From the October 1999 issue, page 271.

by Ron Azzi

A couple of weeks ago I picked up a Vetterli Vitalii 1870/87/16 in pretty good shape FOR PARTS. That meant that the receiver had to be cut to avoid registration and payment of a $25.00 fee. Yes, that's what's happening now in Canada. This new law has slowed down sales quite a bit and prices have tumbled. By the year 2001 ALL guns will have to be registered. Hopefully the system will collapse, but right now if you want to buy a gun at a show or in a store, you have to fork out $25.00 for the registration.

Back to the rifle. I mostly wanted the stock because of the AOI stamp. AOI stands for Italian Fw Africa (Africa Orientale Italiana) and was stamped underlined and inside a circle on the butt. I have seen it on Carcanos, Vetterlis and Austrian. Mannlichers (rifles that the Italians captured from the Austrians in WWI). On closer examination I found a very faint KA and broad arrow by the AOI stamp and K.A over A just ahead of the magazine well. The seller advised me that the rifle had had a tag (lost, unfortunately) that said something like "FIELD INSPECTED." This leads me to believe that this rifle (converted to 6.5 in 1928) was issued to Italian Colonial troops, either in Ethiopia or Somalia, and captured by the British when Italy lost East Africa in 1941.

Can anyone identify these markings and tell me what they are?