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Every so often a surplus kit shows up that makes the build-it-yourself crowd sit straight up. This is one of those. The CETME LC — Spain's short-barreled, collapsible-stock, roller-delayed 5.56 carbine — is back on the shelf in OD green, and these kits have something almost nobody else's do: the barrel is still on the gun.
The part everybody asks about first: the barrel
Here's the thing that separates these from nearly every other LC kit that has hit the U.S. market. On most demilled kits, the torch goes through the barrel too — you get a chopped tube and a bill for a replacement before you've even started. Not these.
The barrels are intact. Whole, unmolested, and still pinned to the trunnion. Only the receiver was cut during demilitarization. That's it. Bore, crown, gas-free roller-delayed goodness — all still there.
What the CETME LC actually is
To understand the LC you have to start with the family it came from. After WWII, Spain's Centro de Estudios Técnicos de Materiales Especiales picked up where German engineer Ludwig Vorgrimler's wartime StG 45(M) work left off, and turned roller-delayed blowback into a production battle rifle. That rifle became the CETME, and the CETME went on to become the H&K G3 — one of the most widely fielded rifles of the 20th century. If you've ever run a G3, an HK91, an HK33, or a PTR, you've handled Spanish DNA.
The CETME Model L was that lineage scaled down to 5.56x45mm NATO for the Spanish Armed Forces in the mid-1980s. The LC is its little brother — L Corto, "L Short" — with a stubby 12.6″ barrel and a two-position collapsible steel stock whose arms slide right along the outside of the receiver. It's compact, it's odd-looking in the best way, and it is effectively the last roller-delayed carbine to see frontline military service anywhere. Spain retired the L family when the G36 came in from the late 1990s onward, and that was the end of the line.
Which means the kit on your bench isn't a reproduction of anything. It's the genuine article, pulled from Spanish service, wearing its mileage honestly.
What's in the box
These kits are complete minus the receiver. That includes:
- Upper assembly with intact original barrel, still pinned to the trunnion
- Front sight tower and flash hider — either a 3-prong "duckbill" or an A2 "birdcage" (no selection available — you get what comes)
- Bolt group with rollers, carrier and recoil spring assembly
- Grip frame / trigger housing with fire control components
- Two-position collapsible steel stock
- OD green polymer handguard
- Pins, springs, selector and assorted small parts
- Two original 30-round magazines
Specifications — CETME Model LC
| Caliber | 5.56x45mm NATO (.223 Remington) |
| Action | Roller-delayed blowback |
| Barrel length | 12.6 in |
| Overall length | 33.9 in extended / 26.2 in collapsed |
| Weight | 7.5 lbs empty |
| Rate of fire | 650–800 rpm (original select-fire configuration) |
| Magazines | Two original 30rd included; accepts standard AR-15 / M16 STANAG mags |
| Finish | Olive drab green, original military service wear |
Who these are for
Roller-delayed collectors who want the one that got away. Builders who've done a CETME C and want the 5.56 counterpart. Anyone who's watched LC prices climb and figured the window had closed. And frankly, anyone who just wants a rack full of Cold War oddities with a story attached.
At $149.99 — or $139.99 each when you take two or more — with two original 30-round mags in the box and an intact barrel up front, this is about as much CETME as that money has bought in a long while.
Keep digging
- The History and Legacy of the CETME Rifle & Guide to CETME Parts Kits — the long-form background on the family and a walkthrough of the build process.
- All CETME parts, kits and accessories — bolt heads, fire control parts, sights, furniture and more.
- MarColMar CETME LC semi-auto rifle — if you'd rather someone else did the welding.
Shipping & compliance notice: This is a parts kit, not a firearm. Note that the original barrel measures 12.6″, shorter than the 16″ federal minimum barrel length for a rifle — any completed configuration is the buyer's responsibility and must comply with applicable law. Because it contains fire-control components, it cannot ship to WA and may be restricted in other states. The buyer is solely responsible for 922(r) compliance and for all applicable federal, state and local laws governing the manufacture and possession of firearms. Please review our shipping restrictions page before ordering. Availability, pricing and restrictions subject to change.
