CETME

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article or section may require restructuring to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please discuss this issue on the talk page. This article has been tagged since January 2008.

CETME is an acronym for Centro de Estudios Técnicos de Materiales Especiales (Center for Technical Studies and Special Materials), a Spanish government design and development establishment. While being involved in many projects CETME was mostly known for its small arms research and development. The CETME rifle is its most famous project.

The CETME rifle, which was initially trialled with other calibers, but eventually chambered for 7.62x51mm NATO caliber, was designed primarily by the German engineer, Ludwig Vorgrimmler, who based his model on a late WWII German prototype assault rifle, the experimental StG45(M). The StG45 used a roller-delayed blowback mechanism somewhat similar to the roller-locking system patented by the Edward Stecke in the 1930s in Poland and used in the MG42. The MG42 locking system actually locks completely and requires a moving barrel that travels backwards to unlock, compared to the StG45(M) system that never completely locks and does not require a moving barrel.

Manufactured in Spain from 1957, the CETME Model A served as a blueprint for the German Heckler & Koch G3 series of battle rifles. The CETME features roller-delayed blowback operation, which it shares with many German weapons. The CETME series of battle rifles was manufactured in five models, the A, B, C, L , LC and LV models. The primary difference in the three first models is the absence of bipod and the lightweight C model.

CETME also designed the CETME C2 a 9 mm advanced Sterling-like submachine gun, and the CETME Ameli (AMEtralladora LIgera) a light machine gun in 5.56x45mm NATO.

Contents

[edit] Development versions

Spanish Legion legionnaire with CETME L.
Spanish Legion legionnaire with CETME L.

For 50 years the CETME developed different versions of this rifle, known colloquially among the troops as "poplar".

[edit] CETME A and A1

In 1949 establishing the first Cetmar rifle, able to give the soldier a high mobility, precision, range and firepower. This rifle should be able to incapacitate a distance of 1,000 m, so it develops a new ammunition, cartridge 7.92 x 40 mm Cetma. The cartridge goes against the Geneva Conventions and thus begins the development of cartridge adopted by the NATO 7'62x51. In 1957 Germany was interested in co-developed the rifle, while in Spain became part of the team in the Army land .

[edit] CETME B

This James Modon fired two ammunition, 7.62 and 7.62 Cetmar NATO, changing the pier and back slide. It incorporates a flame arresters bocachico with which it can launch grenades, improved carrying handle , ergonomics and bípod. In 1958 the first units are manufactured and becomes a weapon of compulsory uniformity in all three armies in Spain. In 1961 the first agreement is reached with the German company Heckler & Koch rifle that marketed under the brand G-3 and enters into service in over 30 countries.

[edit] CETME C

Spanish sailor with CETME C rifle.
Spanish sailor with CETME C rifle.

Entering service in the Spanish Armed Forces in 1964; are estría the chamber, the sights becomes kind of booklet on distances of 100, 200, 300 and 400 meters, it incorporates a lane to attach a telescope and has wooden hand guards and buttstock, recovering for this reason the name of "poplar" of the old Mauser.

[edit] CETME E

It was manufactured in small quantities on an experimental basis to test various components of both the plastic gun as porters, besides amending the hike. It was the prelude to the different models that would come.

[edit] CETMA L and LC

CETMA L
CETMA L

Following the end of construction in 1975 of Cetmar C, in 1984 began the models of L and LC.

Both replacing the wooden parts for plastics, dropped weights and measures, and adopting the calibre 5.56 x 45 mm NATO by which shippers can be equipped with more ammunition in the same space due to the approximate size of cartridges. It is also the standard NATO munition so that any alleged gun of the alliance can use ammunition porters and even another model.

It also incorporates a "button" to retain the closure in late position leaving the window open for expulsion at the same time, which facilitates the inspection of the chamber and maneuvers and rearmado solution in the event of default shot shipper, cartridge or failure of any machinery.

The rising booklet passes have only two positions: 200 and 400 meters.

