6,5 Carcano

This was the official Italian military cartridge from 1891 to the end of WW II. It was designed for the bolt action Mannlicher-Carcano rifle and is designated 6,5x52 in Europe. A fair number of these rifles were “liberated” during the war and many more sold in the USA at very low prices after 1945 which makes it a fairly widely-used cartridge. Norma has for many years been the sole manufacturer of cases and ammunition. Due to the relatively low working pressure of the 6,5 Carcano rifle this round cannot be loaded to the same velocities as other 6,5 mm cartridges. However it remains a fine deer, antelope and black bear cartridge. The Carcano rifle is the only smokeless powder rifle which was made with gain twist barrels and most rifles will be most accurate with bullets weighing 140 grains or more.