THE MEN BEHIND THE RIFLE
SALVATORE CÀRCANO
​ Bobbiate, October 11th 1827 - Turin June 1903
Salvatore Carcano was born in Bobbiate, a village of Varese, in 1827.
Son of Carlo Carcano and Maria Cattaneo, he was baptized the following day in the parish of Casbeno, as the church of Bobbiate was not used for parish functions.
​Having lost his father at the age of 10, he was forced to work to support his family, interrupting his studies.
In 1848, at the age of 21, he enlisted as a gunner in the Lombard Volunteer Corps, participating in the First Italian War of Independence. He probably took part in General Durando's campaign in Trentino, among the ranks of the Lombard Battalion.
​After the defeat of Custoza, the Volunteer Corps were retreated towards Vestone, then to Bergamo and Monza, finally retreating to Piedmont on 19 August 1848.
Once the Volunteer Corps disbanded in September 1848, Carcano enlisted in the Royal Piedmontese Army in January 1849. His experience as an artilleryman and his mechanical aptitude secured him a position as a Gunsmith Cadet in the Gunsmith Company of the Royal Artillery Corps.
Discharged in 1852 with the rank of Sergeant, his technical qualifications granted him a place at the Royal Arms Factory in Turin. He began as a worker, finishing and smoothing rifle barrels.
Carcano's technical and inventive skills shone through his service. He patented a new device for triggering rifle firing pins and specific machine tools for manufacturing barrels, bayonets, and sights.
In 1854, Camillo Benso di Cavour (Italian Prime Minister), preparing a military contingent for the Crimean War, visited the factory. The expedition required rifling 50,000 rifles quickly to face the Russians with modern weapons. Having heard of Carcano's exceptional abilities, Cavour met with him personally. Impressed, the Count entrusted Carcano with directing the rifling effort, a crucial task for the expedition's success. Cavour's correspondence reflects this exchange.
Carcano's exceptional work, patenting new machine tools, was recognized at the 1858 Turin International Exposition, where he, then a second-class worker (Operaio di 2^ classe), received a medal and a diploma of honor presented by Artillery corp Major General Giovanni Solari, then Turin Arsenal Director. Carcano was publicly acknowledged for bringing prestige to the institution.
Following this recognition, his promotions were swift: Controller of Arms, Third Class in 1859, Controller, Second Class on January 29, 1860, and Controller, First Class in 1862.
In 1862, Carcano embarked on a mission abroad to study new small arms. He visited arsenals and factories in friendly countries, including Wewhausen in Switzerland and Paris in France. This multi-year mission allowed him to study and test specialized machines for producing steel bars for modern rifle barrels.
He returned in October 1865 with the new rank of Chief Controller, Second Class.
Carcano participated in August 1866 in the trial for a new breech loading rifle indicted by the Italian Royal Army. He proposed a system based on the German Dreyse action, featuring a metal cartridge and a brand new flag safety. However, the War Ministry's budget limited the project's cost, forcing Carcano to adapt his design for converting existing 1844, 1858, and 1860 model muskets, abundant in the arsenals. This conversion used paper cartridges with a minie-type ball and an internal primer.
Carcano patented his conversion system in July 1867 (patent no. 376, vol. VII) under the title "Rifles Loading from the Breech, Carcano System." The conversion process began in the following months, prioritizing rifles for the Bersaglieri (note no. 118 of August 20th, 1867).
The Rifle Mod. 1867, in its various forms (rifle, musket, and carbine), served the Royal Army from 1867 to the mid-1970s. It was eventually replaced entirely by the Vetterli Mod. 70 rifle and its variants.
Subsequently, it was entirely replaced by the Wetterly mod.70 rifle and its variants. However, the model 1867 remained in use by the Carabinieri and the Police Forces until the 1890s, when it was also replaced in these roles by the Vetterli.
In particular, the Bersaglieri carbine mod.1867 was the weapon used by the Bersaglieri when taking Porta Pia and consequently the city of Rome on September 20th 1870.
In 1868 Carcano was promoted to Chief Controller First Class.
