I have a beat up rack grade Garand. I've thought about converting it to .308, shortening it and maybe adding an Ultimak.  

While it's absolutely possible to send it to Shuff's for a Mini-G conversion, I was recently made aware that BM-59 kits can be made to work with a regular en-bloc M1 for a sort of hybrid.

If I were to get a BM-59 kit with a barrel, and the weird gas cylinder / grenade launcher sight, would it be possible to effectively turn it into a Garand "carbine"?  Kinda like this  but without hacking the receiver to accept magazines (and without the bipod silliness)?

Also, would such a beast accept an Ultimak rail?

ETA: I already have a nice full size .308.

Yes and yes

It's your fault I'm looking into this at this point

I did exactly that. Shuffs does a BM-59, and as mentioned, they have the Mini-G. I asked Tim to do a Mini-G but with an 18" barrel and the Beretta drop down gas system. He can also do a 16" with the drop down gas system. 308 0r '06 and clip or mag fed. Just tell him exactly what you want and he'll build it. Sweet rifle, damn near perfection. If you use a chrome lined Criterion barrel, your great-grandkids will be using it after you're gone.

This is kind of the what I would hope for, sans the magazine and bipod:


But would that be BM-59 parts?  BM-59E parts?  A mix of the above?  That gas cylinder and shorter muzzle device look like a neat combo.  And would I need one of those Italian stocks that are 1/2" short, without specifically being a BM-59 stock?

The gas cylinder is from any of the BM-59s except the BM-59E. The 59E uses a Garand gas cylinder.

So the gun needs the following parts:

Garand parts:

Butt plate
Rear sling swivel
Standard M1 stock
Standard M1 Rear handguard (or Ultimak Retardo rear handguard)
Front ferrule/ sling swivel assembly
Rear sight assembly
Clip latch
Clip latch pin
Clip latch spring
Operating rod catch
Follower assembly
Follower arm
Follower arm pin
Bullet guide
Follower arm rod
Recoil spring with one or two coils clipped
Barrel band if converted M1 barrel is used
Trigger group

BM-59 parts

BM-59 barrel ( usually converted from an M1 barrel) Note the proper gas port for a BM-59 should be somewhere between 0.050"--0.060" as per Tim Shufflin.
BM-59 barrel band which is only used if a real BM-59 barrel is used
BM-59 operating rod
BM-59 gas cylinder
BM-59 front sight
BM-59 gas screw or Schuster gas plug
Tricompensator/gas lock assembly or Standard Parts custom gas lock or Garand flame hidener/gas lock from Smith Enterprises.

Notice the rifle in the picture does not have the bipod or the grenade launcher. It is short, light and sweet

That is excellent information, thank you!

Would I be able to use a standard Garand stock, or would I have to use one of the Italian stocks that is 1/2" shorter?  Is the shorter stock only used in converted Garand barrels, or with OEM/surplus BM-59 barrels?  Or are all the Italian short stocks presumed to be cut for BM-59 mags, which shouldn't apply in this case?

So any BM-59 gas parts should work, so long as they are not the BM-59E?  Does it matter if the barrel is from a Garand or a surplus/OEM BM-59 barrel, regarding which gas parts should be used?  And it should/shouldn't matter if the only gas block parts I can find are with/without the grenade launcher site?  (I don't care about the bipod and would rather not have it, to cut down weight).  And any of the BM-59 gas systems would work with any of the gas locks?  (Seems dumb to put on a shorter barrel and then put on a 5" comp).

Is it presumed that BM-59 barrels are typically cut down Garand barrels similar to the "tipo 2" conversions?  Is there a difference between a "BM-59 surplus" barrel and an "ITAL" BM-59 barrel?

Also, excellent to know the schuster gas plug can be used with BM59 parts.

ETA:  getting a setup like in the image above, but with a shorter gas lock/muzzle device, would seem to tick all the boxes for what I'm trying to do, without necessarily being "gunsmith customs" and would allow for spare parts.

ETA:  even if you do hate the Ultimak handguard.

It would use a standard Garand stock. ( That's what I said in my earlier post)

You would use the drop down BM-59 gas cylinder and the straight BM-59 operating rod.

It is possible to make a BM-59 barrel from a Garand barrel; however, Italian BM-59 barrels were made from scratch.

Tim Shufflin is an expert at making BM-59 barrels and he can make one for you. I am having one made here in Canada and when it is ready I will share the news.

There are differences in BM-59 barrels. Some were 17.7" long and some were 19inches long. But the short barrelled BM-59s had the same gas cylinder.


Here's the Smith Enterprises muzzle brake. It is 2.5" long and it will fit onto a BM-59 barrel and gas cylinder.



Standard Parts LLC offered a simple gas lock at one time. They also have the BM-59 tricompensator which is a muzzle brake/grenade launcher/flame hidener. Both of these will fit any BM-59 gas cylinder.

Will these BM-59 parts work on a BM-59E barrel?  Or is there more to it than that?

It seems like 59 and 59E parts are all over, but only 59E barrels (and only at some vendors).  Cutting down a Garand barrel gets expensive quick, both from the cost of a quality barrel, and the cost of the work.

A BM-59E barrel is actually a Garand barrel. You need a BM59 barrel in order to use a BM 59 gas system.

BM-59E is a Garand with a detachable magazine.

