spanish 7.61 cetme

[argie1891]

ok i know that everything we read on the net is factual... i just looked up the word cetme and it means rifle in spanish. now all the talk that it is was a lower pressure round it is really ture.. spain joined nato would they use a round that was not safe in their rifles? i know all over the net it says they have done excatly that. now to me that sounds like b.s. has anyone really checked this out or is it an urban ledgend?   seems to me if they wanted a lower pressure round that would not be safe in their rifles they would chose a different round. i know if you shoot a mauser converted to the 7.62 CETME you are taking your life into your own hands. i have shot spanish 1916 fr8 etc and am still alive and the rifles show no sign of being hurt.    what is the truth on this or does anyone really know it must be as you cant put anything on the net that isnt true.the whole idea of nato using the same rifle ammo was supply standardization of ammo mortors was to make supply simpler. argie1891

[cam98k]

The Spanish Mod 98s,and  FR8s are ok with 7.62 Nato,Cetme,and .308 Winchester. It is the Mod93,95,1916 conversions that are the worry. Regards,Tony.

[mannyrock]

  I don't think the risk on the FR-8, in .7.62 Cetme, is that it will blow to pieces.  (i.e, catastrophic failure).  The risk is that it will grow headspace fast using a steady diet of full powered, factory .308 Winchester rounds.  Cetme psi was around 42,000 psi.  .308 Win saami psi is around 66,000 psi.   The numbers don't lie.   (And Spanish 98 actions are not regarded as well made to being with.)


  And yes, lots and lots of governments do stupid things on a short term basis with respect to military arms, in the face of dollar shortages and military necessity.  The conversion of the Spanish 98s to 7.62 was from the beginning intended to be a very short-term solution, until enough automatic weapons in 7.62 could be bought or produced.  It was a temporary bridge, not an end game military rifle.




  Hope this helps.


Mannyrock

[1911crazy]

Samco global arms sent a small ring mauser that was converted to 308 as the call it and it wasn't till 90,000psi when it blew up. That's well within the 308 win round. But I would keep the 308win rounds on the low side nothing heavy.

[Bigeasy]

Not sure I understand your question.  CETME does not mean rifle in Spanish, it is the name of a design and manufacturing company.  The CETME rifle, along with its H&K G-3 variant are proven safe with the 7.62 NATO / 308 Winchester round.  I have fired thousands of both type rounds thru both rifles without issue, as have many others.  As far as some Spanish 98, and pre-98 style Mauser actions, they are not the best choice for full power 308 Winchester ammo, as they are often manufactured with soft steel, and do not blow up, but tend to stretch over time, causing increased head space.
 
7.61 x 51 CETME?  No such animal, though there was a 7.62 CETME cartridge tested when the gun was first being developed.  It was simply a 7.62 NATO loaded with a slightly lighter weight bullet and powder charge.  It was soon dropped when the CETME roller lock action proved strong enough for the more powerful NATO round.
 
Larry

[Chupathingy]

Rifle in spanish is "Rifle", it's just pronounced "Reeflay".

Chupa

[OldSchoolRanger]

Bigeasy is correct CETME is an acronym for Centro de Estudios Técnicos de Materiales Especiales, a Spanish government design and development establishment.

It was a collaboration between Spanish and German firearms designers which developed the prototype for the rifle which became the German G-3 rifle, commercially known as the HK91 (Heckler & Koch) .

[Rex in OTZ]

I have a Spanish M-1916 in 7.62/.308 stamped at the muzzle.
Would it be safe to use subsonic ammunition in thie old mauser?
I have a tiny bit of some surplus 7.62x51 that I save back to use in my converted MAS 49/56 Century conversion.

Would the 7.62x51 ammunition specially designed for use in the M-1A be safe to use in the small ring mauser?