A couple of questons about the Italian BM59 rifle.

[KVLG]

First off, it was derived from the M1 Garand rifle that the Italian military used prior, so does anyone know how much are the two rifles interchangeable?

Second, who knows which countries use or used to use it?

[LineDoggie]

Nigeria for one used the BM-59

[Frens]

Algeria, Argentina, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Libya, Nigeria and Somalia.

AFAIK Indonesia and Nigeria bought the license to built it in house

[orionhawk]

First off, it was derived from the M1 Garand rifle that the Italian military used prior, so does anyone know how much are the two rifles interchangeable?

Second, who knows which countries use or used to use it?
well, most of the op mechanism, lockwork, and controls should swap. reciever and feed mechanism are much changed. and IIRC the BM-59 is chambered for 7.62NATO.

[JJ_BPK]

well, most of the op mechanism, lockwork, and controls should swap. reciever and feed mechanism are much changed. and IIRC the BM-59 is chambered for 7.62NATO.

Not really,, The 7.62x51(308) round is dimensionally different than the 30.06, all the way around. The receiver, bolt, and most all internals were resized.

Additional the receiver was altered to accept a magazine, where as the M1 had a closed 8 round charging system.

Parts look very similar, and with some help may be altered, but generally not..

For my money,, I think the MB-59 was a better weapon and could have saved the US a bunch of money. But the NIH crowd wanted the M-14.

We could have had the T-48(FN Fal),,, almost 13 years earler.. Out lived all of them.. Still going strong today,, 60 years later..

[Gunge]

SEALs used the bm-59 and variants for a bit in the 80's
but i doubt they use them today with all the m14 and ar 7.62 NATO types at their disposal

i wonder what italy did with all their old ones?

[martinexsquaddie]

For my money,, I think the MB-59 was a better weapon and could have saved the US a bunch of money. But the NIH crowd wanted the M-14.

oh the humanity thousands of m14 fans will be heading for you AO accusing you of unamerican activitys what could you do thats worse claim the 1911 was not last word in handgun design?

[D.E. Watters]

For my money,, I think the MB-59 was a better weapon and could have saved the US a bunch of money. But the NIH crowd wanted the M-14.


The M14 had already been adopted by the US Army before Beretta even began work on what became the BM59.

[Hollis]

one of these:

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k226/Hollis6475/M1G_Con.jpg

I still prefer the M14, why... that is my issued rifle.

Imagine if the GIs had something like the BM59's in WWII and Korea,

[SoCalEMT]

We could have had the T-48(FN Fal),,, almost 13 years earler.. Out lived all of them.. Still going strong today,, 60 years later..

And chambered in .280 Brit...I mean, we're fantasizing here, right?

[Adam Wilhelm]

And chambered in .280 Brit...I mean, we're fantasizing here, right?

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i187/AdamWilhelm/fal_280br.jpg

Voilá p-)

[JJ_BPK]

And chambered in .280 Brit...

No,, the T48 was chambered in 7.62x51, although the .280 was not a bad round,, the NIH crowd bullied NATO into the 7.62x51 (.30 cal)


I mean, we're fantasizing here, right?

No again, At www falfiles com, FAL Images sub-folder there are two threads on:


T48 pics from SA Archives
America's FAL. The T48 surviving through time
In the late 40t's and early 50t's the US Army & Marines were very actively looking to replace the M1 with something that was lighter and magazine fed. The allies were very impressed with the captured Germany MP 43, MP 44, and Stg. 44 assault rifles. The only major hang-up was the 7.92x33 mm (7.92mm Kurz) round, like the Russian 7.62x39,, a bit weak.

The US was very close, we even had H&R ramped up to build the T48..

[zema_06]

beretta produced a big number of garands in 7,62 nato in the 50's, and the bm-59 is simply a conversion of the garands, the stock is interchangable, the action is the same. the modified parts are the gas system and the magazine. the trigger group seems to be interchangable, installing the one of the bm in the garand it could be converted to automatic fire...

the rifles was produced using the same machinery used for the garand. every bm stck could be installed on a garand...

[bababooey]

one of these:

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k226/Hollis6475/M1G_Con.jpg

I still prefer the M14, why... that is my issued rifle.

Imagine if the GIs had something like the BM59's in WWII and Korea,

What a beauty! Nice, classy lines. Beautiful wood stock. Give me old school iron and wood over plastic and tin any day.

[SoCalEMT]

The US was very close, we even had H&R ramped up to build the T48..

Thank you, Sir. I knew that the T-48 was chambered in 7.62x51, but certainly hadn't realized that it had come so close to full scale production. Most interesting.