Cetme?

[Charlie101]

Is there anything one would need to watch out for when buying a Cetme for $300-$400 from Shotgun News or something like it?

[Big Dog]

Buying a CETME from online is always a crapshoot. Do a search here back about a year or so - we've had some discussion about this.
There are certain possible problems that one can check for, if you can see the rifle before buying.
Primary among these problems are canted front 'triple tree' that holds the front sight, improperly cut and welded cocking tube, improperly pressed barrel into trunnion causing headspace error that they bandaid by grinding the boltface, improperly fitted magazine latch causing mag fitting problems.
Century made all CETMEs in recent years, and the assembler monkeys had good and bad days. My monkey actually had a good day!
Best bet is to check with the guys over on Gunboards.com, on their CETME forum. They can direct you to the sticky post that runs down the checklist.
Bad thing is, once you order the gun, if it has a serious problem, you may have to send it back to Century to be fixed. This is bad because there are no more kits in the pipeline. CETME's are no longer being assembled, and thus no more parts to repair bad guns. Even getting the faulty gun back from Century can prove difficult.
If possible, I'd suggest paying the extra C-note or two and get the HK G3 rifle - spare parts are no problem and the sights are better.

That being said, I do love my CETME - glad I got it when I did!