Century Arms C93 copy of KH93

[leadcounsel]

Anyone know how the Century Army C93 is for quality, fit, finish, reliability, handling? How available are the magazines?

Edited - that was supposed to say 'HK93'

 

[HorseSoldier]

Mags are pricey. I think there have been a couple threads about the C93 clones and I don't remember seeing any horror stories about them yet. It is Century, so take it with a grain of salt, but the limited info so far isn't bad.

 

[wojownik]

I'd suggest being careful with the C93's, at least see if you can inspect one or more in person if possible (rather than a "blind" order from an on-line store). A number of folks so far have had OK things to say about them. Others have had issues ranging from the relatively minor (receiver out of spec so couldn't take scope mount or collapsible stock) to the alarming (excessive bolt gap).

I don't own one (have a V93 instead), but got to take a close external look at 4 of them at a gun show last weekend, one vendor had 8+ C93s all stacked up - $799, in sequential serial numbers. Each one seemed to have a different quirk.

The rear sight on the first one seemed to be permanently fixed in place - I could not get the drum to rotate (stopped trying when the vendor gave me the evil eye).

The next on had a horrendous finish on the stocks (looked like my little one did it with black paper mache in daycare). The finish on all of them did not look like a match to the original HK, but this one was really bad - almost funny.

The third was the opposite of the first - the rear sight would spin all right, like a roulette wheel - would just not lock into place. (at this point, someone else picked up the first rifle, and somehow cut his finger trying to twist the rear sight).

The fourth had a rattling sound inside, like a loose part or screw bouncing around. The safety selector was also very loose.

Yes, the rear sights on numbers one and three could possibly be fixed or replaced with a new drum or screw. Number two and four were just really bad builds.

ALSO, I noted that these C93s came with the carrying handle attached (a nice add), but did not come with bipods (some of the early C93s did a few months ago). The C93s also come with a "navy" lower receiver, i.e. with a straight pistol grip, rather than the contoured one you usually see on HK 93s and HK 33s.

I was hoping to have an "inexpensive" companion for my V93. Let me use that as another point of comparison. My V93 clone is closer to an HK33, with a vector receiver built by IGF with an HK33 kit. Set me back $1599, but it runs flawlessly, and has outstanding accuracy. Had the HK33 3 position S-E-F selector (clipped and pinned to fire only in semi in E and F mode).

I recently fit a collapsable stock on it (which can be a problem with some of the Century builds, as the receivers are reportedly out of spec. So if you go with a C93, be careful before investing in a collapsing stock or a scope claw mount as they may not fit).

You might want to take a look at the V93 pictures below to compare with a C93 - there will be some large differences in config, finish and fit.

 

[wojownik]

p.s. for mag and accessory pricing figure on the following (brace yourself...):

-40 rounders for $35 and up (aluminum, not H&K
-30 rounders for $75 (steel H&K and OEM)
-20 rounders for $79 and (way) up (steel H&K)
-bipod for $73-180
-stanag claw mount $150 to $230 (used to new)
-claw mount with Hensoldt 4x scope for $400-$500

on the plus side, the HK leather sling can be found for just $9.50

 

[DOUBLEDTX]

I took the plunge and picked one up from AIM. My mags would not lock in, so I ground down the top of the mag catch with my dremel. They lock in tight as a drum now! I took it to the range a fired approx 400rnds of commercial 62gr soft point from 200 yards to 7 yards, slow and rapid fire. Not a single malfunction at the range. The sights were easily adjusted and I was able to center they up nicely. After cleaning I used a set of feeler gauges to measure the bolt gap. Mine is right at .004 with standard rollers which is in spec. The bolt and carrier appear to be in original condition without any signs of being ground down by CAI.

I found what were claimed to be original HK33 mags for 125.00 each, 40rnd HK93 for $50.00 each and 25rnd mags for $65.00 each. I'll keep looking! There is s knock-off bipod that sell for 25-50, not sure of the quality though.

 

[nwilliams]

I've had very few issues with mine and I probably have close to 1k rounds through it so far. The only ammo it doesn't like is Wolf Military Classic but any other brand of ammo even the standard black box Wolf works just fine.

I outfitted mine with a Hensoldt Fero Z24 Sniper Scope from CTD and it has worked beautifully. The only mags that seem to be widely available are the 40 rounders and they can be pricey. I still need to outfit mine with a bipod and try and track down some shorter mags. Gunbroker has 25 round mags from time to time but expect to pay $80+ for them.

Overall an incredibly fun gun to shoot and very accurate and comfortable to fire. The quality seems far better than your average Century build. I got mine a few months ago from J&G and paid $799 with two 40rd mags, quite reasonable I thought and I have no buyers remorse.

Here's mine....

 

[wojownik]

If the C93s I saw at the gun show looked anything like the pictures posted by nwilliams, I would have picked one up. I wonder if Century has different companies building these for them, or if somebody had a really, really bad day with that particular run...