MOSCHETTO MODELLO 1891
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, but mobile troops like Cavalry were still issued the single shot Vetterli Moschetto da Cavalleria mod. 1870, so an update was needed for them too.
With the deliberation of July 15th 1893 the first carbine variant of the Mod. 91 was formally adopted, known as the Moschetto Modello 1891.
The term "Cavalleria" was dropped formally, since the new gun was supposed to serve several other units, such as Carabinieri, Cyclist Bersaglieri and other minor units, but it survived as a colloquial term in the Army.
The new moschetto mod.91 kept the old mod.70 Bayonet concept: the old moschetto m70 had an "easily detachable" spike bayonet similar to early mosin's, always kept under the rifle's barrel and held in position with a screw.
The new Moschetto instead created a proper bayonet mount in order to have the bayonet permanently attached, pivoting around the mount, folding under the barrel and staying in position via a Bayonet mounted slide tab.
Several authors report that first production moschettos mod. 91 (1893-1895) allegedly used the transversal reinforcing lug as the Fucile did, but no tangible proof of that is to be found, except for a pre-production gun showed to the press on August 1894.
Actual moschettos still bearing their 1893-1895 Brescia production cartouches actually lack completely this transversal lug, and were probably the inspiration for the Fucile lug removal.
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All guns until WW1 lacked the upper handguard, as the old Vetterli models did. Moschettos up until 1935 were also produced exclusively by milling the front sight base directly from the barrel.​
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PRODUCTION AND USE
Production began in the Brescia Arsenal (Regia Fabbrica d'Armi - Brescia) in 1893, and was mantained exclusively by Brescia up until its foreclosure around 1923.
The gun was the standard issue for the few Cavalry units of the Italian Royal Army, for the mobile troops of the Carabinieri (mostly the one indicted for Military Police duties, while fighting units in WW1 used the Fucile) and Cyclist Bersaglieri (regular Bersaglieri kept the Fucile mod.91); later, probably around 1914, it was accompanied for a short time for the Cyclist Bersaglieri by a Fucile mod.91 modified with side sling swivels, that only lasted until the early stages of WW1.
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
During WW1 two issues rose up with the Moschetto:
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The slide tab was too weak for prolonged use or for sudden bumps, causing the Bayo to unfold at the worst moments (both during attacks and during transport): this was solved by some cavalry regimenys by adopting a temporary, field issued reinforcing latch (absolutely rare nowadays, looking like a bar with a wingnut that kept the slide tab in place, see pic) .
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The lack of handguard caused considerable issues when holding the gun after a few shots: this was easily solved by adopting a handguard and by modifying the barrel band with an extra tang to retain the handguard. It was modified on the field (with parts supplied by Brescia) simply by filing the barrel band and inserting a metal sheet to keep everything in position (see pics below), while newly produced parts welded a tang directly to the barrel band.
Lever Bayonet Latch and Handguard Adoption Circular
Ministry circular n.400, June 30th 1916
In order to give more solidity to the bayonet mount of Cavalry Moschettos mod. 91, in both positions, it is adopted a new model of bayonet latch, to replace the one actually in use. Furhtermore it is adopted, for the same Moschettos, a handguard almost equal to that in use with the Fucile mod.91.
As a consequence of this adoption, the ministry orders that the newly produced moschettos must be issued with this new model of Bayonet latch and with the upstated handguard, while those already in service with Units, warehouses and Workshops (Direzioni di Artiglieria) must be gradually updated with the following rules:
1. The installation of the handguard must be done by the entities in charge of the Moschettos. These will therefore receive from the Brescia Arsenal (Fabbrica d'Armi di Brescia) and only on request, the number of handguards and required parts requested.
Not being convenient to disassemble the issued rear sight bases (Zoccoli) to modify them, these are to be left as they are, being careful to appropriately adapt the handguard, as the Brescia Arsenal already instructed the head gunsmiths of the Units and of the Workshops.
2. To modify the Bayonet Latch, the Brescia Arsenal will immediately start the production of the new Latches and the new bayonets as for the now adopted model, that will distribute to Units and workshops, according to the requests that will arrive from the same. These entities will promptly carry out the replacement of the actual ones, giving priority to the Moschettos that weren't so far involved in the temporary modification, applied by some Cavalry regiments. The abolished model bayonets with their latches, in order to be reused, must be sent, without delay, to the upstated Arsenal, which, after having them modified to the new model, will adapt them to the moschettos waiting for repairs.
The Minister: P. Morrone
The Ministry of war Circular n.400 of March 30th 1916 imposed to the Brescia Arsenal to:
- Implement in the Moschetto mod.91 production a new bayonet latch (the lever one) in order to replace the old slide tab bayonet
- Implement a standard upper handguard ​to all Moschettos, modifying the rear sight bases (just by removing enough material to host the handguard firmly) and by adding an extra tang to the barrel band.
These modifications were also to be applied by Regimental gunsmiths and Army workshops when a gun would come in for refurbishment.
The Moschetto mod.91 would go on being produced with the lever latch system up until 1937/38, when the 1935-38 Terni updates were implemented, as we'll see in the section below.
