Any BM59 experts out there?

[Partisan1983]

I have a chance to buy one.....but I don't really know shit about 'em.

[vit]

Check with guys on Gunboards... I'm of no help here... I just know they bring big bucks.

[Partisan1983]

Oops.....I forgot to mention this is a SA, not an NFA item.

[Schuetzenman]

I've held one and shot it. Essentially it's a box magazine fed 7.62 NATO chambered M1 Garand rifle. They are rare in the US imported from Italy. I've seen SARCO offering kits for sale in the past. If no importers marks then it probably is one built up from one of those kits. If a real BM59 the receiver is going to have Beretta arsenal markings on it.

http://world.guns.ru/userfiles/images/assault/as54/bm59_nogl.jpg
http://cdn5.thefirearmsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/5-1.jpg
I borrowed these images from various web sites.

[nfa1934]

My first machinegun was a BM59 (I know the question isn't about a full-auto, but I thought I would answer anyway).

Great rifle, I wish I still had it. If you can get one for a reasonable price, go for it. Magazines and some parts are probably hard to find now (I used to buy from Reese Surplus, but they are no longer in business). The BM59 is basically an M1 Garand that has been modified by Beretta to fire 7.62 NATO and use a detachable magazine. Italy received tons of M1 rifles when they entered NATO, but they wanted a more modern rifle. It was more cost effective for Beretta to modify these existing rifles than to build a completely new design (the BM stands for "Beretta Modified"). I used to have a poster of a cutaway that listed 1) original Garand parts 2) newly-made Beretta parts and 3) Garand parts modified by Beretta. It was very useful to be able to identify which parts were interchangable with Garand parts.

The full-auto is hands-down the most controllable 7.62 rifle I've ever fired. Nothing else even comes close. The tri-comp muzzle brake/compensator is extremely efficient. Even though it cycles faster than an M14, it doesn't climb in full-auto. It pushes straight back into your shoulder. You can actually do a full-auto mag dump from the shoulder and stay on a man-size target at about 15yd (that may not sound like much, but if you've ever fired a full-auto M14, you'll understand what I'm talking about).

The rifle does have a couple of issues that probably won't affect a semi-auto version. The first is the gas system. Until I figured out what was going on, my rifle would start out firing full-auto with no problems. Over the course of a few magazines, it would get less reliable (would start failing to cycle) until you finally had to cycle manually for every shot. It was actually a simple fix. The rifle is capable of firing a rifle-grenade from the tri-compensator. It has a flip-up grenade sight that cuts off the gas system when you move it into place. The gas cutoff would rattle loose during full-auto fire and gradually turn off the gas. A little teflon tape and it was fine.

The other issue is parts breakage. Specifically the operating rod. I actually broke an op rod at Knob Creek in 1997. Beretta used the original Garand op rod. Since a shorter op rod was required, they just cut the original, then shortened and re-welded it. In full-auto fire, if you run it hard (actually I was abusing it, running mag after mag without letting it cool off) this weld will break. I always kept a spare op rod, since it was a known issue with the full-autos. I wouldn't worry about parts breakage with a semi-auto. It isn't going to be possible to push it as hard as one of the machineguns.

I had the straight stock, the pistol-grip full-stock, and the folder with five magazines and a stock of spare parts. Wish I still had it. If you can buy one, I highly recommend it.

[RJ Shooter]

I shot an NFA BM59, for a full day back in the 90s!!!! If you like the Garand or the M14/M1A, you'll like this...

I found it to still climb on full auto though - LOL... But nowhere near as much as an M14 or other F/A .308 battle rifle.

I've got a pic of the wonderful burst from the muzzle device, somewhere!!! May have to find and scan it...

[1 Patriot-of-many]

Another one on my wish list. Come on Powerball!

[Helen Keller]

WIsh I bought one from Simpsons a few years back for $1100.



ALways thinking about buildin my own though.

[az_paul]

I've owned a SA BM-59 for over ten years. It's a fun gun, runs great and is quite accurate. Sarco has extra mags and parts kits.

[Partisan1983]

I may have to go back and take a look at it....

All the pics I have seen don't match this exact one...I did not know there where kit builds, that might explain the cost of this one.


Thank you so much guys for all the info.