For many years, the model 1916 (based on the german Mauser mod. 1893) and, afterwards, model 1943 rifles (based on the german Mauser mod. 1898) were the official issue for the spanish Armies. However, after WW II, it was evident that the future trend was an individual weapon, capable of firing in both semi-auto or full-auto mode: The german Sturmgewëhr became, so, the spanish CETME Assault Rifle.
Back in the 50's, the three Armies (Ground, Navy and Air Force) began replacing the venerable rifles that had given a so good result, by the new assault rifles (that, as we can see now, would give even better results). However, with the progressive adoption of the CETME, the problems derived from maintaining two official issue, mutually excluding rifles began to arise . On one hand, they weren't enough CETMEs to equip all the soldiers (remember, Spain was then under a more-or-less official international freezing, and production was awfully slow), and, on the other, the military magazines were being filled with perfectly usable Mauser rifles that, moreover, fired a cartridge that was facing a near extinction.
And, as the Army never throws away anything, someone proposed to create an hybrid rifle, making good use of the Mauser stock and locks to mount a CETME barrel. The Reformed Rifles 7 and 8 (or Fusil Reformado 7 and 8) had been born.
The FR-7 was based on the 1916 rifle (recognisable by its curved lever and its two-lugs locking), and the FR-8 on the 1943 model (with a three-lug locking and a straight lever).
As more and more military units were adopting the CETME, the Cetmeton was being banished to the auxiliary units, or as an "expendable" rifle for training uses, and, finally, it was exported as a shooting and hunting rifle.
As a curious fact, given that the 7'62x51 cartridge has been banned in Spain until recently, the Cetmeton was sold abroad, with what we assist again to the paradox, each time more frequent, of having to import a "Made in Spain" gun.