I have factory Italian Garand barrels and factory BM59 barrels and the feed ramp area at the mouth of the barrel chamber is machined differently for the Garand clip and for the BM59 magazine.

Not a big difference and it might not make a difference, but the factory did.

That's a thought that hadn't occured to me, is a difference in feed ramp designs.  Would a BM-59 front half require the spacer common for .308 en-bloc usage in a standard M1 Garand setup?

And not that it's my purpose, but would a BM-59E barrel basically be a drop-in .308 conversion barrel for a full size Garand?

No, because...
My understanding is that the .5" shorter stocks were made for converted .30-06 barrels (BM-59E), and Italy didn't use any chamber spacers/inserts, because they shortened the barrels and re-threaded them at the chamber end, which is why everything forward of the receiver is .5" shorter. So yes, it would drop in (assuming the headspace is correct) and you'd need the .5" shorter stock and the other BM-59 specific parts.

They also manufactured new production barrels to this spec.

I think it gets more confusing because some other BM-59 models (not the E) do not have stocks, and op rods, shortened 0.5" but someone will need to confirm that for me please.

*If you were referring to the white spacer insert in the magazine area, ahead of the clip, then AFAIK no rifle actually needs those to function. They merely exist to prevent a user from inserting a clip of .30-06 ammunition.

Most of the BM59E parts imported are from the Argentine Navy and are conversions from 30-06 Garands, including the barrels.

Beretta charged $49 per rifle for the conversions and that included 4 magazines per rifle.

The barrel dimensions are different for the stock, handguard and op rod.

The original export BM59 had a non-chrome lined 17.4" barrel with a 5 inch muzzle device.

The Italian military BM59 had a chrome lined 19.35" barrel with a 7 inch muzzle device.

Originally the BM59 was supposed to be headspaced by reaming the barrel chamber.

With the Italian military requirement for a chrome lined barrel, they made and stocked barrels with different chamber depths to cover the various differences in Garand receivers and bolts, in order to headspace them.

The differences in the rear of the barrels between clip fed and magazine fed may not matter.

The insert to block 30-06 cartridges from being loaded was made of plastic for the US military, but the Italian version is made of steel.

It is not required for feeding and can be omitted.

Note the Italian military paratroop BM59 has a gas cylinder similar to the regular BM59 one on the outside, inside it, the gas port is shifted back. (I think it is back, it is shifted from the regular position and requires the gas port in the barrel in a different position, but the op rod is the same length.)

I had several Italian military and export BM59 gas cylinders and there are variations.

There are different op rod springs to, for different models.

The op rod spring guide is different between magazine fed and clip fed rifles.

A Garand spring will likely have to be shortened  in Tanker Garand fashion.

The BM59 gas plug is a different length than the Garand and can be identified by the metric hex socket in it.

Do you have a BM-59 barrel that can borrow? I want to reverse engineer new ones.

Pics of the different chrome barrels and chamber markings showing the different lengths please.


I find it odd Italy only chromed their BM 59 barrels then went back to non-chrome for the AR 70s and 90s.

My BM 59 gas cylinders are all the same and interchangeable.

That rifle looks awesome. I think I might build one just like it.

Italy chrome lined their prototype G3 barrels, because the 1961 NATO rifle specs called for a chrome lined barrel.

Beretta designed the BM59 to be short and light and to use Garand parts.

The standard BM59 was shorter and without chromed barrels.

The Italian military required the chromed barrels and wanted the standard barrels 2 inches longer.

The Italian military AR70/90 does have a chrome lined barrel.

The original AR70 was produced in 1972 by Beretta without a chrome lined bore.

The Galil would be the second 5.56 rifle, after the M16 to get a chrome lined barrel.

Very few 5.56 rifles designed before 1980 had chrome lined barrels.

The Springfield BM59's all have the same gas port placement and gas cylinders and no chrome in the barrels.

Surplus BM59 gas cylinders can be from different models that look exactly the same on the outside, but some have the gas port position shifted.

There were also a few different spring guides that called for different springs in export BM59's and in BM59's made outside of Italy.

It is just something to watch when using surplus BM59 gas cylinders, as the gas port may be in a different position.

It using the Garand clip, then the Garand spring guide is likely the one to use and the spring would be a shortened Garand spring.

Pics of the different chrome barrels and chamber markings showing the different lengths please.


Same for the different gas cylinders..

I take it this means the gas cylinders on the 19" and 17" BM-59 barrels are externally identical but may differ in the gas port itself?  Was there any rule of thumb, I.e. models with grenade launcher sights were for one or the other, etc?

How is there a way to tell all this from looking at the parts, or are there any visual cues as to the differences?

The only difference is the location, front to back, of the gas port in the gas cylinder.

There a few variations, but maybe only two gas port locations.

The paratroop model has a quick disconnect muzzle device.

The gas plug is different in length due to the thickness of the muzzle device cylinder lock, compared to the one in the Garand.

The tool to fit the gas plug is a regular metric Allen wrench that has been significantly shortened at the short leg, to fit behind the bayonet lug on the muzzle device.

Listen up and DBAS.

I am about to build a BM-59/M1 hybrid in 6.5x55mm.

It will have an 18.5" BM-59 barrel in 6.5x55mm together with a BM-59 gas cylinder and operating rod. It will have a 2.5" long Smith Enterprises muzzle break.

The receiver will be the ultimate arf receiver--Beretta PB 87.