THE ITALIAN VETTERLI RIFLE: Development, Variants and History in Service

1-212760

This enhanced volume contains more than three times the content of the original, earlier work entitled The Italian Vetterli System, published by the Royal Armouries.

The Vetterli rifle was in service for over 40 years, developed as a long rifle, a short rifle, a cavalry and a police carbine, in single-shot form, and later adapted for a variety of magazine feeds as the Vetterli-Vitali, Vetterli-Bertoldo, and Vetterli-Ferracciu. The conversions from 10.35 mm to 6.5 mm calibres and subsequently to a .22 training carbine are also covered in detail. Also contains new information on the arms factories that manufactured them.

Includes the history and use of the weapon on active service in some of the less well-known campaigns in Europe and Africa including Ethiopia, Somaliland, Libya, Ireland, Russia, China, Turkey and the Spanish Civil War. This book will appeal to both the firearms collector and the military historian. The wealth of research and detail fills a gap in the history of early breech-loading military rifles.