Infantry Weapons

Beretta BM59 rifle

The Beretta BM59 is an Italian selective-fire battle rifle developed from the M1 Garand and chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. In Haiti's current gang conflict, open-source reporting has mentioned BM59 Beretta rifles among the firearms gangs use, but not enough to assign a narrower combat role from direct evidence.

Haitian Gang ConflictArmed gangs

Conflict side: Armed gangs
Built by: Beretta
Built in: Italy

Beretta BM59 rifle, Battle rifle, Infantry Weapons

Image source: Bm59.jpg

Profile

Type: Battle rifle
Conflict side: Armed gangs
Origin: Italy
Service note: Cold War-era rifle still seen in later illicit and residual use

portable NATObattle riflesmall arms

Service History

In service: Adopted in 1959 as a 7.62x51mm NATO evolution of the Garand family
Used by: Italian Armed Forces, Argentine Navy, Nigerian Armed Forces, Indonesian Armed Forces
Wars: Haitian Gang Conflict

Production History

Designer: Beretta
Designed: Late 1950s
Built by: Beretta
Built in: Italy
Unit cost: Not readily standardized in publicly available sources
Produced: 1959-1980s
Number built: Not readily standardized in publicly available sources
Variants: BM59 Ital, BM59 Mark I, BM59 Mark III, BM59 Para, BM59 Mark IV, BM59 E

Specifications

Cartridge: 7.62x51mm NATO
Action: Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Feed: 20-round detachable box magazine
Length: 1095 mm
Weight: 4.4 kg

Conflict Usage

Haitian Gang Conflict: Side: Armed gangsRole: Individual small armstrike
In the Haitian Gang Conflict, the BM59 Beretta rifle was reported among weapons used by criminal gangs in Haiti, but the source does not identify a narrower tactical role.

Beretta BM59 rifle Images

Beretta BM59 rifle, Battle rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 1 — Source: Bm59.jpg

Beretta BM59 rifle, Battle rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 2 — Source: Bm59.jpg

Beretta BM59 rifle, Battle rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 3 — Source: Bm59.jpg

Related Weapon Systems

MPT-76 rifle, 7.62 mm battle rifle, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsMPT-76 rifle7.62 mm battle rifleThe MPT-76 is a Turkish 7.62x51 mm NATO battle rifle developed for the Turkish Armed Forces and security forces as a domestic replacement for older service rifles. In the Kurdish-Turkish Conflict archive, it is documented as a Turkish infantry weapon used by land forces during Operation Claw against PKK positions in northern Iraq.

AK-308 rifle, 7.62x51 mm battle rifle, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsAK-308 rifle7.62x51 mm battle rifleThe AK-308 rifle is Kalashnikov Concern's 7.62x51 mm NATO-pattern battle rifle, built on the AK-12 / AK-15 design line and documented by UN reporting among the firearms used by gangs in Haiti.

FN FAL, 7.62 mm battle rifle, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsFN FAL7.62 mm battle rifleThe FN FAL is a Belgian 7.62 x 51 mm NATO battle rifle designed by Fabrique Nationale after World War II and widely copied or license-produced. In the Battle of Marawi record, it appears as a recovered Maute-group weapon: Philippine forces reported three FAL rifles among firearms found after the urban fight.

Arsenal AR-M9 / AR-M9F, 5.56 x 45 mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsArsenal AR-M9 / AR-M9F5.56 x 45 mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifleThe Arsenal AR-M9 and folding-stock AR-M9F are Bulgarian 5.56 x 45 mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifles built by Arsenal JSCo. Open-source arms researchers documented the rifles with UAE-trained pro-government Yemeni resistance fighters and a Sudanese coalition soldier during the Yemen Civil War, making the family a small-arms example of Gulf-backed coalition equipment flows.

Heckler & Koch G3, 7.62 mm select-fire battle rifle, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsHeckler & Koch G37.62 mm select-fire battle rifleThe Heckler & Koch G3 is a roller-delayed 7.62 x 51 mm NATO battle rifle developed in West Germany from the CETME rifle family. Its long service life and licensed production have left G3-pattern rifles in multiple conflict arsenals, including documented Boko Haram small-arms holdings in the Lake Chad basin, RSF-held modified rifles in Sudan, and Saudi-linked G3 rifles reported in Yemen's fragmented arms environment.

Heckler & Koch G36, 5.56 mm assault rifle, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsHeckler & Koch G365.56 mm assault rifleThe Heckler & Koch G36 is a German 5.56 mm assault rifle built around a polymer receiver, short-stroke gas operation, and modular rifle, carbine, and compact variants. In the Yemen Civil War record, it appears through reporting on Saudi-licensed German-designed rifles that were issued to Hadi-aligned forces and then diverted or sold into militant hands, including AQAP imagery.

Sources

Beretta Sustainability Report 2021Publisher: Beretta | Note: Supports Beretta background and the BM59's place in the company's product history. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 The History of the Italian FAL - Beretta's Long-Serving BM59Publisher: Small Arms Review | Note: Supports the BM59 design background, M1 Garand lineage, 7.62x51mm NATO chambering, detachable magazine, selective-fire operation, and broad service history. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Bm59.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the weapon image and licensing context for the BM59 photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Beretta BM59 noBG.pngPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the weapon image and licensing context for the BM59 silhouette illustration. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Beretta BM59 noBG cropped.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the weapon image and licensing context for the alternate BM59 illustration. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 A/HRC/58/76 Advance Unedited VersionPublisher: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights | Note: In the Haitian Gang Conflict, BM59 Beretta rifles were reported among weapons used by criminal gangs in Haiti. | Accessed: 2026-06-21