Guns International #: 102888170
Seller's Inventory #: BP24-65

Category - Military Rifles - Non-US - Antique Rifles - Cartridge

Category
Military Rifles - Non-US
Antique Rifles - Cartridge

1886-Dated Italian Army Vetterli-Vitali Model 1870/87/15 Infantry Rifle Mfg. by Terni * WW1 6.5 Carcano Conversion *

Description:
     This is a very cool, very handsome, antique Italian Military-issue Vetterli-Vitali Model 1870 infantry rifle that was manufactured by the Italian National Arsenal at Terni in 1886, then subsequently modernized by the Italian Military a year later in 1887 to Model 1870/87 specs, and a second time an amazing 28 years later in 1915 to Model 1870/87/15 specs for service in WW1.  While there is no way to know for sure exactly how long this particular rifle was in military service outside of at least from 1886 until 1918, a number of these Vetterli-Vitali Model 1870/87/15's remained in some form of military or civil service for an extraordinary length of time, from 1871 until as late as the 1950's, a span of almost 80 years!!  
     Originally starting life as a Vetterli Model 1870 which went into service in 1871 and was manufactured by several Italian state arsenals.  This model was based off of the Swiss Military's Vetterli Model 1868, but Italy decided to make it a single shot rifle, thus eliminating the tubular magazine mounted under the barrel of the Swiss M1868 Vetterli, and the Italians designed their Vetterli to use a more powerful centerfire cartridge than the Swiss 10.4x38mmR rimfire cartridge of their M1868 Vetterlis.  The new Italian cartridge was called the 10.4x47mmR Vetterli, which was a rimmed centerfire round, charged with black powder and containing a large bullet but with more velocity/speed than the Swiss cartridge it was based off of, yet still slow compared to the smokeless small bore cartridges that were rapidly replacing the large bore rounds in military issue rifles all over the world.  This remained the standard issue rifle for the Italians until the year 1887, when the first major modernization of this rifle was implemented.  From 1887 until 1896, these rifles were sent back to the state-owned arsenal to be rebuilt into repeaters, with the addition of the Vitali-designed magazine assembly.  The rifle was disassembled, the stock was routed out for the magazine assembly, any small parts needed to make it work were added while any worn parts that were to remain were replaced, and the rifle was reconfigured to what would then be called the Vetterli-Vitali Model 1870/87.  The new magazine assembly held 4 rounds and was loaded with a steel and wood charger.  The charger with 4 rounds would be inserted into the magazine until the last round locked under the cartridge retainer, and then the wood and steel charger was pulled out by a pull-string attached to the top of the charger.  The cartridge would remain the same black powder powered round until 1890, when the cartridge was loaded with smokeless powder.  At that point in 1890 until 1896 the rear sights would be modified to compensate for the new round's improved ballistics by changing the range markings.  The guns modified to 1887 standards would be returned for sight modifications in rotation.  
     The Model 1870/87 would remain unchanged until WW1.  At that point the Italian Army was in short supply of rifles and needed to equip front line troops with the now standard-issue Carcano Model 1891 bolt-action repeating rifle, chambered in the new high-velocity 6.5 Carcano.  The Italian Army decided the fastest route to do this, while at the same time simplify the ammunition-supply challenges that having two rifles in service that fire two different cartridges, was to pull these Vetterli-Vitali's out of storage, and send them to be modified to fire the standard-issue 6.5 Carcano cartridge, and issue as many of the rear echelon troops as possible with it, as they were the least likely to be in combat at the front.  This would allow ALL new production of the 1891 Carcano rifles to front line troops in heavy combat.  This 1915 modification was achieved by re-lining the barrel with a 6.5 caliber rifled barrel-insert, modifying the bolt head and shortening the firing pin to fire that round, and by swapping out the magazine housing with modified Model 91 Carcano magazine assembly.  