Original Item: Only One Available. The M1870 Vetterli was the Italian service rifle from 1870-1887. The M1870 was a single-shot bolt action rifle chambered for the 10.4mm Vetterli centrefire cartridge, at first loaded with black powder and later with smokeless powder. The M1870 was based upon the M1869 Swiss Vetterli but simplified for economy. Starting in 1887, all model 1870s were updated to the M1870/87 Italian Vetterli-Vitali variant, which has a 4 round magazine. Many were later converted to work with 6.5mm ammunition after 1915, so unconverted examples like this are hard to find. We have had many of the 6.5mm examples, but only a handful of examples like this.

This example bears serial number D 570 on the right side of the barrel nocks form and on the right side of the butt stock. Offered in very good service used condition, it is marked TORINO over an 1873 date on the barrel, indicating manufacture in the Arsenal at the mountain city of Turin in 1873. There is a maker symbol on the top of the nocks form, but it is unfortunately not one that we recognize. As this rifle was made in 1874, it was originally manufactured as a single shot Vetterli, and was then later converted to take the Vitali rifle system. It was not however later converted during WWI to take the 6.5 Carcano cartridge.

The stock is in very good shape, showing a lovely color, with the expected wear from service. It looks to have been a WWII USGI bring back, as the fore stock has a "duffle cut" under the lower barrel band, as the rifle stock would be too long to fit in a duffle bag without the cut. There are also still visible cartouches in many areas, such as one on the right side, which we assume was from when the rifle was updated with the Vitali magazine system. This is not a cartouche that we have seen before, and it reads:

This indicates that this rifle was "Repaired" at Artigiana Fabbrica D'Armi Terni (Artisan Weapons Factory Terni) in 1889. The "U" cypher is for King Umberto I of Italy, who reigned 1878 to 1900. Both sling swivels are present and move easily, and there is a cleaning rod under the barrel, but it does not look to be the correct type.

The metalwork is in very good service used condition, showing a gray patina on the barrel, having faded from the original blued finish. The receiver and bolt are more of a lighter gray color now from cleaning, and most of the metalwork shows wear, but also no major oxidation or other damage. We do not see any signs of having been refinished. Mechanically it functions great, cycling correctly with a good dry fire, though we cannot test to see if it still feeds. The magazine cutoff ring is still present, and moves into place correctly, though we have no way of testing it. We checked the bore, and it is in excellent condition, showing a bright finish with clear lands and grooves. There is a bit of wear, but this is definitely well above most we see from the era of black powder.

Overall a very nice example of this somewhat rare and desirable weapon, duffle cut when brought back from Europe. Ready to research and display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1873 - Converted 1889
Caliber: 10.4×47mmR
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 34 inches
Overall Length: 53 Inches
Action type: Bolt-Action
Feed System: 4 round magazine

History of the Vetterli Rifle

The 19th Century proved a critical one for the advancement of firearms. Up to this point, the flintlock muzzle-loading system was the adopted standard but all this changed with the advent of the percussion cap system and breech-loading configuration. Add to this the arrival of the self-contained cartridge and the gun of the late 1800s was a far cry from that of early part of the decade.

In Switzerland, Johann-Freidrich Vetterli had developed a new cartridge-based, breech-loading, bolt-action rifle that entered service with the Swiss Army in 1869 - the "Vetterli Rifle". This long gun was based around the 10.4x38mm Swiss cartridge, a rimfire cartridge with black powder content. The rifle went on to provide service from the period of 1869 to 1890 with some of the 36,700 units seeing combat service into World War 1 (1914-1918) on the side of the Russians.

The Italian Army, in search of a modern cartridge-based long gun themselves, adopted the Swiss gun a short time later and these came to be known as the Model 1870 "Italian Vetterli". The Italian model differed somewhat from its original Swiss design in that attention was paid to streamlining the product for Italian Army requirements. The rifle - once an 11-round tube-fed weapon - was reduced to just single-shot firing and rechambered for the 10.35x47mmR, a centerfire cartridge with black powder content. On the whole, the rifles maintained the same design form as the Swiss version with its long wooden stock, ornate trigger guard, and turn-down bolt handle. A large rear sighting assembly was an identifying feature of the Italian mark and a two-banded arrangement was seen on the long wooden body leading up to the muzzle.

In 1887, the rifle was upgraded with a four-round projecting magazine case for repeat-firing, this afforded much efficient use out of the bolt-action arrangement. The magazine was of a local design by Italian artillery Captain G. Vitali - his surname making it into the revised designation of Model 1870/87 "Italian Vetterli-Vitali". This magazine was fed by way of Mannlicher-style preloaded clips while still chambered for the 10.4x47R cartridge. The modified guns were appropriately marked along their butt stocks.

By the time of World War 1 (1914-1918), the Italian government - as with other world powers - found itself desperately short of many viable war-making products including service rifles. It committed to the war effort on the side of the Allies in 1915 and quickly scoured its stores for useful weapons of all types. This meant that the aged Model 1870s were still in play, numbering in the hundreds of thousands by this point. However, local conversions were forced upon the design in an attempt to produce a more modern end-product - chief of these changes being the conversion to the 6.5x52mm Carcano standard Italian rifle cartridge with smokeless powder content. The move also required new barrel lining and new magazine (Mannlicher type).

The 6.5mm Italian Vetterli guns were issued to second-line Italian Army regiments in the hope that these groups would not be pressed into serious combat action - but if they were they could carry with them a somewhat useful infantry rifle. This did not prove the norm on the whole however for the rifles did see direct combat action against the enemy during several of the Italian offensives of the war.

The Italian Vetterli was still in circulation throughout the inter-war period following and some even played a role in the Italian invasion of Ethiopia during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War (1935-1936), the Italians claiming a decisive victory.

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