The Firearm Blog » italy

Italian Army has started adopting the ARX-160 rifle

Steve — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:14:42 +0000

The Italian Army has started adopting the next-gen Beretta ARX-160 assault rifle. Shooting Wire reports ...

The Italian Ministry of Defense has become the first military group to receive shipments of Beretta's new ARX-160 automatic rifle. The first 1,600 units have been delivered subsequent to the ARX-160's having been formally approved by the Italian Army in March.

Beretta ARX-160

I have previously written extensively about the Beretta ARX-160

[Hat Tip: Ed @ Tell me Why?]

The Italian Garand: Beretta BM59

Steve — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 09:15:41 +0000

The Italian army adopted the Beretta BM59, basically an M1 Garand chambered for 7.62×51mm NATO capable of select fire. It was about as successful as all the other select fire battle rifles adopted around the world (not very). From Wikipedia:

After World War II, Italy adopted the US-designed M1 Garand rifle in .30-06 (7.62×63mm) and also manufactured it under license. This semi-automatic rifle proved itself well during WWII, but in the late 1950s it was considered outdated and obsolete. The Italian military wanted a new rifle chambered for the NATO-standard 7.62×51mm.

Beretta designed the BM59, which was essentially a rechambered M1 fitted with a removable 20-round magazine, folding bipod and flash suppressor/grenade launcher. The BM59 is capable of selective fire.

I came across this Class III, full auto, Beretta BM59 on Gunbroker (The auction has since close). Click to expand the photos:

Italian police capture a pen gun

Steve — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:55:36 +0000

The Carabinieri (Italian gendarmerie) have seized a pen gun from a mobster in Naples.

.22 Short rounds and one standard (subsonic) .22 Long Rifle

My memory is pretty bad but I think it was 6 months ago when the Italian police captured one of those cell phone guns from another mobster.

SFGate reports:

A Carabinieri paramilitary officer holds a .22-caliber pen gun that was confiscated from a man in Naples. According to reports, Carabinieri were investigating if the weapon has been used in crimes or “acts of intimidation.”

Hat Tip: Zeon @ MP.net

Italian gangsters did not watch Lord of War

Steve — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:49:23 +0000

Italian police caught gangsters trying to purchase half a million AK-47s from Norinco (the Chinese state arms exporter) on behalf of a Libyan.

Apparently they were only purchasing 10 million round of ammo. Thats 50 20 rounds per gun – less than two one magazines worth.

They obviously did not watch that educational firm “Lord of War” which made it clear to all would be rebels that guns need
ammo.

Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) negotiating the
purchase (theft) of Ukrainian AKs in “Lord of War”

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