Model 1889 Carici Rifle

The Carici is a rugged and reliable bolt action rifle, and from its adoption in 1889 onward it has been a prolific fire arm design, popular both with hunters and soldiers. It was designed by shrewd businessman and engineer Martini Carici (1819-1885), shortly before he was killed when the breech of a new field gun design exploded during testing. Before the Model 1889 rifle, The Carici Technical Arms Company was more famous for its quality medium and light field guns and heavy howitzers, and aside from a few generic precussion cap revolver pistols and, before that, flintlock muskets, the company had rarely bothered with small arms at all. With the 1889 Carici, though, the company broke into the market guns blazing (if you'll pardon the pun).

History
The 1883 Carici Prototype was designed to met the specifications for the Inorothian Army's 1880 competition for a heavy infantry rifle chambered in the newly standardized .30-06 Inorothian Long Rifle. Other requirements included extreme reliability and ruggedness in all conditions, an 8 to 10 round capacity with easy reloading, ease of manufacturing en masse, and an overall loaded weight of less than ten pounds.

The 1880 competition was itself part of a larger set of changes and reforms known collectively as the Army Reforms of 1880, which, among other things, dealt with concerns over possibly out-dated battle formations and unit composition, commissioned a slew of studies on infantry tactics, formally adopted several new Inorothian Standard Cartridges (ISC's), and called for greater interchangeability between the ammunition used by the Inorothian Army, Provincial Forces, and Militias (for logistical reasons).

Because of the number of sweeping changes being implemented in the army all at once, as well as several scares along the Ino-Dal border, the rifle competition dragged on for years before the Army had whittled down the contenders, and several smaller companies simply went belly-up over the venture. In the end, the army settled on the Carici, as they found to be the most reliable in freezing temperatures, though by a narrow margin. A wind-adjustable sight, shortening of the barrel, and several slight ergonomic changes were required before the rifle was officially adopted in 1889 as the Model 1889 Rifle. An accurized version, designated the M1889A, was also introduced the same year, to arm scouts and sharpshooter units. The M1889A was still a tough and rugged gun, requiring only slightly higher maintainance, and it became highly sought after by crack-shot regulars as well as sharpshooters.

A carbine model was introduced and adopted in 1902. It was not very popular, as the market was already glutted with a variety of other carbine designs that were smaller and lighter. Additionally, no system was used to reduce the weight in the butt of the rifle, which meant the carbine tended to bounce more, often jabbing the user in the shoulde despite using less powerful rounds. This was quickly and easily fixed by re-cutting the buttstock to be lighter, and these rifles were designated the M1902A1.

In 1901, the army began seeking a shorter main service rifle, as several reports and studies had indicated that the slight loss in range and accuracy of a shorter barrel were minimal and more than compensated for by the ease of handling in confined spaces a smaller rifle afforded. Semi-automatic rifles were also becoming popular, losing the stigma of being unreliable ammunition wasters, and after numerous tests, the army began plans to expand the role of the 1879 King's Arms 'Sputatore' M85, changing it from a support rifle into the new main service rifle by 1908 and relegating the Carici to a secondary support role (the Black Isle and Tarnost Campaigns drastically sped up that timeframe, and most units were equipped with Sputatores by 1905). In the interim, however, it was decided that the Carici needed to be shortened, and in two years, the Model 1903 was adoped, and a conversion for the Model 1889, known as the M1889A1, was also devised. There is no major difference between the two models, other than that the M1903 was made after 1903, and the M1889A1 was made before and then re-cut. The Carici remained in service for several more years, especially the M1889A, before army supplies were mothballed or sold to militias and private citizens as surplus.

Variants
1883 Prototype - A bare-bones, no frills rifle, with loose mechanical tolerances for reliability, at the cost of accuracy. Fewer than twenty made

Model 1889 - Much like the 1883, only with some changes in the stock's shape and the addition of a better sighting package.

Model 1889A (Accurata) - A rifle with tighter mechanical tolerances, especially designed for scouts and sharpshooters.

Model 1902/1902A1 Carbine - A smaller rifle with the same bolt-action, but rechambered for intermediate rounds.

Model 1889A1/Model 1906 (Breve) - The same rifle as the M1889, only with a shorter barrel and smaller stock.

Operational History
Voerdenland - The rifle was babtized by fire very early on, as thousands were bought by King Victor Vinchero to arm his Imperial Guard, and by several other units as well, for the Inorothian intervention in the Voerdish Crisis. The rifle saw action in several engagements and performed quite satisfactorily in the conflict, with few repors of jamming or malfunction in the fridgid weather. This performance settled any concerns over the M1889's suitibility.

Tarnost and Black Isle Campaigns - The M1889 was still the main Inorothian service rifle by the outbreak of the Pirate Wars, though several other armies had, by this time, embraced semi-automatic arms. The Inorothian Army had been oscillating on whether to invest in them, and these wars sped up their time tables. At the beginning of the war, almost the entire army used M1889s; by the end of those wars, most had either recieved King's Arms M85 Sputatores or had their Caricis shortened to the M1903 standard.

Provincial Forces, Militias, and The Sistine Order - Provincial Armies in Inoroth are required to follow essentially the same logistical standards and requirements as the Inorothian Army itself, for easier integration in times of war. As a result, many choose to simply do whatever the National Army is doing, so most Provincial Armies at some point used the Carici. Militias, on the other hand, are more flexible in what they may arm themselves with, and though the Carici was popular, it was not universally adopted by Militias.

The Sistine Order purchased several hundred M1889A's in 1895, sending most of them to their warrior-missionaries in Oulen.

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