Beretta BM 69

[Bob Seijas]

Man at Arms magazine will feature an article on my BM 69 in the next issue, complete with cover pics

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[mikebaker1129]

Bob how would I get a copy of said magazine ?
Thanks...Mike

[mikebaker1129]

Great article on the BM69 Bob!
I just have one question how did you fit a M14 mag into that BM69 ?

[Bob Seijas]

Geez, Mike, I hate guys with good eyes I couldn't find the small mag for it when I took the pix, but I did for the cover shots.

[mikebaker1129]

Makes sense now !
Mike

[Victor Six Bravo]

I served alongside Italian troops for three years, and you should know that among the senior NCOs, the BM series rifles and M1s were still quite well thought of.

They were happy enough with the SCS 70/90 series rifles they have now (having handled them, they're not bad) but rather like ex FAL and M14 users, you'll always have a few that didn't want to give them up.

[Bob Seijas]

I will never understand why we destroyed or gave away all those M14s. OK, I can make the case for the M16 in jungle warfare where the typical target is less than 50 yards away and visible for only seconds, but why didn't we just store the 14s? Did we think all future wars would be in jungles? Dumb, dumb, dumb.

[Victor Six Bravo]

There's still a lot of M14s in service in Afghanistan.

And it was found that with an ACOG mounted and using 77gr ammo, M16A4s actually did about as well or better at the longer ranges.

M14s can be accurate, keeping them that way is not easy. Much easier on the AR platform.

I carried an M16 and an M4 during my time in, and the M14 is a fine weapon, but it's time has passed. If you need long range firepower, the guys now have the M110 (SR-25 in 7.62mm).

[campperrykid]

I will never understand why we destroyed or gave away all those M14s.
.... ( Snip for Brevity )....
dumb.

FWIW:

Looks like a series of decisions made by by elected and appointed officials and then carried out by civilians and military people who often hated thier jobs. OK , at least some aspects of thier jobs.
Some of the M14's were given away to a small country on the Baltic Sea - I don't recall which one : Latvia , Lithuania , Estonia , whatever . Around 1994 or 1995 . The basic concept was to get rid of the guns so they would never " fall into the wrong hands " in the US .
IMO , a couple of the the people who made the final decision were garden variety sociopaths who happened to be in positions of very significant authority . Back then , they had the big white house and the fancy picket fence , the best place in the nieghborhood . Now , the husband is semi-retired and doing the type of things that people in his career field often do .
IMO , the wife has the first real job of her entire life . Secretary in a government job that has some clout and pays well.
One of the people who actually cut up the guns had a radically different career path. IFAIK , he is the CEO of a non-profit that is dedicated to preserving both the old historic rifles ( they don't do handguns ) and the best qualities of the so-called "gun culture " for future generations .
I don't know any of the people that I mentioned . Got a glimpse of the emperoress when she was on a speaking/listening tour and I was on a part-time job for a security company . IFAIK , I have never been closer than a few hundred miles to her husband. The CEO of the non-profit seems like a regular guy who does a great job . Saw him ( AFAIK ) a couple of times and I believe that name of his wife or daughter appears on some of the shipping boxes in the dry basement that doubles as my garage .
.
.
But I digrees , let's talk about Garands , M14's , M1a1's , and BM 59's .

[Bob Womack]

Let's keep this out of the political arena, please, so that we don't have to close it. Thanks!

Bob