Beretta in Italy developed the BM-59 after World War Two as an improvement on the M1 Garand - lightened, shortened, and given a box magazine, bipod, and selector switch. And the did this in a whole lot less time that the US took to finalize the M14. So how does the BM-59 handle? Well, sorry Springfield...it's definitely easier to shoot than the M14. Still quite a handful and not really effective or useful in FA from the shoulder, but not as bad as the American take on the concept.