Ok, I bought a CAI CETME G3 three weeks ago and fired it the first time this week. It worked very well and quite pleased with it. I had with me 20 rounds of military surplus bought from the dealer, and went to Wal-Mart that same day and bought 20 rounds of .308 Win...is this bad? Both fired well, I just don't want to commit the same mistake twice...if I did, that is.
1. Which ammo can I use, and not use on my rifle?
2. What can happen?
I heard the .308 and 7.62x51 are really not the same...is our CETME's dual?
My initial impression:
1. I carry CCW due to the nature of my business, but the spanish lady is my first rifle. So far, it can, it will, and it should perform well in the foreseeable future.
2. Firing a handgun or a rifle is still cheaper than my other hobby, flying an airplane. Both require attention to detail, though, or else the consequences are real...or fatal. No shortcuts!!!
3. How does the CETM compare to the other rifles you have owned? I would appreciate inputs...
Thanks and best regards to all. Contact me when in Virginia...
Welcome to G&G.
You can fire both, I have heard from other people here that win .308 brass is thinner than milsurp and can cause torn casings. I have never shot anyhting but 7.62X51 milsurp and a box of barnaul. The barnaul sheared a casing. However the new Barnaul looks different and I will try it again. The main thing you want to watch out for is the laquer coated casings. no good. They'll gum up your action fast. Due to the war effort the milsurp is all but gone in the U.S. and you'll probably have to get Wolf ammo or the like.
The cetme rifle is a VERY fun and versatile rifle to own. It is my favorite rifle so far and I love to take it out. It just gets exspensive quick. Some people have problems that are easily corrected and then there's s reliable as well. I had problems with mag springs initially and replaced them with excellent result.
There are quite a few Cetme owners here and I'm sure you'll find any answers you need in the future, or by looking at past posts for info.
Do you have pics? We like Pics.
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Gun Control: A sharp eye and a steady finger
Welcome to the world of "Spanish Ladies". You'll find that they are quite loyal, and if you take good care of them, they'll take good care of you! As far as ammo goes, I whole heartedly agree with Enscribe, but would add one thing. Buy a "broken shell extractor" just in case. They run around $12, and can be gotten from most any acessories dealer. They are caliber specific, and worth they're weight in gold as they are practically the only way to remove a case with the head ripped off. It dosen't happen often, but since the CETME has such a violent extraction, it has been known to happen even with mil-surp ammo. I use mine for deer hunting, so commercial ammo or re-loads is the only way to go, and so far no problems. The main thing is to keep them clean. I would suggest getting a manual with dis-assembly instructions. They are pretty simple, but the bolt can be a bugger sometimes. You can download a manual from www.surplusrifle.com. Be sure to get the manual for the bolt too, as it is seperate. Again keep her clean and lightly oiled and "HAVE FUN!!!".
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One add-on question..is it necessary to completely disassemble the bolt assembly down to the firing pin for cleaning every time you fire the weapon?
I have taken the rifle apart and cleaned it without disassembling the bolt assembly.
Buying the extractor is a very good suggestion. When I fired the rifle a week ago, we noticed the shell a bit ways from where I was shooting from. It does eject violently...the gentlemen with me showed me what a "fluted" chamber looked like from the shell casing ejected out....can someone explain this further to me? Why fluted? Pros and Cons?
I intend to shoot again this coming week and excited about it. There is a range in-between two small towns located near our stores in the area...
[IMG]file:///C:/MARE-Farmville/CETME%2011-08.jpg[/IMG][IMG]file:///C:/MARE-Farmville/CETME%2011-08.jpg[/IMG]I tried posting a photo of my CETME but this system is hard to figure out. It is asking for a URL...but my photo is on my hard drive an saved as jpeg. I will need a few to figure this one out.
When you post a picture. "Go Advanced" and scroll down to the upload pics.
The fluted chamber is a different make-up than the gas port or piston driven ejection(most ar's and ak style assault rifles have this). You can technically consider it more reliable in my opinion b/c it recycles the gas directly instead of re-routing it to a sealed chamber that can be clogged or malfunction( clogged with water, debris etc.) Just clean the flutes out every time. this sytem can be run dry or with very little lube and has a high tolerance for dirt. The cons are obvious...dirty flutes=ejection problems. Cetme type rifles have a generous spacing in between moving parts and have the direct fluted ejection. AK's are reliable b/c they have the very generous tollerance spacing (dirt and grime) but they have gas recycling ejection. Ar's jam because they have NO spacing between moving parts and a gas system or some oif the amped ones have a piston replacement..
