CETME: My Battle Rifle

LakerDad · 06-18-2008, 10:36 PM

Main reason for obtaining my CETME was the reduction in the market prices back in 2004. Another reason was the reading I did in regards to the Modern Battle Rifles. There's alot of articles supporting the B.R. in tacticle situations.
It is nice addition the the AK's, SKS's and AR's. I'm sure I would like to be able to include some the other great Battle Rifles into my collection, but till then, my Spanish Girl is my primary Battle Rifle. The 7.62 x 51 in this B.R. is very good package.
Many argue which is best, but it still comes down to what you have and can afford to shoot. The CETME fills my niche and it has a neat bit of history to go along with it.

My idea was to discuss the phase "Battle Rifle", I don't see it much now. I wonder why...

Cyrano · 06-18-2008, 10:48 PM

I suspect you don't see that phrase because most people that have civilianized versions of post-World War II battle rifles prefer the term "black gun." It's semantically neutral, as opposed to the 'evil,' pejorated term "assault weapon."

I have one on layaway at the local gun store I hope to get home next month. I was fascinated with them as a kid after I read an article on them in American Rifleman. I couldn't understand why, if the Army was so hot to get rid of the M-14, they didn't adopt the CETME instead of the US troop-killing M16 Jam-A-Matic. I've wanted one for decades, and pretty soon I'll have a Spanish Lady of my own!

sean46953 · 06-19-2008, 02:48 AM

I love the phrase Battle Rifle for the very reason of it being a little meaner than a lame and simple "black rifle" I mean, say this to yourself..."I gotta back rifle...." Boring....Now, "I gotta BATTLE RIFLE!" YAY! lol Good to hear that we'll have a couple more guys here that love to treat their Spanish Ladies to good dinner of .308! Good luck and enjoy!

Big Dog · 06-19-2008, 05:33 PM

Mi CETME esta muey BUENO!!

just_a_car · 06-19-2008, 07:04 PM

I like the phrase Battle Rifle because it implies that it's made to work in adverse combat conditions and to take out enemy combatants with a helluva punch. The 7.62mm round will do just that and the CETME eats darn near any round you feed it. Assault Rifles are for taking CQB combat, such as the M16 or Steyr AUG, with the light round of the 5.56mm.

meatloaf · 06-20-2008, 06:04 PM

I like my cetme, but I dont know if I would call it my main battle rifle. If shit hit the fan, I would grab my yugo 90 underfold. Unlike the cetme it has never failed me, also ammo is cheaper. So I have alot more ammo for my Ak than my cetme. However if i didnt have my AK then I would pick my cetme. I say the ak is better because even when it is dirty it will still fire without a problem. My cetme gets dirty and the rollers get gummed up from surplus ammo, and it wont chamber the next round. It becomes more like a bolt action gun when that happens.

LakerDad · 06-20-2008, 06:19 PM

Thanks Guys. I hoped for these types of replies...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrano

I suspect you don't see that phrase because most people that have civilianized versions of post-World War II battle rifles prefer the term "black gun." It's semantically neutral, as opposed to the 'evil,' pejorated term "assault weapon."

I have one on layaway at the local gun store I hope to get home next month. I was fascinated with them as a kid after I read an article on them in American Rifleman. I couldn't understand why, if the Army was so hot to get rid of the M-14, they didn't adopt the CETME instead of the US troop-killing M16 Jam-A-Matic. I've wanted one for decades, and pretty soon I'll have a Spanish Lady of my own!

Cyrano, that's really Good to hear, hope you enjoy as "her" much as the rest of us!!!

I too remember the article[s] in the American Rifleman. I also have the Shotgun News that had the sales on the CETME back in 2000, they were going for $700+ and in 2004 they dropped to the $395 price. Back in the 60's the Mars version CETME came into the USA and were sold for $219 per a AR article.
Too bad the US didn't keep the M-14 as a squad heavy/light MG kindalike the BAR of WWI, WWII and Korea. and what about a Barrett 50 BMG auto rifle too? Fast shooting is somewhat important but a big meaner gun is way better in my book.

just_a_car · 06-20-2008, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meatloaf

I like my cetme, but I dont know if I would call it my main battle rifle. If shit hit the fan, I would grab my yugo 90 underfold. Unlike the cetme it has never failed me, also ammo is cheaper. So I have alot more ammo for my Ak than my cetme. However if i didnt have my AK then I would pick my cetme. I say the ak is better because even when it is dirty it will still fire without a problem. My cetme gets dirty and the rollers get gummed up from surplus ammo, and it wont chamber the next round. It becomes more like a bolt action gun when that happens.