​In 1874, with the reform of roles within the Arms Factories, he obtained the qualification of Second Class Principal Technical Chief. In this role, he patented another elevation system in 1876, although it is not to be found in the lists of patents of the period.
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In 1878 Carcano was promoted to Chief Engineer First Class, a role he held until his retirement.
In 1890, the commission for the adoption of a new smokeless powder rifle (Led by Gen. Parravicino) asked the arms factories to submit designs in competition with those of great private designers such as Mauser, Lee, and Mannlicher.
The Turin factory, led by the now-famous Salvatore Carcano, almost seventy years old but still up-to-date on the mechanical and steel techniques of the time, presented a simple, effective, and robust action. It was similar to the first Mauser Model 1889 bolt closing system, but with the flag safety of the Carcano system introduced in the Model 1867.
The other arsenals proposed a more elegant action, but more complex and expensive to produce, and less appreciated by the Parma infantry school, which had to choose the action to adopt. The action of the rifle presented by the Turin weapons factory was therefore approved, with the use of a Mannlicher type magazine and some minor modifications.
Carcano received a cash prize and oversaw the production of his latest creation until 1896, when he retired due to seniority. His pension was paid on April 12th, 1897.
​He died in Turin in June 1903.
GUSTAVO PARRAVICINO​
Milan, 1837 - Milan, 1908
Born in 1837 in Milan, he entered the Royal Military Academy of Turin as a cadet in 1852, and after completing the sixth year of the course he was appointed Second Lieutenant of Infantry.
He was then transferred to the artillery, participating in the Second War of Independence, and was then promoted to Lieutenant.
The following year he was promoted to captain and transferred to the 4th Field Artillery Regiment, in 1861 to the 5th Field Artillery Regiment and in 1864 to the 10th Field Artillery Regiment.
With the 10th he took part in the Third War of Independence in 1866, obtaining a silver medal for Military Valor in Custoza.
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In 1869 he was promoted to Major and transferred to the 2nd Field Artillery Regiment, before moving on to the Territorial Directorate of Genoa in 1872.
In 1876 he developed a new model of rangefinder, taken into consideration by the Royal Army Artillery commission, together with a model proposed by Eng. Salmoiraghi.
In 1877 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and transferred to the Artillery Directorate of Venice, where he was appointed Colonel in 1880.
In 1883 he moved to command the 6th field artillery regiment.
In 1887, promoted to Brigadier General, he was appointed to command the "Siena" Brigade.
In 1888 he was appointed Director of the Central Infantry Shooting School of Parma, where he was responsible for chairing the commission for the adoption of the new rifle for the Infantry, which would become the mod.91 rifle, with Salvatore Carcano action and Mannlicher magazine.
In 1893, promoted to Lieutenant General, he was appointed Inspector of Field Artillery.
In 1896, he was appointed to lead the Palermo and Piacenza Divisions.
In 1898 he was appointed commander of the V Army Corps, stationed in Verona, which he presided over until 1902.
He died in Milan in 1908.​
GIUSEPPE VITALI​
Bergamo, 1845 - Anzio, 1921
Born in Bergamo in 1845.
In 1866 he participated as a second lieutenant of artillery in the Third War of Independence, earning a silver medal at the V.M.
After the war, he was assigned to the 1st Artillery Regiment (Bridge builders). In 1870, he was promoted to lieutenant and transferred to the 3rd Fortress Artillery Regiment.
In 1871 he was transferred to the 7th Field Artillery Regiment; in 1878, promoted to Captain, he served in the Workers' Company.
From 1883 to 1890 he was employed as a technician at the Turin Weapons Factory, where he developed and supervised the production of the magazine for the Vetterli rifle mod.1870/87, which bears his name.
At the end of his service he was promoted to Major and assigned to the 27th Fortress Regiment in 1891, before being transferred in 1893 to the 9th Fortress Brigade.
In 1897 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and transferred to the Artillery Directorate of Rome, where he remained until 1900 when, promoted to Colonel, he was appointed director of the Royal Arms Factory of Terni
In 1903 he left active service due to his age, being promoted to Major General of the Reserve in 1912.
