Beretta BM 59

[campperrykid]

The BM59 is part of the Garand extended family , IMO anyway . It was a smart , economical way to modernize the older design at less cost than starting over from scratch as was done to produce the M14. Seems like the various other Italian 7.62 conversions were well designed , too.
The Tipo2 seems especially economical.

Information

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[Bob Seijas]

In 1959 Beretta formally proposed converting US M1's to BM59. It was considered and rejected based on cost -- it was only cheap in Italy ($34 a rifle), but $68 if done here. Ordnance decided the money would be better spent on the new M14.

[ar-15john]

there great i just pick up one,with 3 mags,

[arado]

And we could have had the FAL. Like 90 other nations. Still in service. Government?.... Gary

[campperrykid]

Ordnance looked at the Belgian designed GPMG and inflicted the POS that is the M60 machine gun on 2 generations of US troops.
What's the standard US 7.62 belt fed now ?
An updated version of the 1950's Belgian gun , of course .

But I digress ....

[mikebaker1129]

The BM59 is a variant of the M1 garand . M1 Garands are still to this day being converted to
BM59's.
It is interesting that there is not much known about the history of the BM59's like other arms from the same time period.
Check out http://www.machinegunbooks.com for the most information available on the net about the BM59.

[Albayo]

I will try to get some pictures of the BM-59 this weekend.
I landed two H&R M14's just recently and am waiting for the paperwork to arrive so I can pick them up. One is in a wood stock and the other is in a GI synthetic stock but the butt plate assembly has been replaced with a synthetic material to make a recoil pad.
I have filled one gap in my US collection. I have a Krag, about 8 or 9 03's and 03 A3's, M1 Rifles and Carbines, M14's, an M305, Thompson's, and some AR's but not an SP1. That will show up sooner or later, just have to wait around for one. I will have a commercial Browning HP coming in on a trade and if anyone would like one as a partial trade on an SP1 we may be able towork out something.