I completely agree, meatloaf. If it came down to it, I'd grab my AES-10 and a bunch of filled mags. Unfortunately, due to the weight and the cost of ammo, the CETME just isn't practical. But, if I'm bugging in and have the chance to set up without lugging it around, the CETME is king.

meatloaf · 06-21-2008, 01:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by just_a_car

I completely agree, meatloaf. If it came down to it, I'd grab my AES-10 and a bunch of filled mags. Unfortunately, due to the weight and the cost of ammo, the CETME just isn't practical. But, if I'm bugging in and have the chance to set up without lugging it around, the CETME is king.

I guess it would be kick ass for bugging in. I just never plan to entrench, I always see myself on the go if SHTF.

Big Dog · 06-21-2008, 08:33 AM

CETME is no heavier than the AK - check the specs. Costlier ammo - yep! BUT.... in a pinch, we can use .308Win from Wally's - just be careful of torn brass.
I have never had gunk issues with my CETME - I have run several mags of milsurp ammo thru it, then left it sit til next shooting session without cleaning. It runs like a Timex. Maybe I got lucky.....

Don357 · 06-21-2008, 12:48 PM

+++ on all of the above posts. I love my CETME, even though it's from Century. But I'll have to say I got A good one. Got mine used on a private sale with the bugs already worked out for $300 including 300+ rounds of ammo. If I were to get another worst case senario gun it would be an AK variant of some kind, for the simple reason that most of our enemies use them and scrounging ammo would be easier, at least in my opinion.

meatloaf · 06-29-2008, 02:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Dog

CETME is no heavier than the AK - check the specs. Costlier ammo - yep! BUT.... in a pinch, we can use .308Win from Wally's - just be careful of torn brass.
I have never had gunk issues with my CETME - I have run several mags of milsurp ammo thru it, then left it sit til next shooting session without cleaning. It runs like a Timex. Maybe I got lucky.....

actualy my ak is heavier i have a yugo model 70.

How ever its alot shorter and easier to manuver. I got a good cetme, but since my cotter pins that hold it together are super tight I need a hole punch and a hammer to take it apart to clean, I dont always completely take it apart to clean. So thats how the rollers were gummed up. I like my cetme but just because it takes a hammer and a punch to take it apart thats why I wouldnt carry it if shtf. My Ak i abused heavily when I first got it, I ran about 3000 rounds through it with out cleaning it. I absolutly cleaned nothing on it. It got so dirty that carbon was falling out of it as i shot it , but it never had a jam. Thats exactly what im looking for in a shtf scenario. But dont get me wrong, i would arm one of my freinds with it.

On the other hand it 308 is alot powerful round so I would carry my steyr ssg as well. Or give my wife the AK and I would carry the sniper rifle.

By the way its not realy mine yet still paying on it.

therifleman · 07-11-2008, 07:11 AM

hard to get ammo in my area since it fires that 7.62x51 cetme different than the 7.62x51 nato

sean46953 · 07-11-2008, 08:00 AM

Therifleman, you can use .308 NATO, .308 Winchester, 7.62x51NATO. The CETME round I don't think ever made it into to production. It was originally designed to fire some special new ammo, but ended up using the 7.62x51 NATO stuff. The only one that you should be careful with is the .308Win The reason being that it is a commercial round and being so has a softer primer and case than the NATO spec surplus stuff. I have heard of small issues using the WIN. stuff, but I have shot more commercial .308win than anything else. Infact, my CETME likes that stuff BETTER than milsurp stuff. Just giving you a little info. Take care!

wunhunglo · 07-11-2008, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean46953

Therifleman, you can use .308 NATO, .308 Winchester, 7.62x51NATO. The CETME round I don't think ever made it into to production. It was originally designed to fire some special new ammo, but ended up using the 7.62x51 NATO stuff. The only one that you should be careful with is the .308Win The reason being that it is a commercial round and being so has a softer primer and case than the NATO spec surplus stuff. I have heard of small issues using the WIN. stuff, but I have shot more commercial .308win than anything else. Infact, my CETME likes that stuff BETTER than milsurp stuff. Just giving you a little info. Take care!

Sean, you are right enough with what you say about the 7.62x51 & 7.62 nato BUT .308 nato does not exist and you really should be carefull using commercial .308win in any firearm chambered for 7.62x51 due to the pressure issues (the good thing is that most battle rifles have a big enough factor of safety built in that this is seldom an issue). But let's not get back into the .308/7.62 same/different issue again.

