[Jedi_7.62]

I started looking at getting a CETME a yr. or so ago and put it off because I was hearing a lot of mixed reviews about them. I plan on going to a gun show next weekend and am still wanting one. What is the going price? I checked a couple auction boards and was seeing about $350. Has the quality improved and do they all come with the muzzle breaks?

Thanks,

[plevniak]

I got my CETME about a year and a half ago. The rifle was shipped with dead on sights. I have heard of people having problems but I've also heard that Century Arms fixed any complaints they had. Mine has a muzzle break but I have seen some recently without. I swapped my black stock with an HK wooden stock with help from these gentlemen:

http://www.geocities.com/miketheelectrician1/cetme1.html
http://www.cetmerifles.com/forum/

I have had some problem stripping off the first round out of a full mag on a couple of surplus CETME mags but I think the springs need broken in is all. Too new??? I also had a problem with a sticky charging handle but all I needed to do was to properly set the pin that was causing it to bind up. No problems since. I've had no jams. But I did have to learn how to let go of the charging handle to properly seat the bullet in the chamber. There's no forward assist so you have to eject the round and try again.

All in all it is a very impressive rifle. The gun is loud and is a real attention getter if you like that sort of thing. Tapco sells reasonably priced optics for it but I prefer the iron sights.

The CETME needs good quality surplus ammo, portugese, ausie, or south african. All are readily available and cheap.

I have a muzzle break on mine. It is efficient and I find it has less kick than my AK without a break. Still, I think I would have prefered it without as it blows directly up/down and to the sides. Not good for prone or for any friends on the firing line.

A few issues that people seem to dislike are that the gun doesn't have a last shot bolt hold open. It's not for lefties. It tends to deform the ejected brass so reloading is a pain. Don't see why you would want to though.

If you get the rifle for $350 you should get lots of accessories like bayonet, extra magazines, etc.

Now that I've sold you on it. Go check out a real G3 clone for about $400 at Southern ohio gun. I think CETME parts are only going to get more rare and although the CETME shares some parts with the G3, a G3 clone might be a better deal. :)

[Feanaro]

I will lay it out plain. You run a chance of getting a dud. Many of those duds can be fixed, some with minor work and some with not so minor work. Some come with muzzle breaks, some don't. The BATF classified the muzzle brake as a "grenade launcher" sometime during the production, which was a no-no under the AWB. I'm not sure if they are attaching muzzle brakes now or flash hiders or both.

But if you look carefully, and aren't afraid of tinkering, you stand a good chance of getting a pretty good rifle for very little. Definately check out the CETME forums for more info.

[kaferhaus]

I've seen a dozen or so at our range. None of the owners were satisfied with them.

All of them seemed to have some issue or another, some had feeding problems, many had problems with the sights. None of them were close to being "accurate", pie plate guns at best.

The cast reciever ones are "Butt ugly"....

Used ones here sell for $250 and you can usually get a bunch of mags and accessories with it at that price.

I'd look for something else.

[Swamp Yankee]

I know six members of the outdoor club where I shoot that purchased CETMEs. The first 2 were sent back to Century to have the sights adjusted (about a 2 week turn around). The last 4 (all with black furniture) have been excellent out of the box. Of the six I know and have shot there have been no mechanical failures.
Definately stick to surplus ammo, as plevniak stated these guns do beat up the brass.
All in all they're pretty good shooters and definately worth the price.
Take Care

[armoredman]

And, if you want one, you'd better get it now - Century is out. No more made. The one I had was horrible.

[MrMurphy]

The one I had was good, shot well (make sure your rear sight is set on "2" for 100 yards though).

All the other CETMEs I've seen from Century (as well as some of their AKs) seem to be assembled by monkeys with hammers on LSD though. QC is definitely bad.

Make sure you personally inspect the weapon, and preferably fire it first.

[Logan5]

For detailed info on what to check, you might have a look at:
http://www.gunboards.com/forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=47
and
http://cetmerifles.com/forum/index.php

Those ought to get you up to speed on headspacing checks, rollers, blah blah blah etc.
It's semi common to see a canted triple frame, which is easy enough to spot, and sometimes you'll see one where the holes for the pins that hold the stock in place aren't exactly lined up, which can be annoying. I'd also reccomend trying a G3 mag or two in the magwell of any one you're thinking of buying first, just to be sure. G3 mags are cheap and plentiful, CETME mags less so, so you want to be sure G3's will work for you.

I really like mine, it's a great shooter and quite reliable, but I did check out a bunch before I bought.

[bratch]

I like everything about mine except lacking a last shot bolt hold open. I got lucky with mine. Grabbed it off the rack only knowing I wanted one. Its worked great. Every G3 mag I've tried has worked and once I rezeroed the sights it shoot pretty well too. I've heard quality has came up recently.

