The weapon used by Lee Harvey Oswald in the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, was an Italian military surplus rifle: the Carcano Model 91/38 bolt-action rifle.
Technical Specifications of the Weapon
Often referred to historically in some documents as a “Mannlicher-Carcano,” the specific configuration Oswald used had several distinct features documented extensively by the Warren Commission:
- Caliber: 6.5×52mm Carcano
- Action: Bolt-action
- Capacity: 6-round internal magazine loaded via an en-bloc clip
- Scope attached: Ordnance Optics 4x18mm telescopic sight
- Serial Number: C2766
How Oswald Acquired the Rifle
In March 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald purchased the rifle through a mail-order advertisement in American Rifleman magazine from a company called Klein’s Sporting Goods based in Chicago.
Using the alias “A. Hidell,” Oswald paid $19.95 for the rifle and the attached scope (equivalent to roughly $200 today). The package was shipped to a post office box he rented in Dallas, Texas.
Discovery at Dealy Plaza
Following the shots fired from the Texas School Book Depository, Dallas Police officers searched the sixth floor of the building. Deputy Sheriff Luke Mooney discovered the rifle hidden between stacks of cardboard boxes near the northwest corner staircase at 1:22 p.m., less than an hour after the shooting.
The rifle contained one live round in the chamber, and three spent cartridge casings were found near the southeast corner window where the shots were determined to have originated. Today, the weapon is preserved under climate-controlled conditions within the National Archives and Records Administration building in College Park, Maryland.