"Obsolete" slide tab bayonets will keep circulating and being recycled along the decades, even in converted mod.38 moschettos.
- Original rear sights
- Rear sights updated to
host the handguard
​​​​Upper pic courtesy of C. Hilsdorf
- Original barrel band
- Barrel band updated
to ​host the handguard
Upper pic courtesy of C. Hilsdorf
​The "temporary" field modified bayonet latches will instead get ditched as soon as they reached an arsenal or a workshop, hence causing an absolute rarity of these pieces.
Interwar period
​After WW1, the Moschetto kept its importance, especially since it was formally adopted by the Milizia Volontaria Sicurezza Nazionale (basically the Fascist Militia), while being used by the Guardie di Pubblica Sicurezza (National Police), Carabinieri (Military Police) and personal guards (Moschettieri del Duce, Guardia del Duca d'Aosta).
​Production started again in full swing in the late 20s/early 30s, by the Terni and Gardone V.T. Arsenals and by private industries like Beretta and the newly founded FNA, and kept ongoing until the adoption of the Moschetto mod. 38 in 7.35x51.
Terni 1935-36 updates
Around 1935 new production methods were developed by Terni, so you can slowly see all manufacturers conforming on the following transformations for mod.91:
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Round Barrel Shank
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Constant twist rifling barrel
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Bayonet mount standardised around Push button (only around 1936)
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Front sight base was not milled from the barrel anymore, but the front sight was mounted via dovetail directly to the Bayonet mount itself, and thus moved towards the muzzle. The bayonet mount was not screwed onto the front sight base anymore, but kept in position by a simple transversal groove on the barrel.
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Rear sight base was not milled from the barrel anymore, but welded/milled on a removable sleeve, kept in position by a pin. Therefore the rear sight was moved slightly forward and the handguard for these moschettos wil be slightly shorter than the ones on octagonal shank moschettos.
Rear sight sides became straight on their bottom since they leaned on an even, cylindric surface and not on a conical surface anymore.
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With the adoption and the spreading of the Button bayonet latch as the definitive Latch for Moschettos, many guns received it during refurbishment.
​It is absolutely normal to meet 1916-1937 produced bayonet mounts with their lever removed and replaced by the button, with the small dents indicating the lever positions as a silent witness of the bayonet mount past.
This (Along with the circular n.400 3/30/1916 lack of clarity and the extreme rarity of the "temporary" wing nut field modifications) is one of the main reasons collectors had issues understanding the different Bayonet latches by period of adoption; especially since old guns and many interwar guns were updated to the button latch during or immediately after WW2.
Bersaglieri in Summer 1941.
​​You can clearly see that the earlier lever style bayonet mount was modified to host the button, leaving the lever "guide" grooves and holes in place.
Most pics depicting Bersaglieri shows similar systematic modifications
Archivio Centrale dello Stato
​All these modifications were implemented in the subsequent mod.38 cal. 7.35x51 series, and when that was ditched at the beginning of WW2, these were kept for the production of the new mod. 91/38 moschettos in 6.5x52.
Second World War
After the 7.35x51 mod.38 project was ditched in 1940 and the fixed sight Moschetto mod.91/38 in 6.5 got produced by Gardone V.T. and Beretta, FNA was the only factory that reprised the production of moschettos with adjustable sights (correct nomenclature for these post 1940 FNA moschettos is shared to be just Mod.91 with late features).
There are no certain reasons for this discrepancy, most shared opinion is that FNA kept producing regulable sights for elite troops needing "sharp shooting" moschettos, like Bersaglieri and Alpini units.
You will find Moschetto mod.91 arming all kind of troops during WW2, Mostly in the hands of Bersaglieri and Alpini troops, but they were also widespread in the hands of support/artillery/machinegun crews, along with the Moschetto per TS.
​In this time frame (1941-1942) FNA also produced a 10k units batch allegedly destined to the Italian State Police (Guardie di Pubblica Sicurezza), differentiated from the standard army production for its PS serial prefix.
In April 1943 FNA discontinued marking the date, so you'll see guns with Prefix YL to YQ with no date marked, but still showing Army acceptance marking. Guns with these prefixes got produced up to September 1943.
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FNA production (and assembly) of mod. 91 Moschettos was sustained even under German occupation in 1943-45, since these handy guns were sought after in the "last ditch" months of war.
These german produced guns will present little to no markings, random serials and crude stocks. These late production guns were probably the bulk of the moschettos converted to 8mm (after WW2) for Egypt.
Postwar Use
The Moschetto Mod. 91 remained in service with the Italian Army and with the Police and Carabinieri service for decades.
In the Army was mostly relegated to patrol and guard duties, in order not to give semiauto firearms in the hands of young and inexperienced recruits during night shift patrols.
The Italian national Police (Guardie di Pubblica Sicurezza, then renamed Polizia di Stato) kept a stash of about 40,000 moschettos for anti-insurgency/special operation eventualities and for Barracks/department defense, along with MAB 38s, Beretta M12s, 30.06 Bren LMGs and shotguns.
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These Moschettos 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.