The 7.35 Carcano was developed during 1938 in a move to provide a more powerful solution to the 6,5 Carcano in service at that time. Apparently the 6,5 Carcano proved inadequate in stopping charges of native tribesmen for a number of years, prompting various stop-gap solutions such as brass-jacketed multiple projectile or frangible explosive bullets, apparently for use against tribesmen in colonial conflicts. The 7.35 was also with a semi-spitser type bullet with an aluminium tip over a lead base to provide a bullet that would become unstable and tumble upon impact in order to better deal with those pesky natives. Various design problems as well as the outbreak of WW2 caused the Italians to stick to the 6,5 for supply and logistical reasons. The 7.35 was however used relatively successfully by Finland against Russian troops.
A.A are the initials for Aldo Adama
The first specimen is a M1937 MAGISTRI. The M37 was a simplification on the M91/95 with a different construction, whereby the aluminium and lead pellets were replaced by lead powder and sand. The second specimen is a GUARD/ANTI-RIOT where the bullet consisted of a brass tube with three longitudinal slits containing 5 lead cylinders that were bisected. Upon exiting the barrel, the slits disintegrate and the lead cylinders dispersed like a shot load.
The bottom specimen is a Cartuccia da salve M. 38 per armi M. 38. This is a blank loading, similar to the M91 load on the 6,5 Carcano. The “bullet” is made from beech wood with a 1 gram charge of Ballistite, held by a felt disk.
C.A are the initials for Alfredo Cavalli. His initials as inspector appears on both Bologna and Capua loads
(From an old ICCC journal we get this explanation from one of the Tillinghast auctions) – This was manufactured by Toyo Seiki Company Limited in Japan. These cases were sent as samples to Golden State Arms Corporation sometime around February 1960. The brass was soft and the primer pockets (Boxer) were too large. So apparently the project of making brass in Japan and advertised as the Santa Fe Superclean brass was abandoned. It was one of a few calibers (30-06, 6,5 Carcano, 6,5 Swedish, 7.35 Carcano and 7.5 Swiss) that were manufactured in Japan.
SOCIETA METALLURGICA ITALIANA, FLORENCE.
T.M is currently unknown. To this day, many of the inspectors’ names are not know either because records were destroyed during the war, or the Italian Government still has not released the names of these persons.
