This is a Carcano M91/24, which I believe was captured from the Italians and used by an unknown partisan group. It is marked "1 26 1942" and "M.W." on one side, and "ф.K" on the other.
I believe MW was a Slovenian, and he captured the rifle on January 26, 1942. Different areas in Yugoslavia had different cultural mixes, and Slovenia had a fair amount of Germans - thus the uncommon "W." He apparently was bored, and scratched up the whole left side of the stock.
I believe ф.K was possibly a Serb or Montenegrin, as both groups seem more inclined to use Cyrillic over Latin characters. Maybe he was a Četnik and the rifle was captured by a Slovene Partisan; or he was a Partisan, and the rifle was captured by a Slovene Domobran, or "Home Guard." There are other myriad possibilities not based on the character clues.
The action of this rifle was still dirty from the war. The rifling is basically gone, and the trigger is very light. It has no import marks, and probably came in 1960-1965 when a large amount of worn-down WWII Yugoslavian imports came in; if from Greece, it would have come around the same time.
I believe MW was a Slovenian, and he captured the rifle on January 26, 1942. Different areas in Yugoslavia had different cultural mixes, and Slovenia had a fair amount of Germans - thus the uncommon "W." He apparently was bored, and scratched up the whole left side of the stock.
I believe ф.K was possibly a Serb or Montenegrin, as both groups seem more inclined to use Cyrillic over Latin characters. Maybe he was a Četnik and the rifle was captured by a Slovene Partisan; or he was a Partisan, and the rifle was captured by a Slovene Domobran, or "Home Guard." There are other myriad possibilities not based on the character clues.
The action of this rifle was still dirty from the war. The rifling is basically gone, and the trigger is very light. It has no import marks, and probably came in 1960-1965 when a large amount of worn-down WWII Yugoslavian imports came in; if from Greece, it would have come around the same time.