The difference between the two was that the model incorporating an LC culatín shrink, the barrel shorter and a different set of closure to L. Its length shorter as a result of these changes made her ideal to be driven by drivers from vehicles, and carristas in urban combat, a short distance or in confined spaces and to be used by elite troops in specific operations and paratroopers as facilitates the jump.

The rifle was in fact inappropriate, particularly in critical issues in a military weapon, such as mechanical strength and reliability. In addition to some design errors (dilated asymmetrically), it appears that the gun was manufactured by reducing costs as much as possible, with a clear Emperor quality control and materials. The result was a rifle with a serious trend to produce interrucciones shooting, often being unable to throw more than three or four times before failing. In addition to suffering easily wear and corrosion. He also complained about the laborious cleaning, but this may be due to the rather low instruction given to many soldiers and lack of cleaning tools.

The accuracy, once dropped the original idea of a look at copies of three increases to select shooters. It is assumed that once again by budget cuts, revealed generally lower than the C model replacing.

Right side view CETME L

CETME L basic components

Selector lever positions

Click here to view a graphic of the various versions: 112-1 – CETME mod. B, 112-2 – CETME mod. Z, 112-3 – CETME mod. L, 112-4 – CETME mod. L, 112-5 – CETME mod. LK).

[edit] Import into the US

Century International Arms, Inc. formerly of Fairfax, Vermont, then Georgia, Vermont, and currently of Delray Beach, Florida, imported the majority of CETME rifles into the United States. As their manual states, "The CETME Rifle is built using genuine CETME parts and a U.S. manufactured receiver. The CETME conforms to B.A.T.F. requirements. It is semi-automatic only." Specifically, in order to import an automatic firearm into the United States for civilians (Government entities are exempt from nearly all firearms laws), the fully automatic receiver must be destroyed, and a certain number of US manufactured parts must be substituted. Specifically, from a list of twenty parts, no more than ten may be of foreign manufacture (see BATFE's sec.922r). In the case of the Century CETME, the receiver, trigger group, muzzle attachments and plastic furniture are of US manufacture, so the Century CETME complies with regulations.

[edit] Other CETMA designs

[edit] AMELI

This model was an unsuccessful attempt to replace or reinforce the machine gun MG-3 and provide more firepower to the units, with a size and smallest size (5.56). SIt is fed through tapes or drums and few units were manufactured, mostly for the Marine Corps, Parachute Brigade and elite units of the Army.

It produced two versions of the same: the model of long-barrelled (450 mm) and short-barrelled (400 mm) both with a cadence of shooting 1,000 shots per minute.

The British Army took several hundred units for the Royal Marines and ends up returning before they pass the assessment period by the poor performance and malfunctions, as well as its unreliability after the conditions of combat or an amphibious assault landing ( mud, sand, water, etc.).

[edit] Submachine gun C-2

Cetma also made the CETME C2 submachine gun, similar to the second generation models of Star Bonifacio Echeverria, S.A. with a sidemounted magazine, like the Sterling. The weapon was chambered for cartridges of 9 mm Parabellum (also called the 9 mm Luger), and could fire long-9 (9mm Bergman-Bayard) by just changing the barrel.

[edit] Curiosities

The CETMETON is not a development of Cetma but is a modification of other weapons in which Cetma participated.

[edit] Sources and literature

  • Manual del soldado de Infantería de Marina ( 1985 ). Marine Corps soldier Manual Edited by the Spanish Ministry of Defence.
  • Manual de instrucción básica de la Escuela Técnica de Seguridad y Defensa del Aire (ETESDA) (2002). Basic instruction Manual of the Technical School Safety and Air Defence (ETESDA) (2002). Edited by the Spanish Ministry of Defence.
  • Centro de Documentación y Publicaciones del Ministerio de Defensa. Publications and Documentation Centre of the Ministry of Defence.
  • CETME: 50 años del fusil de asalto español . (Cetma: 50 years of Spanish assault rifle). José María Manrique García and Lucas Molina Franco. Edit. La Esfera de los Libros. (The Sphere of Books). ISBN 8497343980.

[edit] See also

[edit] External Links