The CETME was a Spanish 7.62mm (.308) assault rifle which was developed by the Spanish government firearms firm (Centro de Estudios Técnico de Materiales Especiales: CETME) from a German engineer design (Ludwig Vorgrimler’s). This semi-automatic weapon was in service with the Spanish Army and Marines from 1957 to 1999, when it was replaced by the German G36 rifle. The CETME models B and C were chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge; however the last version, model L, fired the 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition.
The CETME had a blowback action, a 16 1/2 inch barrel, which was fitted with a flash hider, and a bayonet lug located above the rifle barrel. The bolt was situated in a forward position above the gun barrel, on the left hand side. The safe (S), fire (F), and automatic (A) selection switch was located also on the left hand side of the gun just above the hand grip, while the cartridge case ejecting port was situated on right hand side. It was a reliable and sturdy rifle which had a maximum effective range of 900 m (920 yards). The CETME used either 20 or 30-round detachable magazines and had a total weight of 4.75 kg, a heavy but accurate weapon.
