Anyone know cetme's and their clones?

Somenewguy · Nov 1, 2010

So my friends got a cetme clone he wants to sell, its a century arms sportster. And when i was looking up issues with them it said the big thing to look for is bolt gap and it needed to be between .5 -.7mm. My only question is how to measure it? My understanding was to cock it back into safe and then give it a hk slap and let it slam forward. He says this is bad on it and doesn't want me to do it. So is that the proper way to get the gap or what? I don't want to buy it if its out of spec.

Also what do you guys think is a fair price for a gun like that? Its not perfect. There are some nicks and use marks. Hes claimed to put 300 rds through it.

eldbillbo · Nov 1, 2010

Make sure it is not loaded. cock it slap the cocking handle and let it close on its own, there should be a small gap between the back of the bolt and front of the carrier , use a feeler gauge insert gauges until you find the one that fits snug and that will tell you what the bolt gap is.

Now if its a ground bolt it will be a lie and the reading false but if it was a functioning properly then not likely a ground bolt do a search for ground bolts and you see pictures of what they look like .

Price is up to him do some research . if he can prove to the prospective buyer that it is a good working accurate cetme i would say he could get top dollar maybe even more that what it cost to buy a new off the self one since some cetmes are duds

fromotoc · Nov 2, 2010

If it doesn't have a ground bolt and has safe clearances then $500.

If it does have a ground bolt or unsafe clearances then good luck.

raftman · Nov 2, 2010

^ Exactly.

I probably wouldn't even buy one that's out spec at all unless it was something like $250 or less.

For what it's worth, I actually had one of the good ones for a little while, and though it was accurate and reliable, it was also rather clunky, heavy, and the workmanship was crude enough to make my AK's seem elegant by comparison.

trainsktg · Nov 2, 2010

If you absolutely have to have a roller lock rifle, and are willing to spend a few hundred dollars more, you could probably pick up a nice PTR91 instead. It will be of better quality and will hold a higher resale value than a Century rifle. Some folks say the PTRs are actually better than the original HKs, and they're less than half the price.

Keith

eldbillbo · Nov 2, 2010

trainsktg said:
folks say the PTRs are actually better than the original HKs, and they're less than half the price.

Keith

Maybe Ptr dealers say that or folks who never owned both and pushed both to there limits . they are probably the best available next to a factory HK but a stock PTR is not as good to a real German HK in certain areas

Somenewguy · Nov 2, 2010

OK so i took a little pic of it and there seems to be almost no gap at all Does this look good to anyone? Sorry i had a hard time getting that close to come out.

And as far as other rifles i don't care. If i get this it will likely be my only one that i'll use for fun and it more to kind of help him out more then anything. I just don't want to inherit a problem child.

trainsktg · Nov 2, 2010

As Eldbillbo said above, you're going to have to use a feeler to see exactly what the gap is. Just looking at a picture to make a judgement call is questionable practice, IMO. When correctly spaced, the gap will be between .3mm and .5mm. That's .012" and .020". (I think the lower limit of .004" given above is too small, so do your own research on this.) There are many sites dedicated to the CETME and HK rifles, and you'd find your best in-depth technical information there.

A ground bolt is not an uncommon occurrence with the Century rifles, so be careful.

Keith

eldbillbo · Nov 2, 2010

trainsktg said:
As Eldbillbo said above, you're going to have to use a feeler to see exactly what the gap is. Just looking at a picture to make a judgement call is questionable practice, IMO. When correctly spaced, the gap will be between .3mm and .5mm. That's .012" and .020". (I think the lower limit of .004" given above is too small, so do your own research on this.) There are many sites dedicated to the CETME and HK rifles, and you'd find your best in-depth technical information there.

A ground bolt is not an uncommon occurrence with the Century rifles, so be careful.

Keith

trainsktg is right .012" and .020"

can't tell what a gap is by looking at photos you will need a feeler gauge

gap (provided its not a ground bolt or totally worn out.) can sometimes be corrected with differnt size rollers and or a new locking pc.