Beretta Model 59 (BM59) Battle Rifle (1959)
Beretta familiarity with producing the war-winning American M1 Garand led to the evolution that was the BM59 Battle Rifle.
By the late 1950s, it became necessary for the Italian Army to upgrade its standard arms. However, instead of pouring millions into a local rifle design-and-development program, it was decided instead to modernize the resilient M1s on hand. As such, Beretta took the base M1 form and added a larger detachable box magazine of 20 rounds. Additionally, a full-automatic firing mode was implemented for suppression fire and the firing action (specifically the return spring and gas operation) was only slightly reworked to "play nice" with the new 7.62x51mm NATO standard round (the original M1 was already chambered for the similar 7.62mm cartridge). 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. While utilizing the new 20-round detachable box magazine, the Beretta redesign could also make use of charger "clips" through the receiver action which was left unchanged from the M1. The new rifle - known as the "Beretta Model 59" or simply "BM59" - was formally adopted for service in 1959 (as its designation suggests). A bipod was optional for stabilized fire.
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 full automatic fire. The BM59 Ital TA (BM59 Mk III) was intended for mountain infantry. 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. Another development included the BM59 Ital Para which was intended for Italian paratroopers. 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. The BM59 Mk IV was intended for the squad support role and fitted with a heavy barrel, heavy bipod and lighter plastic buttstock. 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.
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.
BM59s survived in Italian Army service up to 1990 before being replaced by the Beretta AR70/90 assault rifle series. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
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Specifications for the
Beretta Model 59 (BM59)
Battle Rifle
Country of Origin: Italy
Manufacturer: Beretta - Italy / Bandung Weapons Factory - Indfonesia / Defense Industries Corporation - Nigeria
Initial Year of Service: 1959
Overall Length: 1095mm (43.11in)
Barrel Length: 491.00mm (19.33in)
Weight (Empty): 9.70lbs (4.40kg)
Cartridge: 7.62x51mm NATO
Action: Gas Operated, Rotating Bolt
Feed: 20-round detachable box magazine
Rate-of-Fire: 750 rounds per minute
Sights: Aperature Rear; Post Front
Variants:
BM59 Mk I - Initial production model; wooden stock; pseudo-pistol-type grip; selective-fire.
BM59 Mk II - Wooden stock; pistol grip; selective-fire.
BM59 Mk III (Ital TA) - Alpine Warfare variant; metal folding stock; shortened barrel; integrated flash hider.
BM59 MK IV - Plastic stock; heavy barrel; heavy bipod.
BM59 Ital Para - Paratrooper variant; removeable flash-hider.
BM62 - Civilian model; semi-automatic fire
BM69 - Civilian model; semi-automatic fire
Beretta Model 59 - Formal Designation
Operators: Algeria; Argentina; Bahrain; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Italy; Indonesia; Libya; Morocco; Nigeria
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