Back at the SAR West gun show in Phoenix, we came across a Scotti Model X rifle – and the owner was kind enough to let us take some photos. The Scotti was an experimental Italian semiauto design from the 30s. It was introduced in 1934 with a total of 250 made for trials, but the name suggests that it was designed in 1932 or early 1933. As you might notice on Carcano rifles, the Italian military often dated items based on a Fascist calendar beginning in October 1922 (when the Fascist government took power in Italy). So, a rifle marked XIV would have been made in 1936 (1922 + 14). In the case of the Scotti, the “X” have nothing to do with experimental, it’s just a date. In fact, this particular Scotti is also stamped “1933”.
The Scotti is basically a straight-pull bolt action with a gas piston added below the barrel. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to disassemble it – but we have a nice collection of exterior photos (we’ll get photos of the mechanism sooner or later! 🙂 ). You can see them all on the Scotti Model X page in the Vault.
This fellow who let us photograph this rifle (Terry) is selling it. If you are interested, you can contact him at milsurp1@hotmail.com.
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