PRONUNCIATIONS
NOMENCLATURES
"MANNLICHER-CARCANO"
Many authors in the past published their books claiming that the correct nomenclature for Carcanos should be "Mannlicher-Carcano" and then, eventually, adding the specific model nomenclature.
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This is incorrect.
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Not an abysmally wrong take, but surely can create some confusion in the reader, and in fact I spent several hours arguing with people, live and online, that claimed that being "Mannlicher-Carcano" the gun was actually designed by Mannlicher and just slightly modifed by Carcano.
This is surely due to people not digging into the topic except reading the name as it is presented to them. Also, they claim that Carcano receivers, being vaguely similar to some Mannlicher designs of the time, should be designed from mannlicher; but it litterally was the simplest system around, and was actually more inspired by the Gew 88 than anything. But that's confusing enough to push people into the wrong assumptions because of this small and redundant nomenclature error.
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The following are the reasons why this nomenclature is wrong, both by "words disposition" and by army nomenclature:
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- Italian army official nomenclatures didn't use the designers, and just went with the rifle model, so you have Fucile mod. 1891, moschetto mod. 1891, so on and so forth.
Istruzioni Militari per la Regia Marina
Parte seconda - Armi Portatili - Fucile Mod. 91
Genova, 1904
Regia Accademia di Fanteria e Cavalleria,
Armi Modello 91 e relative munizioni, 1940
- Italian technical nomenclatures would never call it "Mannlicher-Carcano" for one simple reason: We put the rifle/action designer's name BEFORE the magazine designer's.
You don't have Vitali-Vetterli, You have Vetterli-Vitali (Which the army called Fucile Mod. 70 or Fucile Mod. 70/87 or Fucile Mod. 70/87/16 nonetheless).
And of course, all the army and (late 1800s/early 1900s) civilian sources talking about the development of the new mod. 1891 rifle, talk about how the new developed gun as a "Carcano-Mannlicher" design, Carcano for the action, Mannlicher for the magazine (of course)
Gucci, Armi Portatili, vol I
1915
Regia Accademia di Fanteria e Cavalleria,
Armi Modello 91 e relative munizioni, 1940
Extra tip on nomenclature:
If you ask to basically any Italian soldier what gun he used during the world wars, he will never say a "Mannlicher-Carcano".
He will say he used a "91", a Fucile, a Moschetto, a Fucile 91/moschetto 91.
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If he was drafted after WW2, most likely he will say a "91/38", to indicate the widespread used Moschetto mod. 91/38.
Some, more "knowledgeable" and history aficionado veterans can call it a Carcano 91, but that's rather unusual in older testimonies.
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