SAW BM 59 variants 001 (not great scans) page 1 of two (illustrations only, details are in the text accompanying)
SAW = the book SMALL ARMS OF THE WORLD. It is the seminal authority on military firearms of the 20th Century, and the most credible.
BM62 and BM69 seem to be commercial fabrications, concocted and synthesized for the American market, the '62 originally flowing from the mother firm in Italy, but the sleazebag closers produced bootlegs semi-clones, often made of demilitarized Garand receivers, reconfigured.
No, internet rumors, assertions, random drivel, and vague reminiscences are NOT credible sources. For the most part, they're not even information.
The nomenclature applied to civilian-only specimens floating around the United States is nothing to do with the military versions, and indeed, there may not be a dozen actual military BM.59 specimens extant in the entire U.S. There was NO military BM.62. EVER. That's official.
Adapted from a re-machined M1 Garand forging, the BM.59 was a superb interim, selective-fire (in most military versions, and in ALL support versions) and controlled-burst full power interim rifle in the splendid 7.62x51mm. NATO cartridge.
Many--"mother" sources say ALL!!-- which saw Italian service were produced from salvaged, extant U.S. M1 Garand rifles, albeit Beretta also produced outside permutations of them NEW and sold these units throughout NATO and for export.
A very few, including a smattering of selective-fire specimens, legal and registered, were imported before GCA 68. Just what versions? Probably doesn't matter. Most of those in the U.S. were neither used as nor marked like actual military rifles.
Those marked with the Beretta name are the actual products of the mother firm in Gardone Val Trompia (Lombardy), but that has NOTHING TO DO with whether they are or ever were military rifles.
The selector switch on these was nothing like that on the M14. It was located on the receiver left, in a position similar to the position but not configuration on the M2 Carbine.
Manuals ARE available, but most who spew internet nonsense have never viewed one. Or read any of the literature.
These drawings are crude adaptations of some of the work from SMALL ARMS OF THE WORLD, which describes this series in detail. The titles here will not usually coordinate to the made up crap of merchants in the U.S.
Most of the "information" about these rifles floating around the internet is rumor, hogwash, commercially-planted hyperbole, and based upon the un-crested specimens brought in by Santa Fe, Golden State, SAI/Reese and others, some of it true, most of it third or fourth hand, and a lot of it wrong. Some of it is dangerous.
Most BM59's in this country NEVER saw military service, but Beretta did sell some stock in the United States.
As far as the literature can determine, the BM62 and BM69 NEVER were produced with those names by Beretta or Breda, or converted. Those are commercially manufacture specimens assembled in the United States.
I suspect the ones I saw at Interarms ca.1966 or so were the only actual military specimens in the U.S. But I do not KNOW that. At the time, it seemed the flow of real merchandise might never end.
I have fired actual selective fire versions.
Drawings from SAW, credited.
SAW BM 59 variants 001 (not great scans) page 1 of two (illustrations only, details are in the text accompanying)
SAW = the book SMALL ARMS OF THE WORLD. It is the seminal authority on military firearms of the 20th Century, and the most credible.
BM62 and BM69 seem to be commercial fabrications, concocted and synthesized for the American market, the '62 originally flowing from the mother firm in Italy, but the sleazebag closers produced bootlegs semi-clones, often made of demilitarized Garand receivers, reconfigured.
No, internet rumors, assertions, random drivel, and vague reminiscences are NOT credible sources. For the most part, they're not even information.
The nomenclature applied to civilian-only specimens floating around the United States is nothing to do with the military versions, and indeed, there may not be a dozen actual military BM.59 specimens extant in the entire U.S. There was NO military BM.62. EVER. That's official.
Adapted from a re-machined M1 Garand forging, the BM.59 was a superb interim, selective-fire (in most military versions, and in ALL support versions) and controlled-burst full power interim rifle in the splendid 7.62x51mm. NATO cartridge.
Many--"mother" sources say ALL!!-- which saw Italian service were produced from salvaged, extant U.S. M1 Garand rifles, albeit Beretta also produced outside permutations of them NEW and sold these units throughout NATO and for export.
A very few, including a smattering of selective-fire specimens, legal and registered, were imported before GCA 68. Just what versions? Probably doesn't matter. Most of those in the U.S. were neither used as nor marked like actual military rifles.
Those marked with the Beretta name are the actual products of the mother firm in Gardone Val Trompia (Lombardy), but that has NOTHING TO DO with whether they are or ever were military rifles.
The selector switch on these was nothing like that on the M14. It was located on the receiver left, in a position similar to the position but not configuration on the M2 Carbine.
Manuals ARE available, but most who spew internet nonsense have never viewed one. Or read any of the literature.
These drawings are crude adaptations of some of the work from SMALL ARMS OF THE WORLD, which describes this series in detail. The titles here will not usually coordinate to the made up crap of merchants in the U.S.
Most of the "information" about these rifles floating around the internet is rumor, hogwash, commercially-planted hyperbole, and based upon the un-crested specimens brought in by Santa Fe, Golden State, SAI/Reese and others, some of it true, most of it third or fourth hand, and a lot of it wrong. Some of it is dangerous.
Most BM59's in this country NEVER saw military service, but Beretta did sell some stock in the United States.
As far as the literature can determine, the BM62 and BM69 NEVER were produced with those names by Beretta or Breda, or converted. Those are commercially manufacture specimens assembled in the United States.
I suspect the ones I saw at Interarms ca.1966 or so were the only actual military specimens in the U.S. But I do not KNOW that. At the time, it seemed the flow of real merchandise might never end.
I have fired actual selective fire versions.
Drawings from SAW, credited.