Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Rifle Cartridge and Cartridge Cases

When the rifle was found, one 6.5-millimeter Mannlicher-Carcano cartridge manufactured by the Western Cartridge Co. of East Alton, Illinois, was in the chamber. This cartridge is loaded with a full metal-jacketed, round-nosed, parallel-sided 160-161 grain bullet measuring just under 1.2 inches long and just over one-fourth inch in diameter, with a velocity of approximately 2,165 feet per second. The Western Cartridge Co. ammunition proved highly reliable in FBI and U.S. Army tests, with the C2766 rifle firing over 100 rounds with no misfires, and approximately 2 million rounds have been sold in the United States through mail-order houses and gun shops. The presence of a chambered cartridge does not necessarily indicate an intent to fire another round, as reloading may be reflexive. Three expended cartridge cases were found in the southeast portion of the sixth floor between the south wall and a high stack of boxes, slightly west of the southeast corner window. All three were identified as having been fired from the C2766 rifle through comparison with test-fired cases. Ejection-pattern tests demonstrated that the rifle ejects cases to the right at roughly a right angle to the line of sight (86 inches and 80° right when depressed at 45°; 80 inches and 90° right when held horizontally), rising no more than 2 or 12 inches above the ejection port depending on orientation. After initial landing, cases ricocheted between 8 inches and 15 feet, making their location consistent with firing from the southeast window of the building.