Beretta BM 59 Rifle

BERETTA BM59 MLR, (Manual Loading Rifle)

Overview

Developed by Beretta for the Italian Army, the BERETTA BM59 is a classic looking 7.62mm battle rifle. However, of interest to shooters, collectors, and history buffs the BM59 is an interesting contemporary of the FN FAL, G3, MAS Mle 1949/56, M14, and Soviet AKM. Also, before we dive into the rifle itself though, let’s look at how it came into being and the rifle Italian troops fought the Red Army with.

It’s important to remember the BM 59 was designed at a time when the Russian Bear menaced Western Europe. Moreover, as such it followed in the footsteps of not the post-war US-supplied M1 rifles but rather the veteran of the savage fighting on the Eastern Front, the 6.5x52mm Carcano. Furthermore, unlike the other great NATO powers such as England, the United States, or France the Italians had recent combat experience fighting the Red Army. Mussolini had sent an army of 235,000 soldiers to the Eastern Front in support of their German allies. Their fate was to be a grim one. Having stood toe to toe with the Soviets gave the Italians an enlightened view on what features a future combat.

beretta bm59

By the late 1950s, it became necessary for the Italian Army to upgrade its standard arms. As such, Beretta took the base M1 form and added a larger detachable box magazine of 20 rounds. 

To round out the changes, a new trigger unit was developed and installed, a rubber recoil pad added and the barrel left largely unchanged (though support for grenade launching was added as was a flash suppressor). The end result was a modern, select-fire battle rifle designed for the rigors of battlefield use. A bipod was optional for stabilized fire.

bm59 for sale

The basic BM59 appeared in four major marks. The BM59 Mk I was the initial production model with an all-wood solid stock with an integrated pistol grip. The BM59 Mk II also featured an all-wood solid stock though incorporated a full pistol grip to help improve stability during a full-automatic fire. As such, the design sported a reduced length stock with a collapsible skeletal butt, a standard-issue bipod, flash hider, and a pistol-style grip.

All of these changes made for a more compact system suitable for mountain fighting. For all intents and purposes, the BM59 Ital Para fell in line with the aforementioned BM59 Ital TA save for a shorter barrel and removable flash hider. A pair of “demilitarized” versions then appeared – the BM62 and BM69 – each with their own differentiating features. The BM62 fired from a 10-round detachable box magazine. Both civilian versions were semi-automatic-fire only.

bm59 scope mount

The BM59 was ultimately utilized by militaries beyond Italy. This included Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Libya, Morocco, and Nigeria. Both Indonesia and Nigeria established localized license production through the Bandung Weapons Factory and the Defense Industries Corporation respectively.

james river bm59

• A rebuilt weapon with a new-made precision heavy barrel, great for sporting shooting events
• Beretta Housing, Original M1 Garand/Berretta BM59 Bolt is incompatible in the LDT Beretta
• Bolt LDT Beretta,
• Barrel length 49cm, Twist: 1:10, Grooves: 4
• Adjustable sight
• Manual Loading Rifle only