.
Once the guns were assembled, they were checked by a military inspector.
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Basically all the TS obtained by converting the old long rifles for the Italian Navy are stamped with FG in an oval, FE in an oval or with a crowned knot on their barrel shank.
FG should indicate Falconi Giovanni, Italian Navy Inspector located in Brescia.
Beretta and FNA used these Navy contracts to finance and justify the construction of their brand new production lines for Mod. 91 firearms, which will be fruitful in the following years. ​
​The following F.N.A. contract for the Ministry of War, won in May 1930, led to the production of twenty thousand Moschetti per T.S. between 1931 and 1933, then followed by numerous other orders for the Royal Navy and the Royal Army.
Interwar Period
In this Interwar period, covering the Second Italo-Ethiopian war (1935-1936) T.S. Moschettos can be seen in the hands of basically all kinds of troops. Infantry, Artillery, Machinegun crews, Navy and Airforce guards, Bersaglieri, Alpini: as upstated, the Moschetto T.S. was seen as a more effective alternative to the long and cumbersome Fucile, so its use became ubiquitous, especially among motorized troops.
Production of the Moschetto mod. 91 T.S. kept ongoing until the adoption of the Moschetto mod. 38 per T.S. in 7.35x51.
FNA was the only factory that, in 1939 with the 7.35 production ongoing, made a batch of about 10k T.S. moschettos with regulable sights for the italian Navy.
Second World War
After the 7.35x51 mod.38 project was ditched, Gardone V.T. and Beretta started producing the fixed sights Moschetto mod.91/38 per T.S. in 6.5. followed by FNA around 1942.
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The Italian Army kept using the 6.5 Moschetto mod.91 per TS for all the duration of WW2. It can be found mostly in the hands of artillery crews and motorized units, along with the upstated Navy and Airforce units.
​Many of these carbines endedup in the hands of partisans and German troops after September 8th 1943.
Postwar Use
The TS was widely used by Italian Police Forces up to the early 2000s, mostly with a Tromboncino mod.43 (with grenade inserted in the cup) or with a Tromboncino mod. 61-63 (with the Energa style grenade sleeving over the tromboncino itself) on its end, capable of shooting tear gas grenades at a considerable distance.
​About 18k of these T.S. Carbines were surplused in 2019 and were recently imported in the US as a huge Italian stash, distributed by importers like RTI and J&G sales.