Developed in Italy in the 1950s and imported and registered by Springfield Armory Inc., the BM-59 was born of the same thought process as the American M-14; a military equipped with the M1 Garand wanted to upgrade to a select fire full power battle rifle, and used the Garand as the starting point for the work. The Italians made some different choices, retaining more of the Garand's gas system for instance, but both were very effective 7.62x51mm NATO rifles. The BM-59 served through the bulk of the Cold War, being retired in 1990. Very few made it to the States, chiefly imported in semi-automatic configuration by Springfield (or brought in as parts kits and built up on Springfield-made receivers), and factory original full autos are very scarce on the domestic market. Blade front and peep rear sights, with a grenade launcher/flash hider and bayonet lug integral to the gas cylinder lock, and a Garand-style gas assembly with flip-up grenade sight and folding bipod. The grenade sight can accept interchangeable range inserts, and is currently equipped for the Energa anti-tank grenade. The receiver is fitted with a selector switch on the left side, a clip guide ahead of the rear sight, and a serrated paddle magazine catch; a notch for a fold-down winter trigger is present in the stock, but the component is not installed. Stock is the "mark II" style, with an attached pistol grip, rests for the bipod feet, and a rubber covered buttplate with flip-up shoulder rest. Included with the lot are nine extra magazines.

Very fine, with 85% of the original matte finish, showing some flaking concentrated on the receiver, edge wear, and mild handling marks. The stock is in fine condition, with a number of minor dings and scratches. Mechanically excellent. NOTE: This weapon is a National Firearms Act (NFA), fully transferable Class 3, which is registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, (BATFE) under the provisions of 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44 and 27 CFR part 478.