#Marcolmar

New for 2023, MarColMar is introducing a variant of the CETME-L in .300 Blackout. In this video, Hop stops by the MarColMar booth at NRAAM 2023 to check it out. This is one of the vanishingly few roller delay guns in .300 BLK, however, there are some quirks to suppressing roller guns to consider.

Retro guns have been undergoing a renaissance lately, with an increasing number of manufacturers offering firearms that appeal to more classic tastes. Many SHOT Show 2022 vendors displayed wares of interest for the carry handle gang or vintage enthusiasts, or just people who already have plenty of modern guns and just want something different.

MarColMar Firearms is best known for their revival of the CETME L rifle. This unique gun was used by the Spanish and traces its lineage back to certain other stamped steel roller delayed firearms, though it has its own personality.

I first encountered MarColMar’s resurrection of the CETME-L at SHOT 2019.  I must admit I was immediately drawn to these stamped beauties.  Designed in the late 70’s/early 80’s and fielded from 1987-1999 in the Spanish military, the CETME-L is a pretty neat variation on the roller-delayed theme, all while having full STANAG-magazine compatibility.  MarColMar spent millions modernizing the reassembly of parts kits (including the use of robots), and has been cranking out easily the best examples available on the US market. For this interested in the manufacturing process, MarColMar has some great videos available on their site.  

Marcolmar is bringing a couple new variants of their CETME-L reproduction rifles to market this year, specifically optics equipped rifles such as the SUSAT version that saw service with Spanish Marines. They also have a CETME-LV with folding stock that comes in both pinned barrel and SBR versions. The pinned barrel has a faux muzzle extension that users can cut off if they put in the paperwork with ATF to SBR the rifle.

MarColMar’s have not only saved CETME L, they have breathed new life into Spain’s former service rifle. Built from original imported parts and newly US-made parts the rifles replicate the original 5.56x45mm CETME service rifles – right down to the custom Cerakote colour.

MarColMar has been hard at work.  After 2 years of effort, and 2 million dollars spent in production, their CETME-L reproductions are shipping out to customers.  These are full guns, not a kit that you have to weld, bend and pin together at home.  These feature new CHF nitrided 1:7 twist barrels and brand new 600 ton stamped flats made in-house at MarColMar.  They are fully 922(r) compliant because the only use 8 imported parts: The hammer, sear, guide rod, front sight tower, rear sight, bolt, rollers, and flash hider.  

Marcolmar makes semi-automatic, legal copies of the Czech Uk.59, and similar copies of the Soviet PKM General Purpose Machine Gun. So why not clone the two together and bring the resulting creation into the 21st Century, with polymer furniture, an updated design, and Picatinny rails? Meet the UKM, Marcolmar’s attempt to bring civilians a legal belt fed design that incorporates elements of both the PKM and the Uk.59 without losing any of the capabilities of either, and modernizing the design. For those who are still interested in the traditional belt-fed look, the older designers are out there on the market, but this UKM is for a newer crowd of gun owners that want a little bit extra.