School me on CETME Rifles, Kits, Performance

[BLIP]

I see the CETME Surplus "Kits" for sale all over the innerweb. I know NOTHING about them what-so-ever other than the kits are pretty dang chip and there appears to a lot of parts for them posted as well.

What kind of experience do you have with them?
Is there a part that is harder to source?
Why do I rarely see them on ODT?
"Come on guys" Edjumacate me on these I am just a curious guy.
Thanks!
BLIP

 

[BLIP]

The world appears to be loaded with them. Is this the next AK?

 

[Hayata]

.308?

Never shot one but heard two stories.

First story is that a bud had an ejected case hit the back window of his pickup and it broke the glass.

Second is they damage the crap out of the case upon ejection so beware if you reload.

 

[AC-130 Above]

I think it’s what came out before the G3. CETME I think is a Spanish make. That’s all I know about them. Parts kits used to be really cheap. Not sure what they are now.

 

[BLIP]

.308?

Never shot one but heard two stories.

First story is that a bud had an ejected case hit the back window of his pickup and it broke the glass.

Second is they damage the crap out of the case upon ejection so beware if you reload.

Thanks for the input. The kits are real cheap on Apex ...

 

[BLIP]

I think it’s what came out before the G3. CETME I think is a Spanish make. That’s all I know about them. Parts kits used to be really cheap. Not sure what they are now.

Yes the HK uses the CETME patent. The ones I have seen are between 900 and 1300. Only one found on ODT

 

[Rambler]

After WW2, the Germans were not allowed to make small arms. Mr. Heckler and Mr. Koch went to Spain to develop the delayed roller lock system. This is where the Cetme C in 308, and latter the Cetme L in 223 came from. After the ban on small arms was lifted in Germany, H&K returned to their home country. The G3 got it's name because it was 3rd battle rifle used by the German army.

 

[Piglatinhater]

C or L model? C is the 308 L is the 556.
Century used to make then import the cetme (c model) 20 Years ago for $300. They were hit or miss. In 2010ish they renamed the cetme to C308 and they fixed most, all issues but they were 500ish by then. At the same time the century ak wasr's gained popularity so all battle rifles from century got more expensive by default, putting the cetme/c308s at $600ish. PTR put out their clones for $800 so most people just went to PTR as you skipped the century headache. Century stopped building/importing the cetme/c308s 5 years ago so PTR is the only real game in town and they start at 1k now.
Parts kits are cheap which just means building one is hard, on par with an AK build.
The Ls are pretty much the same deal and price point.

 

[LeroyHarmon]

Cetme C you can get a g3 flat receiver and fold it yourself and with a little welding knowledge you can build the rifle for less than $500. I’m not a rocket scientist, but a man in his garage and have built one. Barrel will be the part you have most trouble with. If you’ve built an AK, barrel is similar

 

[Jambo]

As others have said, the CETME was the predecessor to the G3, or HK91 in civilian form. Many of the parts interchange, so surplus parts used to be plentiful and cheap. If you want to make your own you need to know how to weld, or know someone who knows how to weld, and you may have to at least partially form the receiver yourself. It' does not look as easy (to me) to form as an AK receiver, as the cross section is more complex.

I have owned a C308 in the past which I bought used, and it always worked, 100% reliable, but it was terribly inaccurate. When I shined a light down the bore the rifling went about halfway, stopped, then started again. That probably had something to do with it! The receiver was not formed well enough to accept HK accessories such as the famous (infamous?) clamping mount for the scope. I sold it to a dealer after informing him of its accuracy problems.

Then I bought a PTR-91, also used. MUCH better for accuracy, but not stunning. Certainly good enough for Rifleman work. 100% reliable.

Ergonomics of the platform suck. I wear size large gloves and couldn't reach the safety without shifting my grip. Charging the rifle requires the shooter to reach WAY up, "break" open the handle, and pull it back what seems about 12 inches before releasing it. Of course, you can lock the bolt back, insert a mag, and do the uber cool "HK Slap" that looks so cool in the movies. There is no last round bolt hold open, and the platform has a very long action, making the rifle longer than others. They are also fairly heavy due to the really heavy bolt carrier assembly.

The rifle also seems to recoil more than, say, an AR-10. The sights are acceptable, but not easily "dialed in" without tools. It requires a special tool to set elevation, but you can get by with pliers and a screwdriver. Once set there is a built in BDC, and no other adjustments are possible. The PTR has a picatinny rail welded to the top, so it's easy to mount a scope.

The platform is known for sending two projectiles down range - the bullet and the casing, which is ejected "enthusiastically". They have fluted chambers to aid in extraction; this causes brass to be marked pretty significantly. People say you can't reload them, but I've got a friend who used to reload his, but it was from and actual HK91, not a PTR 91.

You also have to keep on top of the bolt gap, which changes with roller / chamber wear. There are various sized rollers available to adjust the bolt gap properly.

At the time I bought it, accessories were CHEAP. We're talking $2 magazines. Multiple types of handguards - round, triangular, black plastic, green plastic, wood. Carry handles, complete surplus lower assemblies, slings, bipods, etc.