School me on cetme's

[Garb]

I have come across a little money, and have decided to buy a rifle. This will be my go-to rifle in a shtf event. I was leaning very heavily towards an ak-47 when the cetme caught my eye. What I want to know is how durable, reliable, and finicky on ammo they are. I know they are going to be able to reach out a lot further than the ak, and I like that, but I also want something that I don't have to constantly worry about whether or not it will break down or jam. Thanks for any input.

 

[dom1104]

If you want a gun that will not break down or jam, a CETME is NOT what you are looking for.

Continue leaning towards that AK my friend.

I have no idea how good of a rifle shooter you are, but a lot of people who talk about "reaching out" with a iron sighted SHTF gun, dont shoot much. The cartridge is not the limiting factor for MOST shooters. Dont be swayed by Internet Commandoism, and pick up that AK Comrade

 

[Garb]

If you want a gun that will not break down or jam, a CETME is NOT what you are looking for.

Continue leaning towards that AK my friend.

I have no idea how good of a rifle shooter you are, but a lot of people who talk about "reaching out" with a iron sighted SHTF gun, dont shoot much. The cartridge is not the limiting factor for MOST shooters. Dont be swayed by Internet Commandoism, and pick up that AK Comrade

Thanks for the info. I guess I am used to more drastic differences mostly. My dad has two AR-15's and my brother has an M1 Garand. As for the cetme, there seemed to be mixed reviews on it from what I saw.

 

[thompal]

Thanks for the info. I guess I am used to more drastic differences mostly. My dad has two AR-15's and my brother has an M1 Garand. As for the cetme, there seemed to be mixed reviews on it from what I saw.

Ahh, don't let the snobs influence you. Take it out and shoot it, get it zeroed in, and then just enjoy it.

If you want to get spare parts, parts are CHEAP for it. And don't pay more than $1 for magazines!

 

[451_Detonics]

The CETME has gotten a bad rep thanks to some less than desirable guns that came out of Century Arms. One that is properly put together is very reliable and accurate. They, and the HK clones, are probably the best if you want to use optics on a .308 MBR. The key is buying a good one not a POS. You need to be aware of how to check bolt gap, as well as how to look over the rest of the rifle. For those who don't understand the whole bolt gap issue this should help. The system is made of two main parts, the bolt and the bolt carrier, these make up the bolt carrier group.

The gap that is the main concern in this is located between the bolt and the bolt carrier when the action is closed and locked in battery.

This is the place you insert a feeler gauge. It should allow a gauge between .010 and .015 to slip in snugly.

These are the rollers that are talked about and they are marked for sizes both positive and negative from the neutral or zero roller. The can be used to increase or decrease the gap but only by a few thousandths. If your gap measures .010 with neutral rollers then +4 rollers can be used to bring it close to the optimal .013, but they can't cure a .006 gap.

On the rest of the rifle look for excessive wear, especially on the cocking handle housing. Check for parts being loose such as the front sight. Make sure mags insert and release easily.

My CETME shoots great and is my go to when I want an optics mounted .308, it shoots very well and has proven itself reliable through about 1500 rounds. Several folks here have shot it at the NWI shoots and all liked it.

 

[DaKruiser]

Ive enjoyed my CETME, it's ran very well on everything I've fed it. It likes the cheap stuff like wolf steel cased and battle packs. Also like Thompal said don't pay more than a dollar for a mag! now if I could just find a deal on a HK collapsible stock that would be awsome.