[Monkeyleg]

I just got back from my buddy's gun shop. On the wall was a Spanish CETME, which is being sold on consignment. It has the wood furniture, and there isn't a scratch on it. I'm not even sure it's ever been fired.

The shop is asking about $400 for it, although I could probably get it for no $$, since my buddy owes me much more than $400 for the website I've been creating for him.

How are these rifles in terms of accuracy, reliability, etc?

Any and all thoughts welcome.

[Dave R]

I have one and like it a lot.

Do a search on "CETME" and you'll find a lot of info. Then go to the CETME forum and you'll find more info.

http://www.gunboards.com/forums/UltraBoard.cgi?action=Headlines&BID=30&SID=1655538

There's a guy there who goes by "perro del diablo" who has a website with a great section on "what to look for when you buy a CETME".

Here are some random comments (my brain and fingers are tired).

Century Arms built this rifle from used parts and a new receiver. Quality of the parts varies. Some of the parts kits they used really have never been fired. Its possible. Century is known for taking shortcuts in assembly, so there may be some build issues with the rifle. If you fix 'em (or return if needed), you'll wind up with a fine rifle.

I shopped CETME vs. FAL pretty heavy and chose CETME because I liked the feel and balance better. And the wood.

Mine had the "not enough windage" problem. Full adjustment was still not on target because Century assembled the triple-frame crooked. There are several fixes. Once I got that fixed, I really like it.

Reliablilty is excellent.

Accuracy good. 2MOA with surplus ammo and the iron sights. 4" at 200 yards. No scope yet.

Recoil is very soft for a .308. You can shoot it all day.

Easy to clean. Century makes 'em tight, so it hard to get the stock pins out & stock & grip off the first few times. The it loosens up.

Things to look for:

-Check the bore. Some reported pitted. Mine was pristine.
-Cycle the action a few times. Should be stiff, but not "need a crowbar". Some had wrong gap on the cocking system and are near impossible to cock.
-Check bolt gap (CETME equiv. of headspace). Just need a feeler guage. Perro's site describes the process. Bolt gap can be adjusted with new rollers for $10-15. But little bolt gap indicates a lot of wear. Also check for ground bolt, which was Century's way of bringing some worn guns into spec.

$400 is not a bad price, but $350 is really market rate. They can be had on the 'net for $300+, but with FFL fee and shipping, you're between $350 and $400.