GlockMeister · 07-11-2008, 08:35 AM

Cyrano, it's the next month, obviously right. lol . But, have you gotten to bring yours home yet?

meatloaf · 07-17-2008, 05:38 PM

DAMMIT!!!!!! ARGH I boroke the stock on my cetme. I have the plastic furniture that comes on the sporter model, and went to clean my cetme since it had been awhile since I did a complete break down cleaning. I know I know it should be fully cleaned every time , but the danm thing is so hard to take apart. The cotter pins are so tight they have to taken out with a punch and a hammer. then the stock is on the gun so tight I have to use the punch and the hammer to tap the rifle but off of the receiver. Now comes the part of how I broke my stock. (I want to add when I say hammer I mean a flooring mallet) I was tapping away at the metal part of the stock that attaches to the receiver, and it wasnt budging. Then I got the fantastic idea of maybe if I use the hammer to tap (and I mean tap not a full on hit) the stock at the but end, tapping the top and bottom of the stock maybe I could loosen what ever is holdin the thing to the gun. On the second tap to the top side, the stock cracked. Beware anyone who has this type of stock. Im going to purchase wood furniture fo her, or maybe put on one of those HK sniper stocks.

Big Dog · 07-18-2008, 05:11 AM

Those cheap plastic stocks on the "Black Widows" have a bad reputation for cracking. A lot of owners of these later CETMEs use the wood stock sets from Tapco, or the surplus synthetic HK stocks - minor modification is required, but they look awesome!

CETME has no problem with .308 commercial pressures - it's far more forgiving of load differences than most gas-operated rifles. BUT.... be careful of the more fragile commercial brass! Mine likes Remington/UMC 150 grain loads, but I have had a case ripped in half. I've read on the CETME forums that the nickle cases tend to be tougher - but I have not tried them.

06-18-2008, 10:36 PM	#1
LakerDad Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Central Missouri Posts: 209	CETME: My Battle Rifle Main reason for obtaining my CETME was the reduction in the market prices back in 2004. Another reason was the reading I did in regards to the Modern Battle Rifles. There's alot of articles supporting the B.R. in tacticle situations. It is nice addition the the AK's, SKS's and AR's. I'm sure I would like to be able to include some the other great Battle Rifles into my collection, but till then, my Spanish Girl is my primary Battle Rifle. The 7.62 x 51 in this B.R. is very good package. Many argue which is best, but it still comes down to what you have and can afford to shoot. The CETME fills my niche and it has a neat bit of history to go along with it. My idea was to discuss the phase "Battle Rifle", I don't see it much now. I wonder why...

06-19-2008, 02:48 AM	#3
sean46953 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Marion, Indiana Posts: 357	I love the phrase Battle Rifle for the very reason of it being a little meaner than a lame and simple "black rifle" I mean, say this to yourself..."I gotta back rifle...." Boring....Now, "I gotta BATTLE RIFLE!" YAY! lol Good to hear that we'll have a couple more guys here that love to treat their Spanish Ladies to good dinner of .308! Good luck and enjoy! __________________ http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...00_0535100.jpgSean M. Hartman

06-19-2008, 05:33 PM	#4
Big Dog Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 10,214	Mi CETME esta muey BUENO!! __________________ Moderator of: AR15/M16, M14/M1A, New/Beginning Shooters and Militaria/Collectables.

06-19-2008, 07:04 PM	#5
just_a_car Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Edmonds, WA Posts: 3,522	I like the phrase Battle Rifle because it implies that it's made to work in adverse combat conditions and to take out enemy combatants with a helluva punch. The 7.62mm round will do just that and the CETME eats darn near any round you feed it. Assault Rifles are for taking CQB combat, such as the M16 or Steyr AUG, with the light round of the 5.56mm. __________________

06-21-2008, 08:33 AM	#10
Big Dog Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 10,214	CETME is no heavier than the AK - check the specs. Costlier ammo - yep! BUT.... in a pinch, we can use .308Win from Wally's - just be careful of torn brass. I have never had gunk issues with my CETME - I have run several mags of milsurp ammo thru it, then left it sit til next shooting session without cleaning. It runs like a Timex. Maybe I got lucky..... __________________ Moderator of: AR15/M16, M14/M1A, New/Beginning Shooters and Militaria/Collectables.

