I'm starting this thread today that will include my continued editing in thoughts in this OP. I will talk about the ammo and the infamous Smithsonian Institute's war relic as Lee Harvey Oswald's Italian Mannlicher Carcano 6.5mm carbine with scope going back to World War's 1 & 2. It was purchased by him, using an alias name of A. Hidell, from Kleins' Sporting Goods for $24.50 + $1.00 shipping and handling.
(Edited today as noted below: These are the prices I remember but my last extensive post about 'Ordering The Rifle' shows even cheaper prices!)
First seen by me in 'Guns and Ammo' magazine at age 13. My purchase of the same war relic carbine w/o scope from the same mail order guns store in Chicago cost me $14.50 + $1.00 shipping and handling.
Please hold your posts until this get's more in depth about the junker carbine and the ammo.
When I come to the end of my experienced contribution you'll wonder why more questions have not been asked about the "rifle's shells" inside documentary films, TV specials and during investigative radio shows like Coast to Coast AM and Ground Zero. On tonight's JFK assassination anniversary date we heard Coast to Coast AM's annual eye popping 11/22/16 show with host George Noory's great guest as Law and Order's Ben Bernaki. One male caller talked more about the weapon than I'd heard said in a long time. Arriving home I was motivated to start asking questions and add my thoughts you seldom hear about the little trivial things contributing great sadness to that bad day in November of 1963.
So please wait until I write "Go " at the bottom of this page. 
Here's my thoughts on the ammo and the blackest carbine in U.S. history!
In 1966 I saw it on solitary display behind it's window inside the Smithsonian Institution.I plan to itemize each question and my thoughts, seldom if ever mentioned, as numbered lines on down this page. For now I've got to go to bed........
Stop in from time to time to see if there is another number. I'll begin today November 25th and continue until I conclude my thoughts on mainly the ammo and the odd quirks
I had with my carbine. 
#1. How many 6.5mm cartridges remained inside the (non detachable) magazine well once it was found hidden on the 6th floor?
#2. It took me years to find out who made the "unmentionable" ammo; was it the Western Cartridge Company?
#3. Once his home was searched how many loaded bullets and how many accumulated empty casings were found? Any resulting finds could indicate Oswald had practice fired the carbine. An ex marine would likely police his brass and if none were found they likely were tossed. The key point never heard was the number of stored bullets at his place of residence!
#4. The Western Cartridge Company would not supply the necessary steel stripper clips. Only relic ammo would have them. I never loaded mine without one. But possibly like a modern bolt action, I never tried placing one bullet at a time in it's magazine well.
#5. The Italian relic surplus ammo my Dad bought for me were date stamped around the base for it's primer; 37, 39, 40
#6. On November 23, 1963 our high school study hall's TV showed the live news camera with the Dallas Police Department officer in the hall holding up the assassin's scoped weapon for the news crews. I said aloud to everyone the weapon's full name and the size of the bullet used. I turned even more heads when I said, "It's a piece of junk!" and no one said a word after my response.
#7. I first shot my Kleins Sporting Goods 6.5mm "Mid-day Special" at age 16. I would have been taller than Oswald but we might have been nearly the same weight and build.
The damn thing kicked like a mule! #8. Around 6 different Italian gun manufactures including Berreta Terni made the weapon. Slightly different build specs could make the ease of ammo cycling different once each round is chambered and fired inside minutely smaller or larger bore sizes.
# 9. The surplus Italian date stamped ammo I shot was not dependable with hang fire delays and duds!
#10. The carbine I once owned had too much head space allowing the fired shell casings to expand a lot making the bolt really hard to crank open!
#11. This is off topic to my experience: The magic bullet seemed to just appear on one of the two ambulance gurneys! It seemed in pristine condition. It was an exact copy of one of my relic 6.5mm round nosed bullets. But we'll never know if (a) different caliber weapon(s) were used that day. I have no idea why the Western Cartridge Company would abnormally produce ammo not meant for anything other than hunting large wild game animals but meant only for war!
#12. The cheap 1960's price of the relic carbine sent to Dallas from Chicago could be a dead giveaway as to what it was meant for. Believing Oswald was a patsy, just like he told us he was, could it be that it was not used to kill anyone? Maybe the evil planners told him to buy a "cheap scoped rifle". Knowing it's fate was to be eventually given away to authorities during a resulting investigation of a planned successful assassination. Back then a small price of $150 + would have bought a more dependable weapon.
# 13. I hate to end these #'s on 13 but the end of my time with that rough Italian WW I relic found me trading it in on a new Remington 870 3" Magnum shotgun. The trade in value was $15 at B&S Guns in Evansville, IN.
When the numbers count concludes on this seldom talked about "bullets" topic. Other than the often mentioned infamous magic bullet theory of course! I want to be sure to add that this is not a blog. So with me asking no one to post just yet, I'm hoping to avoid viewing the "Last edited by:" line
The UK's Mysterial has me spoiled by never including the dreaded "Last edited by:" 
; that's been duly noted many times under my posts at FF. A running view count notes: Now this non news topic has 2,017 views and so quickly too!
I am truly surprised it's view count #'s are out pacing Jimmy Church's radio eye popper! 
This is a bit dated and it was a side link on ABC News on line just now. There's another new book out on the JFK assassination.......
'Oswald Did Not Fire The Fatal Shot'
http://abc7news.com/news/jfk-researcher ... hot/23724/
"Go
"MK II
🏔 
∆= FDNY 343 
