CETME Model L
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Barrel
- 400 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.40 kg
- Introduced
- 1986
About
What it is, and why it matters
The CETME Model L is a Spanish 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifle developed by CETME in the late 1970s as a smaller-caliber successor to the 7.62mm CETME C. It uses the same roller-delayed blowback action as its predecessor and the Heckler & Koch G3, accepts STANAG magazines, and served as the Spanish Armed Forces' standard service rifle from 1987 until it was replaced by the H&K G36E around 1999. Reliability problems and difficulty mounting accessories gave it a relatively short service life.
Spain's last domestically designed standard-issue service rifle, the Model L carried CETME's signature roller-delayed blowback lineage into the 5.56mm NATO era before the country adopted the German G36.
Produced from 1986 to 1991 with roughly 60,000 units made. The carbine variant, the Model LC, used a retractable stock and a shorter barrel.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- CETME (Centro de Estudios Tecnicos de Materiales Especiales)
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Country
- Spain
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1986 to 1991
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 400 mm
- Overall length
- 925 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.40 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Roller delayed blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 30
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 875 m/s
- Effective range
- 400 m
- Rate of fire
- 700 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.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
STANAG-compatible magazine well
Flip-up rear aperture sight
Polymer furniture
Roller-delayed blowback action
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 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 3.40 kg | 3.60 kg | Lighter than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 156 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 925 mm | 920 mm | Near the median |
| Barrel lengthAmong 157 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 400 mm | 449 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 30 | 30 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the CETME Model L
How much does the CETME Model L weigh?
The CETME Model L weighs 3.40 kg (7.50 lb) empty.
What caliber is the CETME Model L?
The CETME Model L is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO.
How many rounds does the CETME Model L hold?
The CETME Model L holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the CETME Model L?
The CETME Model L is 925 mm (36.4 in) long overall, with a 400 mm (15.7 in) barrel.
Who makes the CETME Model L?
The CETME Model L is made by CETME (Centro de Estudios Tecnicos de Materiales Especiales) (Spain). It was designed by CETME.
When was the CETME Model L introduced?
The CETME Model L was introduced in 1986 and discontinued in 1991.
How does the CETME Model L operate?
The CETME Model L 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.
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
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-l' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "cetme-l", "name": "CETME Model L", "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": "assault-rifle", "name": "Assault Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in intermediate cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "ES", "year_introduced": 1986, "barrel_length_mm": 400, "weight_empty_g": 3400, "action_type": "roller_delayed_blowback"}