M38 Carcano wall hanger

[M67]

I have some wall hanger rifles. Two fromww1 and two from ww2 (Kar98K, Steyr M95 carbine, Mannlicher M88 and this one, M38 Carcano).
This has interesting background. My father father hid the rifle and buried it during the war in 1943 beside one MAB Beretta38A. About ten years after the war, the smallmachine gun was dug out but the rifle did not. He did not find the rifle until the end of the eighties. Unfortunately, all the wooden parts rottened. Then I cleaned the rifle and found this old stock a few years ago. It has a big letter M or W on it. This rifle is just for display now.

[indy1919a4]

Nice, look.. does the bolt still cycle??

[M67]

Yes it does. Every part is stil operating.

[indy1919a4]

What does the inside of the Bore look like, underground like that ...

And was it buried with any kind of protection... I remember reading about a officer who surrendered at Bataan.. And he hid his gun up in a tree wrapped in a very oily rag, but of course it was rusted when he retrieved it years later

[M67]

The bore is like moon surface with craters!
The rifle was buried full of grease, wrapped in old textile and tarred with tar. However, the package was buried in the field and probbably damaged after that during agricultural fieldwork.

[Onikoroshi]

Awesome story. Talk about burying the rifle! Haha

[indy1919a4]

To neat for words... Many thanks... I know I may be asking to much here, but you would not have a couple of before photos like when it came out of the ground???

Now not burying a rifle before, I confess a little ignorance.. but would think the gun full of grease would have protected it more???

God Bless Cosmoline.. When I go I want to be dipped in that just save the Casket ...