This is an Italian Carcano M91 cavalry carbine used by the Italians in WWII. It was captured by Greek guerrillas and converted to 6.5x54 Mannlicher, from 6.5x52 Carcano caliber. The WWII group who converted these is unknown, but it was probably done a main group - EDES, EKKA, or the largest, ELAS. Another possibility is that these were converted during the following Greek Civil War. However, during the Civil War, the Communist guerrillas (of the former ELAS) were supplied by Albania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, and the royalist/government troops were supplied by Britain and the USA; thus a 6.5x54 conversion would not have been needed as much as during WWII.
A national intelligence estimate by the CIA published 7 February, 1947 titled "The Greek Situation" mentioned certain arms of the Greek guerrillas:
"The insurgents have a variety of arms, including Sten guns, mortars, mines, machine guns, rifles, and grenades. Some of these items have been stolen from Greek stores; others are part of the stock provided the Greeks by the British during the war [WWII]. Italian, German, and Soviet arms, probably left over from the war, have also been reported. There is some evidence, too, that UNRRA supplies, including food, clothing, and transport vehicles, have been used to assist the insurgents while they are outside Greece."
The sign that a Carcano is converted by the Greeks is the large serif "E" on top of the receiver. The triangular dots often accompany the "E" but their meaning is unknown. The chamber was lengthened 2 mm to Mannlicher dimensions, and nothing more was done.
This rifle also has cartridge case mouth graffiti of a "cross ΓΚ" and on the other side a faint MK; of which the first most likely Greek, and the second also possibly. Cartridge case mouth crosses may have seemed natural from the rounded style of many Orthodox crosses, versus the round case mouths.. Why the rifle passed to two users is unknown - but the original owner easily could have been killed.
The markings on the right side of the chamber wood area, and at the underside of wrist, are unusual and perhaps denote Greek usage also. (A similar but not identical mark can be found on the Steyr M88/90 on this site.)
The bore on this rifle is good. The outer bluing is gone, and there is some pitting, especially on the magazine. The stock is solid with less handling marks than expected. The stock and barrel numbers do not match. The folding bayonet is missing. This rifle has no import marks and was imported before 1968.
A national intelligence estimate by the CIA published 7 February, 1947 titled "The Greek Situation" mentioned certain arms of the Greek guerrillas:
"The insurgents have a variety of arms, including Sten guns, mortars, mines, machine guns, rifles, and grenades. Some of these items have been stolen from Greek stores; others are part of the stock provided the Greeks by the British during the war [WWII]. Italian, German, and Soviet arms, probably left over from the war, have also been reported. There is some evidence, too, that UNRRA supplies, including food, clothing, and transport vehicles, have been used to assist the insurgents while they are outside Greece."
The sign that a Carcano is converted by the Greeks is the large serif "E" on top of the receiver. The triangular dots often accompany the "E" but their meaning is unknown. The chamber was lengthened 2 mm to Mannlicher dimensions, and nothing more was done.
This rifle also has cartridge case mouth graffiti of a "cross ΓΚ" and on the other side a faint MK; of which the first most likely Greek, and the second also possibly. Cartridge case mouth crosses may have seemed natural from the rounded style of many Orthodox crosses, versus the round case mouths.. Why the rifle passed to two users is unknown - but the original owner easily could have been killed.
The markings on the right side of the chamber wood area, and at the underside of wrist, are unusual and perhaps denote Greek usage also. (A similar but not identical mark can be found on the Steyr M88/90 on this site.)
The bore on this rifle is good. The outer bluing is gone, and there is some pitting, especially on the magazine. The stock is solid with less handling marks than expected. The stock and barrel numbers do not match. The folding bayonet is missing. This rifle has no import marks and was imported before 1968.