The barrel lining was done by what was called the "Salerno method" which inserted a reverse-stepped liner into the barrel, after it was reamed to accept it, that would secure the liner and prevent any chance of it being shot out of the barrel with reverse steps that only seated it tighter when fired.  Despite the new round being much more powerful with higher pressures, it was determined that the metallurgy would hold together as long as it was not fired continuously in front-line combat.  This new revised version of the Vetterli was named the Model 1870/87/15, and it would serve out the remainder of the war in rear duty, only occasionally being used in active combat in emergencies.  With the end of WW1, these rifles were either put into storage or sent to colonial troops, many in Africa which would end up being used by native African troops in the 2nd Italo-Ethiopian War.  They would also be used by Nationalist troops in the Spanish Civil War, and then with the outbreak of WW2, many would be used by various fascist Blackshirt Paramilitary groups.  With the end of WW2 they were then sold as surplus, put into storage, or sold-off to a variety of places.
    This particular example is a very nice representative piece that is NOT IMPORt MARKED like 90% of thse you appears to be all-original, as a twice-modified Vetterli to the Model 1870/87/15 specs. Dated 1886, it is an antique and would have been in service for just a year as an 1870 model until upgraded to a repeater in 1887, then again in 1915-1918 when it was sleeved and rechambered in 6.5 Carcano.  As you can see from the pictures, the rifle is handsome piece and still retains a vast majority of the armory-applied blue finish from the 1915 conversion.  This blue finish is very attractive and uniform from the butt to the muzzle. The worst deductions on this rifle come from the cracks in the stock at the receiver area.  Both sides are cracked, and done so in a way where it looks like the rifle was used as a club, holding it by the barrel and swinging the buttstock at someone or something.  With that said, both sides do not go all the way thru to the bottom, both stopping well short of the bottom of the stock.  I disassembled the rifle to inspect them closely, and see if they could be repaired, and at that point saw that they had been glued a very long time ago with a weak glue of some sort. I ended up removing all of the old glue and re-glued it with 2-part epoxy after cleaning the surfaces as best I could.  It was then left in clamps to cure for 24 hours.  The repair was successful and the end result was a stock that is stable and solid feeling.  The rest of this neat antique weapon appears to be in great shape and untouched since the last conversion, and potentially the last time it was issued to the Italian Military before being turned-in to the armory as obsolete, and later sold as surpus, or when it was captured as a WW1 "war trophy" and carried back here to the States.  
      The action in this Vetterli appears to be in good working order and all of the controls on it are functional.  This Model 1870/87/15 is all nice and tight with no loose or broken parts, and the bore is quite good for one of these.  The reverse-stepped 6.5 Carcano caliber liner in the barrel has nice sharp rifling and clean lands and gooves, and the seam between it and the barrel is nearly invisible.  A careful exam of the receiver and barrel, and all of the aditional action parts did not reveal any issues , damage, cracks, or repairs, the antique metallurgy cnnot be trusted with modern surplus or factory smokeless ammunition.  While this Vetterli-Vitali appears to be 100% functional, WE ARE SELLING THIS AS AN ANTIQUE WEAPON FOR DISPLAY ONLY!!!!!  The risk of the 138 year-old steel used in this Vetterli-Vitali gving-out and rupturing and hurting someone is just too great to sell it as a shooter, no matter how good the steel looks on the outside!   This is not unique to this particular example, but it is the general consensus for ALL of these rifles still in existence.

Price: $595.00

Antique: Yes
Rifle Caliber: 6.5x52mm Mannlicher-Carcano
Manufacturer: Terni
Model: Vetterli-Vitali Model 1870/87/15 (WW1 Conversion)
Serial Number: KI 1121
Barrel Length: 33.85" Inches
Bore Info: 6.5 Caliber Rifled Sleeve
Condition: Very Good / Good
Metal Condition: Very Good
Wood Condition: Good / Average
Bore Condition: Very Good / Good
Action: Bolt Action Repeater
Stock: Original Factory Stock
Butt Pad: Factory Steel Buttplate
Finish: Military Blue
Weight: 9.9 lbs
Sights: Adjustable Iron Battle Sights
Manufacture Date: 1886 (Arsenal Mo