CETME Modelo A
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Barrel
- 450 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.40 kg
- Introduced
- 1955
About
What it is, and why it matters
The CETME Modelo A (also called CETME Mod. A or simply CETME A) was the initial pre-production prototype variant of the Spanish CETME roller-delayed blowback battle rifle, designed by German émigré engineer Ludwig Vorgrimler - a former Mauser engineer who had worked on the wartime StG.45(M) - at CETME (Centro de Estudios Técnicos de Materiales Especiales) in Madrid between 1952 and 1955. Chambered for the bespoke 7.62x51mm CETME reduced-power cartridge (dimensionally identical to 7.62x51mm NATO but with a lighter plastic-cored full-metal-jacketed bullet and reduced powder charge to make the rifle controllable in full-auto), the Modelo A introduced the integral folding bipod that doubled as a forend, a wooden buttstock, and the distinctive sight assembly mounted on the bipod itself. The Modelo A was produced only in prototype quantities before the design evolved into the steel-handguarded Modelo B (later type-classified as the Modelo 58) which entered Spanish Army service in 1957.
When Heckler & Koch's three founders - Edmund Heckler, Theodor Koch, and Alex Seidel, all formerly of Mauser - restarted their company in 1949 in Oberndorf, they had the technical expertise but no rifle design; Spain's CETME, with Ludwig Vorgrimler aboard, had the design but no industrial capacity. The 1956 licensing deal between CETME and H&K turned a prototype Spanish rifle into the G3 - and through the G3 into one of the most influential firearm bloodlines of the 20th century.
Direct ancestor of the Heckler & Koch G3 family - the roller-delayed blowback action and two-part bolt design of the CETME were licensed by H&K in 1956 and formed the basis of the G3, which in turn spawned the MP5, HK33, PSG1, and most of H&K's military catalogue through the 1990s. Only a handful of Modelo A rifles survive in museum and collector hands today.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- CETME (Centro de Estudios Tecnicos de Materiales Especiales)
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Country
- Spain
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1955 to 1958
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 450 mm
- Overall length
- 1015 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.40 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 5.00 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Roller delayed blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 20
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Stamped steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 770 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 2076 J
- Effective range
- 400 m
- Maximum range
- 2000 m
- Rate of fire
- 575 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Roller delayed blowback- Two part bolt with rollers
Fluted chamber
Closed bolt firing
Integral folding bipod
Wooden buttstock
Folding carrying handle
Select fire- Prototype pre production
Rear sight on bipod assembly
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 107 battle rifles | 4.40 kg | 4.30 kg | Heavier than about 70% |
| Overall lengthAmong 107 battle rifles | 1015 mm | 1025 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 110 battle rifles | 450 mm | 457 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 110 battle rifles | 20 | 20 | Holds more rounds than about 60% |
Answers
Questions about the CETME Modelo A
How much does the CETME Modelo A weigh?
The CETME Modelo A weighs 4.40 kg (9.70 lb) empty and 5.00 kg (11.02 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the CETME Modelo A?
The CETME Modelo A is chambered in 7.62x51mm CETME.
How many rounds does the CETME Modelo A hold?
The CETME Modelo A holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the CETME Modelo A?
The CETME Modelo A is 1015 mm (40.0 in) long overall, with a 450 mm (17.7 in) barrel.
Who makes the CETME Modelo A?
The CETME Modelo A is made by CETME (Centro de Estudios Tecnicos de Materiales Especiales) (Spain). It was designed by Ludwig Vorgrimler.
When was the CETME Modelo A introduced?
The CETME Modelo A was introduced in 1955 and discontinued in 1958.
How does the CETME Modelo A operate?
The CETME Modelo A uses a roller delayed blowback action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Spanish Army (Ejército de Tierra) - Trials
- 1955
Provenance
Confidence in this record
74%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/cetme-am' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "cetme-am", "name": "CETME Modelo A", "manufacturer": { "id": "cetme", "name": "CETME (Centro de Estudios Tecnicos de Materiales Especiales)", "countryCode": "ES", "foundedYear": 1949, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:43", "version": "40d9d841798d3f6cfbad2a2ee0395ac3303ccad2d01ba607cbf3374bd1d2f249" }, "category": { "id": "battle-rifle", "name": "Battle Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in full-power cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "ES", "year_introduced": 1955, "barrel_length_mm": 450, "weight_empty_g": 4400, "action_type": "roller_delayed_blowback"}