Like everyone has said checkout cetmerifles.com all kinds of info.

[Marcus]

Logan`s got the right idea. Before I boought mine I read everything I could find about them (and read it all several times!) then checked out several dozen of them at shows and shops until I found one that looked as good as it was gonna get. It turns out it was a black G-3 stocked with no brake. I had to adjust the front sight a bit for windage and clean it *really well* (it was so full of crud and metal dust you wouldn`t believe it!). I shot 2 mags through it and cleaned it *really well* again,more crud! Since then it`s been just dandy. Fairly accurate (say 3"-4" 100yds. with cheap ammo and iron sights),reliable with all of my G3 mags (for $1.97 from CTD they`re like chips you can`t buy just one!) and even the cheap flimsy 30rd. mag I picked up for $10. I`m planning on topping it with a decent scope and adding a bipod to make it into a "BSG-1". :what: Marcus

[Dave R]

None of them were close to being "accurate", pie plate guns at best.

Sorry to hear about the bad luck in your bunch.

Mine had some issues I had to fix. "Not enough windage" and mags wouldn't seat well. My shop fixed the first issue for me. I fixed the 2nd by dremeling off a burr on the mag release hole that wouldn't let the mag catch go in all the way.

But accuracy? Shoots 2MOA with Portugese surplus and the aperture sight. I ignore the 100 yard "V" and just use the 200M aperture. 4" groups at 200 yards are easy if you can "dot the i" properly.

[Hammerhead]

I bought one last year, more or less on a whim, and after reading about the 'punch drunk monkeys' at CAI, I have been dreading taking it out for its first firing. Especially when I found that it would not accept the G3 mags.

Well, it ran like a top. Not a single failure to feed, extract, or fire, and it is the lightest recoiling .308 that I have ever used. I haven't finished evaluating it, but the sights seem to be reasonably aligned, and it was a real pleasure to shoot.

I have one of the ones with the black furniture, from AIM Surplus. $350 does sound a bit steep. Mine was a bit less than $300, with 3 mags.

Regards,
Hammeread

[Feanaro]

I too had problems with G3 mags, at first. Then I stopped babying the rifle and I let out some pent up anger. :D I whacked each magazine a few times, real hard, and they went in. They were a smidge hard to get out, but that fixed itself over time.

It's not for lefties.

I'm not one of those weird left handers(:D), but I can work the G3 fairly well left handed. The only sticky point is the selector switch. A mag change without using the charging handle is actually faster left handed.

Most of the problems with the CETME can be sorted out by looking before you buy, if at all possible. Make sure the triple sight frame is straight, the mag well isn't screwed up, and so on. Also, you may want to check the buttstock pins. They should come out with hand pressure and you may need to push hard. But not hammer pressure.

[cabinetman]

The CETME has required more "attention" than any other rifle I've purchased. That being said, once it's up and running, you'll be very happy with it.

From the factory, you must first tear it down completely. It's going to arrive full of metal filings and old grease. You'll have to clean it completely. You're also going to have to adjust the two take-down pin holes in the rear so you can push them out with your finger. When you get that rifle, you'll swear they've been welded in. That's not correct. Also, after you reassemble it, you should definately check the "bolt gap". Gunboards has an extensive bit of info about that. The CETME doesn't have a "headspace" like a regular rifle. Bolt Gap is measured with a feeler gauge and, if my memory serves me, you're looking for about .009 - .012. Too little is bad....too much is also bad.

After all that, the next thing you'll need to do is work the action. Lube the snot out of it and work the action at least a good 200 times manually. This will help seat all the component properly. Now you'll be ready to shoot.

This is where you may be finding issues with windage. Some rifles were not welded together properly. I believe that the vast majority are fine but just like buying a car that was build on a Friday afternoon or Monday morning, you may end up with a rifle where some of the proper attention to detail was lacking. CIA will repair these problems but let's face it.....it's a pain to be shipping a rifle back and forth.

When it does get dialed in, you'll be happy with it's accuracy and it is fun to shoot. What we are now noticing, however, is that the earilier iterations of this rifle (early receiver material) is exhibiting some buldging where the rollers are locking up when the rifle is in battery. Larger rollers can be installed on the bolt body if needed.

I could go on and on about the CETME. Mine has the stainless steel receiver and has been flawless. Earlier stamped steel versions were not as reliable. New stamped steel versions have improved the material and are very much like the original stamped steel receivers originally on the CETME.

This rifle requires a bit of tinkering and continuous inspection but it is worth the money. Where else can you find a military NATO rifle for under $400?

Rome