Moschetto Balilla Mod. 1891
Italian State Arsenals (FNA Brescia / Castelli / Balilla Grazian) · Carbine · Out Of Production · 1930
Also known as: Moschetto Regolamentare Balilla Mod. 1891, Moschetto Balilla, Ausbildungs-Karabiner 407(i)
Overview
The Moschetto Balilla Mod. 1891 was a scaled-down single-shot training carbine issued to members of the Opera Nazionale Balilla, the Fascist youth organization of Kingdom of Italy. Modelled on the Carcano Modello 91 cavalry carbine with a shortened 367 mm barrel and a folding bayonet, it was built as a lightweight bolt-action drill rifle for boys and either chambered small-bore rimfire ammunition (.22 Short / 6 mm Flobert) or fired blank cartridges only, depending on the pattern. Around 30,000 were produced between roughly 1930 and 1943 by Brescia and Verona makers including FNA, the Castelli brothers, and Balilla Grazian.
Specifications
| Overall Length | 760 mm (29.92") |
| Barrel Length | 367 mm (14.45") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .22 Short · primary — also known as .22 Short, 6mm Flobert, 6.5mm blank
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Scaled Down Youth Carbine, Carcano M91 Cavalry Pattern Action, Folding Bayonet, Single Shot Training Rifle
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Opera Nazionale Balilla · adopted 1930 · as Moschetto Regolamentare Balilla Mod. 1891
- Gioventù Italiana del Littorio · adopted 1937
- Wehrmacht (captured stocks) · adopted 1943 · as Ausbildungs-Karabiner 407(i)
Conflicts
- Interwar period (Fascist Italy youth training) (1926-1940)
- World War II (1939-1945)
Production
Estimated total produced: 30,000 · Production years: 1930-1943
Approximately 30,000 examples produced by FNA (Brescia), Napoleone and Vittorio Castelli (Brescia), and Balilla Grazian (Verona).
Origin
Country of origin: Italy
Designer: Salvatore Carcano
Discontinued: 1943
Notes
Sources describe two families of the Balilla carbine: true small-bore live-fire trainers in .22 Short / 6 mm Flobert, and pure drill pieces that chamber only 6.5 mm blank cartridges. The .22 Short block is used here as a representative primary chambering; muzzle ballistics are left null because they vary by pattern. Captured examples were catalogued by the Wehrmacht as the Ausbildungs-Karabiner 407(i).
Background
Handed to boys as young as eight, the Moschetto Balilla was a working miniature Carcano complete with a folding bayonet - Fascist Italy's Opera Nazionale Balilla drilled schoolchildren with these scaled-down carbines to build a generation already familiar with the rifle before conscription age.