[Wiredrawn]

Hey all, I've returned from the depths of the void with more rifles.

Work brought in three M91s, one 1942 in great condition, one unknown year in somewhat good condition, one 1935 in poor mechanical condition, don't know much about any of them.

I purchased both the 1942 and the unknown year I've since dubbed 'Blondie' for it's light stock color at $286CAD each.

Here is the '42, more pictures will be added tonight as I didn't take as many as I thought. This one is remaining as-is for my collection.

Here's Blondie, bought this one as a restoration project.

The reason I chose Blondie is because it's mechanically sound unlike the 1935 (sear was so worn that it releases the bolt as soon as you start pulling the trigger and the forestock has a massive chunk missing) and was poorly stamped by the Italians so there are no manufacturer or date stamps on the barrel shank as far as I can see.

I started with getting the action out of the stock and removing the bluing. Was sanding it by hand, but decided to break out the heavier stuff afterwards.

Decided to give the metalwork an hour-long bath in white vinegar to turn the browned bluing back into rust. Two gallons in the already carbon-riddled bathtub for an hour did the trick with the added bonus of cleaning the tub.

After rinsing everything in hot water to stop the acidic reaction, I started clearing the rust with a plastic scour dremel bit with ease.

 

[Wiredrawn]

Once I'd gotten most of the rust off the barreled action, I began to tackle the pitting and other metal imperfections while being mindful of any stamping.

It was at this point where I decided to stop for the night as it was getting late and the dremel was getting too hot to continue. For kicks I loosely threw it back in the stock to see if I'd like the finish bright and I'm honestly torn. Now I don't know if I wanna leave it in the white after polishing, re-blue it, or have it cerakoted with a dark or bright color.

So that's where I'm at with a few hours of work. I'll keep you guys posted as I go along for those who are curious.

 

[tomj]

Why? What needed to be “restored” about blondie?

 

[Wiredrawn]

Why? What needed to be “restored” about blondie?

Mostly because I wanted to try my hand at it for fun, and the upper handguard that the rear sight rests on is basically split in half. There's also cracks forming in the stock that need to be addressed before they become an issue later on, especially the ones developing at the tang and top-most screw for the buttplate.

Plus it's an M91 in average condition, figured no one would really care since they're still stupid cheap and ammo is real hard to find.

 

[DocAV]

Not a "91/38" but a Moschetto M91 pure and simple.
The Rear sight Blocked base, and the adjustable Rear sight make it a classic M91.
The Moschetto M38 had a sleeved rear sight, rounded barrel Shank, and Fixed Block rear sight.
They changed from a Faceted Barrel Shank to Round in about 1935, and to the Sleeved Rear sight 1938.
M91 Moschetti continued in production along side the Fixed Sight M38 well into WWII ( mostly for Carabinieri) The M38 was for general Army Issue

DocAV

 

[Wiredrawn]

Not a "91/38" but a Moschetto M91 pure and simple.
The Rear sight Blocked base, and the adjustable Rear sight make it a classic M91.
The Moschetto M38 had a sleeved rear sight, rounded barrel Shank, and Fixed Block rear sight.
They changed from a Faceted Barrel Shank to Round in about 1935, and to the Sleeved Rear sight 1938.
M91 Moschetti continued in production along side the Fixed Sight M38 well into WWII ( mostly for Carabinieri) The M38 was for general Army Issue

DocAV

Thanks for the clarification Doc! I'm still new to these rifles and have much to learn.

 

[cthulu]

Are those from RTI?; I got one with the blonde type stock from them.

 

[Wiredrawn]

Are those from RTI?; I got one with the blonde type stock from them.

These came from North Sylva out of North York, Ontario, Canada. They are my store's supplier for milsurps.

They only deal with businesses however so regular folks can't shop their inventory without a business account with them.

 

[Tony C.]

I would not have done that to that rifle, but I confess I may have committed similar sins in my impatient youth. 😉