06-18-2008, 10:48 PM	#2
Cyrano Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: New York Posts: 2,356	I suspect you don't see that phrase because most people that have civilianized versions of post-World War II battle rifles prefer the term "black gun." It's semantically neutral, as opposed to the 'evil,' pejorated term "assault weapon." I have one on layaway at the local gun store I hope to get home next month. I was fascinated with them as a kid after I read an article on them in American Rifleman. I couldn't understand why, if the Army was so hot to get rid of the M-14, they didn't adopt the CETME instead of the US troop-killing M16 Jam-A-Matic. I've wanted one for decades, and pretty soon I'll have a Spanish Lady of my own!

06-20-2008, 06:04 PM	#6
meatloaf Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: lakewood CO Posts: 904 Images: 3	I like my cetme, but I dont know if I would call it my main battle rifle. If shit hit the fan, I would grab my yugo 90 underfold. Unlike the cetme it has never failed me, also ammo is cheaper. So I have alot more ammo for my Ak than my cetme. However if i didnt have my AK then I would pick my cetme. I say the ak is better because even when it is dirty it will still fire without a problem. My cetme gets dirty and the rollers get gummed up from surplus ammo, and it wont chamber the next round. It becomes more like a bolt action gun when that happens.

06-21-2008, 12:48 PM	#11
Don357 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Semmes Alabama Posts: 272	+++ on all of the above posts. I love my CETME, even though it's from Century. But I'll have to say I got A good one. Got mine used on a private sale with the bugs already worked out for $300 including 300+ rounds of ammo. If I were to get another worst case senario gun it would be an AK variant of some kind, for the simple reason that most of our enemies use them and scrounging ammo would be easier, at least in my opinion. __________________ NRA member #151239009 NAHC Life member #40649874 G&G CETME Club Minister

07-11-2008, 07:11 AM	#13
therifleman Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: glennville ga Posts: 154 Blog Entries: 2	hard to get ammo in my area since it fires that 7.62x51 cetme different than the 7.62x51 nato

07-11-2008, 08:00 AM	#14
sean46953 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Marion, Indiana Posts: 357	Therifleman, you can use .308 NATO, .308 Winchester, 7.62x51NATO. The CETME round I don't think ever made it into to production. It was originally designed to fire some special new ammo, but ended up using the 7.62x51 NATO stuff. The only one that you should be careful with is the .308Win The reason being that it is a commercial round and being so has a softer primer and case than the NATO spec surplus stuff. I have heard of small issues using the WIN. stuff, but I have shot more commercial .308win than anything else. Infact, my CETME likes that stuff BETTER than milsurp stuff. Just giving you a little info. Take care! __________________ http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...00_0535100.jpgSean M. Hartman

07-11-2008, 08:35 AM	#16
GlockMeister Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Northern Illinois Posts: 5,483	Cyrano, it's the next month, obviously right. lol . But, have you gotten to bring yours home yet? __________________ I'd rather be tried by 12 than carried by 6!

07-17-2008, 05:38 PM	#17
meatloaf Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: lakewood CO Posts: 904 Images: 3	DAMMIT!!!!!! ARGH I boroke the stock on my cetme. I have the plastic furniture that comes on the sporter model, and went to clean my cetme since it had been awhile since I did a complete break down cleaning. I know I know it should be fully cleaned every time , but the danm thing is so hard to take apart. The cotter pins are so tight they have to taken out with a punch and a hammer. then the stock is on the gun so tight I have to use the punch and the hammer to tap the rifle but off of the receiver. Now comes the part of how I broke my stock. (I want to add when I say hammer I mean a flooring mallet) I was tapping away at the metal part of the stock that attaches to the receiver, and it wasnt budging. Then I got the fantastic idea of maybe if I use the hammer to tap (and I mean tap not a full on hit) the stock at the but end, tapping the top and bottom of the stock maybe I could loosen what ever is holdin the thing to the gun. On the second tap to the top side, the stock cracked. Beware anyone who has this type of stock. Im going to purchase wood furniture fo her, or maybe put on one of those HK sniper stocks.

07-18-2008, 05:11 AM	#18
Big Dog Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 10,214	Those cheap plastic stocks on the "Black Widows" have a bad reputation for cracking. A lot of owners of these later CETMEs use the wood stock sets from Tapco, or the surplus synthetic HK stocks - minor modification is required, but they look awesome! CETME has no problem with .308 commercial pressures - it's far more forgiving of load differences than most gas-operated rifles. BUT.... be careful of the more fragile commercial brass! Mine likes Remington/UMC 150 grain loads, but I have had a case ripped in half. I've read on the CETME forums that the nickle cases tend to be tougher - but I have not tried them. __________________ Moderator of: AR15/M16, M14/M1A, New/Beginning Shooters and Militaria/Collectables.