In 1905, collaborating with Bethel Revelli, he developed a semi-automatic pistol in 7.65 which, however, was not adopted by the Royal Army.
In 1915 he was recalled to service at the Artillery Construction Inspectorate, being promoted to Lieutenant General in 1917.
He died in Anzio in 1921.​
SALERNO GIUSEPPE
​December 18th 1862 - ?
Giuseppe Salerno was born on December 18, 1862.
Enlistedon February 2, 1881, his prior technical background likely played a role in his rapid promotion to Sergeant Major Armourer of the 76th Infantry Regiment.
​On July 3, 1892, he was promoted to Chief Technician 3rd Class and deployed on the 6th with the Italian contingent to Massawa. There, he served as the technical chief responsible for weapon maintenance and repair in the Eritrean colony.
Salerno spent the years 1894 to 1898 at the Artillery Directorate of Venice before being transferred to the Terni Arms Factory, where he remained until 1921. Here, on August 1, 1907, he was further promoted to Chief Technician 1st Class.
His expertise proved crucial in the production of the Model 91 rifle. From 1912 to 1916, he served as the technical chief responsible for the 3rd Laboratory, dedicated to the construction of Model 91 barrels. From 1916 to 1918, he headed Laboratory 3 bis, tasked with the specific process of barrel tubing.
In the same period (1912-1917) he developed and patented a barrel refurbishment system consistin in re-lining the consumed barrel with an internal tube, in order to renew the rifling.
Salerno's contributions were recognized with his appointment as Knight of the Crown of Italy on April 16, 1916. He further demonstrated his dedication by ceding his patent for barrel tubing to the Kingdom of Italy on May 5, 1917.
Following his service in Terni, Salerno held positions at the Artillery Directorate in Rome (1921-1922) and the Rome Arms Factory as Principal Technical Chief (1922-1926). In 1936, he received the prestigious honor of Grand Officer of the Crown of Italy.
Salerno's mark of approval (S.G.) can be found on practically all Model 91 rifle barrels produced in Terni between 1912 and 1919. This enduring mark stands as a testament to his significant role in the production of this iconic weapon.
BORAGINE ROBERTO
Teano, Caserta, 10.01.1904 - ?
Developer of the mod.38, mod.40 and mod.41 rifles.
Fresh out of the prestigious Royal Engineering School of Naples in 1925, he rose steadily through the ranks, starting as a Second Lieutenant in 1926 and reaching the position of Captain by 1930, where he oversaw the Technical Service for Weapons and Ammunition (Basically, Army's D&R section).
His dedication earned him the rank of Major in the Artillery by 1939, further solidified by his knighthood – Knight of the Crown of Italy – that same year.
After the Second World War He retired as a Colonel, but his knowledge of ballistics made him a sought-after expert in the courtrooms. High-profile cases like the Mafia murder of Salvatore Carnevale (1955) and the infamous Aldo Moro case (1978) all saw Boragine as a Ballistic expert, called to solve the forensic part of the two crimes, indicating the guns of the perpetrator and such.
CAPALDO FEDERICO
Teano, Caserta, ​ 08.04.1884 - ?
Capaldo was born in Teano, near Caserta, on April 8th 1884.
In 1902 he entered the Military Academy, having already established a strong foundation at the Naples Military College.
This prestigious path led him to a quick promotion to second Lieutenant of artillery in 1904. He further honed his skills at the School of Artillery and Engineering Applications in Turin, solidifying his knowledge in the field.
The early years of his career saw Capaldo steadily climbing the ranks, serving as both Artillery Lieutenant and Captain.​ This period also showcased his thirst for knowledge beyond the battlefield, as evidenced by his enrollment in an electronics course during 1912-1913.
At the outbreak of WW1 he was in charge of a battery of 305 howitzers near Poja, in Val Camonica, while in 1916 he was sent as in France to study the new artillery tactics developed by the Entente.
By 1935, he had achieved the rank of Major General and was appointed Director of theArmy spool factory in Rome. He then got promoted as a Director of the Technical Service for Weapons and Ammunition (Army R&D). In 1937, he led the Projects Department, followed by the role as Head of the Explosives Department in 1938.
