GoldenState started making the 'SantaFe' BM59 in about '64 or '65.
A semi auto only copy of the ItalianBM59 Service Rifle.
The original BM59 was a creation of the Beretta company in Italy. The original rifles made on altered M1 Garand recievers by cutting and welding. It was an Italian Service rifle (30yrs) as well as being sold by them in military contracts to nearly a dozen nations.
Importation of the civilian version Beretta made rifles stopped in 68 with the GCA.
The military version is select fire.
Golden State used surplus US M1 garand recvrs and parts, cut and rewelded. Bbls were surplus 1903 Springfield reworked,,usually 2 groove WW2 replacement bbls.
Some say they used some Beretta mfg cut and weld recv;rs also early on as they (G/State) were licensed to make the BM59 in the USA by Beretta.
So some of the G/State rifles will have Beretta licensing info on the left side as well as old USGI markings showing.
National Ordinance and Federal Ordnance both also made BM59's on rewelded cut USGI M1 Garand recv'rs.
The welding of the GoldenState made rec'vrs has been said to be hot and cold on the QC scale. I've seen some that were pretty crude,,and some that were very nicely done and finish machined. The latter, the owners had no complaints with.
Golden State did change the magazine latch on the rifle at one point to a different simpler style and those didn't fare too well and are tough to find replacements now. The original Beretta designed mag latch worked much better.
Springfield/Armory Inc brought the BM59 back to the market in the 80's when they bought a boat load of remaining parts and recv'rs from Beretta who was closeing the chapter on the rifle. The rifles were assembled in the US by S/A, Inc. with the Italian made parts and the USGI M1 parts that had always been used from the beginning.
