The Side Mounted Scope on the 6.5 mm Carcano

[Bob Prudhomme]

Bob: You have also stated in another thread how you would go about breaking apart and reloading the round to remove the 20 year-old gunpowder and make the bullet more accurate. So that could have been done to the ammo in this case. Furthermore, the shell casings found at the "snipers nest" scene bore marks that indicated that they had previously been chambered in more than one rifle, since the marks were different. This all seems to indicate the possibility that the ammo had been reloaded.

We don't know where Oswald might have purchased ammo, since the FBI never uncovered any evidence he purchased any, and since he didn't have any (anywhere), with the possible exception of the one left in the gun. There are stories of an "Oswald look-alike" firing at a target range and making the point of recovering his brass. Doesn't this all make a reloading scenario more likely?

Note: The reloading scenario does make it less likely that Oswald was involved, since in addition to him not having any ammo, none of the necessary equipment needed to reload ammo was found among his possessions.

Actually, it would be more like 60 or 70 year old gunpowder (and primers) at this point in time. I'm not sure how anyone could seriously say they were doing accuracy tests with ammunition this old.

Any time you see a guy at a range carefully collecting all of his empty casings, you are looking at either a handloader or a guy with a good place to peddle scrap metal.

Once again, it is entirely possible that cartridges were handloaded for the M91/38; not just to get the properly sized .268" bullet into the casing but also for the improved accuracy handloading lends to shooting. However, considering all of the other inadequacies of the rifle, it hardly seems worth the effort.