Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! In 1887, Italy modernized its single-shot M1870 Vetterli rifles by adding Captain G. Vitali’s four-round box magazine system. This M1870/87 Vetterli-Vitali conversion maintained the original 10.4x47mm chambering but introduced a unique loading system using wooden and steel chargers pressed into the magazine. The conversion program ran until 1896, modifying infantry rifles and special troops’ musketoons. In 1890, the rear sight was updated to accommodate new smokeless powder ammunition. During World War I, about 400,000 Vetterli-Vitali rifles were exported to Russia with British-contracted ammunition from Remington. The rifle saw widespread use beyond Italian service. The Ulster Volunteer Force acquired 25,000 rifles during Ireland’s Home Rule Crisis. Many ended up in British Officers’ Training Corps during WWII. Through Soviet distribution of captured Russian stocks, the rifle even appeared in the Spanish Civil War. Later, some were converted to 6.5mm Carcano (M1870/87/15) for colonial troops and rear-echelon units, serving into WWII with Italian Blackshirts and various foreign forces.
“Manufacturer: Torre A.
Model: M1870/87/15Type: RifleGauge: 10.4 mmBarrel: 33 3/4 inch roundFinish: blue/brightStock: hardwood”
Lot 267: Two Antique Italian Bolt Action Rifles. (n.d.-a). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved December 28, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/2087/267/two-antique-italian-bolt-action-rifles.
The post POTD: The Vetterli-Vitali – Italy’s First Magazine-Fed Service Rifle appeared first on AllOutdoor.com.
