Century Arms G3 clone, anyone dealt with one before?

[Jake Balam]

A regular at my store is trying to sell a century arms g3 clone chambered in .308

He wants 900 for it and it comes with a 3x9(not sure of brand) scope.

Anyone have any experience with these? And is 900 sky high?

 

[HuttoAg96]

I've honestly never heard anything good about Century Arms, and a ton of negative stories about their quality.

 

[raftman]

That sounds awfully overpriced. I had a Century CETME for a little while, which is basically the same thing as G3 (in fact I didn't know Century made an actual G3). The gun was accurate and reliable, but seemed pretty crude in construction. The thing is, they are $500 guns, not $900

 

[Jake Balam]

He could want 900 because it comes with the scope, I usually don't buy things I know nothing about. but it just looks so cool

 

[nimbleVagrant]

CETMEs usually retail for around $500-600. And that's if it's in good shape. Ground bolts are a common problem. Unless you know what to look for, you should be very careful.

 

[Dave R]

I agree with Raftman. I have the same gun, a CETME. When I first got it, it had 2 problems requiring some light gunsmithing. Not enough windage in the sight adjustment (because the gun was assmbled slightly skewumpus) and a burr on the receiver that prevented mags from seating properly. Both were fixed, and I have to admit that I love the thing, now. Accurate and reliable.

But he's right, its a $600 gun.

 

[oldcars]

I have one and it works great, It is a Century reciever with HK parts inside. I Paid $600 for mine in great shape and would gladly do it again. They are fun to shoot and very reliable if you get a good one. Ask if you can test it before you buy? I am currently looking into Buying an AR10 and if I do I will probably sell mine. A friend basicly offered me $800 for mine, but that is with ALOT of real HK marked Military 20 round magazines. (and who knows if he will ever come through with the money) If you realy decide you want one PM me and mabe we can work something out. You CAN shoot mine to test it, important with Century products!

 

[raftman]

He could want 900 because it comes with the scope, I usually don't buy things I know nothing about. but it just looks so cool

Then I'd make sure it's a $300-$400 scope before I even thought about buying it. I don't have an anti-Century bias, currently own a couple of Century-assembled semi-auto rifles and think they're fantastic. Had a couple that weren't fantastic as well, though. They're $499 on J&G.

 

[sailskidrive]

Hmmm...

There are a few differences between the CETME and Hk G3/Hk 91 as Hk made a some changes after they licensed the design. In my personal experience the Century built guns are of marginal quality. I owned a Century C93 (Hk 93 clone) and the bolt gap opened up to an unacceptable degree after about 500 rounds. Century does a good job at assembling inexpensive mil surplus kits for the hobbyist.

If you're going down the G3/Hk 91 route you should really look at the PTR built rifles (formerly JDL). They are built on former Hk tooling using Thompson manufactured barrels. There have been some complaints in the past from PTR owners that their clones are pickier about ammo, specifically mil surplus sealed with tar but that is due to the tighter tolerances in the Thompson barrels. PTR recently starting manufacturing a model with the "looser" tolerances known as the "GI Model". You can find them on GunBroker for about ~$900.

I own a SACO imported Hk91 and a PTR91 carbine. The PTR actually groups a little tighter at 200 yards than the true Hk; the welds are also a little cleaner on it. Of course the PTR was assembled at a small shop in Connecticut while the SACO import came from some unknown high volume Hk facility or contractor in souther Europe.

~Sail

 

[RT]

$900 will get you a brand new PTR-91 from CDNN
(page 9)
http://site.cdnninvestments.com/CDNN2010-6/index.html

 

[Que]

For $900? No way. I paid $500 for mine. Function has been flawless, but not all are created equal and caution is warranted. Also, these are battlerifles and to me a scope is pretty much a waste. Any that you buy should be thoroughly inspected and test shot first. The info is out there to chose a good one. And heck yeah, for $900 go with a PTR.

If you do continue to consider the $900 rifle that had better be one good scope and mount, and you will really need to test fire it.

 

[nefprotector]

$900 for a Century Arms? No Damn way! I own a couple of centurys but non cost me over $200/ They are kinda pieced together like used parts from other guns. Mine work but I wouldnt put too much money in a Century.

 

[Meditator]

Another too much for a Century Arms rifle at $900. Saw a few PTR rifles for around $800 or so past few months, and PTR is better made than Century Arms.

 

[CLC]

Aren't the claw mounts really expensive for that style of rifle? I was thinking it was like $100 just for the mount alone. My friend got a cetme and it was garbage! It would jam every few rounds and bend the rounds in the chamber. It could have been the ammo and my buddy went into the airforce after shooting it a handful of times.

 

[cjmorgan00]

Offer 450 but not more that 600

 

[NWCP]

Save yourself the grief and get a PTR. Better yet save your money and get the HK91. That's what I did years ago and I've never regretted it. If you can't afford the HK the PTR should serve you well.

 

[Que]

Understand that the Century is a rifle that has many possible issues that one has to educate one's self on to chose a proper rifle. A major concern is a ground bolt that will make the bolt gap seem to be in the acceptable range when it is not. That's just an example. If you own one of these rifles you must be willing and able to work on it. Mine shot beautifully from the start but I improved the longevity of that function by replacing rollers and other parts. The good news is that most of what needs to be done to these rifles can be done with relative ease. In choosing one it's necessary to understand what can be easily done, and what cannot, and what will need to be done to any rifle, if anything, that is considered. Also, there are distinct generations of production of these rifles with quality varying. A little research and education on this will go a long way.

This thread needs a photo, so here is mine.