For example if you have dropped your rifle in water fully submersing it and then pick it up and try to fire, the gas sytem will be filled and you'll probably be minus a few fingers and a rifle. with the flutes you have a higher likelyhood of those draining and/or spewing the liquid out and ejecting the spent casing. Wow that was a lot, sorry for the rant. Have fun shooting this week.
Oh and I would take down the bolt every time. There is a video on utube showing a very easy method of take-down/reassembly. If you can't find it let me know and I'll post the link.
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Gun Control: A sharp eye and a steady finger
Oh, that one. I saw that one when I searched after first seeing your gun. But I kept searching for one specifically for the CETME. Duh!
Do you have an aftermarket foregrip with a rail (like the discontinued TAPCO that I've been searching everywhere for)? Or is it attached to the CETME foregrip? I can't tell from the pict. If it's attached to the CETME foregrip; how hard was it to install?
My experience has been pretty good with my CETEME. I never had an eject issue, a fail to fire issue, or a feeding issue. It is pretty much load the mag, chamber the round, pull the trigger, and the rifle goes BANG. I have been shooting Wolf through it lately and I must say, it has functioned flawlessly. I have some complaints about it but they are for the most part not function related.
Cons:
#1 It looks like a monkey welded it
#2 It feels cheap
#3 Some tolerances are off
#4 These rifles can commonly be out out of spec
IMO from 1 - 10 scale and compared to other rifles I own, I would rate the CETME's from CIA around a 6 when compared to a FAL, and I would rate it around a 4 when compared to an M1A. Even with lower scores, I do plan on working with mine and trying to make it into an SPR. So I guess what I am saying is, I do like the rifle enough to dump a good amount of money in building it up.
Hey I have a question for you about that forearm. I just bought one a week or so ago and I am having an issue mounting it. My front hole for my through pin seems to be cut out of position (just a hair to high) which causes the forearm to angle downward at the front of the rifle. The angle is due to the through pin hitting the top tube. Have you mounted yours yet? Please let me know what you find because I haven't found anyone with one and I was just about ready to call and complain.
I really love my "Spanish Lady", and don't mind her 'cheap feel' - I think of her as the AK's Big Sister!
She's a bit rough around the edges, a little slutty, and likes to 'talk dirty'....
She also can shoot an honest inch-and-a-half group at the 100 yard mark - I guess my Century Assembler Monkey had a good 'night before'.....
I've no issues, other than one ripped Remington commercial case out of forty I shot.
Never a problem with any Milsurp. Doesn't have to be NATO ammo - just the touger GI brass! The CETME design has a big advantage over gas-operated designs - no silly 'adjustment' for different loads - she is very forgiving of different power levels.
I have finally begun reloading for it - the CAVIM, Aussie and some other GI brass is Boxer primed, so is reloadable! Wish I'd found that out before I left a bunch laying out there on the ground...
Her felt recoil is the lightest of any milsurp/military design rifle I have shot - int he full-power .30 caliber class. Much softer than the FAL or M1/M1A rifles! I can keep her on target while rapid-fire shooting.
I have my scope mount done so as to allow the use of the paddle sight with 6X42 scope still mounted - makes her more versatile. Installed the bayo lug, so I can mount her 'pig sticker', even on the Century Muzzle Blast Enhancer - it just fits a little loosely. I have the issue flash hider - just haven't gotten around to changing it - I like my Spanish Lady LOUD!! Hehehe!
I lucked out and got her when they were fairly cheap - paid $375. At one time, they were as low as $198 or so! Wish I had bought three or four back then! Be a great investment now.
The CETME fits me better than the FAL - something about the FAL's stock style just doesn't like my misshapen noggin! I like the forward cocking handle too - it's just different.
I know what your saying when you speak about it being like an AK's big sister. Really does remind me of an AK, its rough around the edges but eats anything you put it in. It has all of the makings to be a top notch rifle, and even stock they look so damn sexy.
As far as the Century welders, that's a hit or miss thing from my understanding. The design of the CETME is just so easy on the eyes. I can not say enough how much I love the style of the rifle. That's one reason I am so hard on the welds. A rifle that can be such a looker should not be tainted by sloppy welds. Obvisously they can be cleaned up, but that's my point, they shouldn't have to be.
I'm curious the about something you said relating to the recoil of the CETME to a FAL/M1A, more so the FAL. Maybe it's my CETME, or maybe it's my FALs, but if I was asked the question of which has more felt recoil I would say the CETME by a nose. A properly adjusted FAL can have less recoil than a FAL that hasn't been adjusted. I feel that have my current FAL dialed in well and even when I start dropping rounds, in doubles, triples and more I am able to stay on target. Obviously my muzzle does rise, but I can quickly get on point. That's for well aimed shots at a paper target at 100/200/300yds. If it was a car that I was aiming at (We just shot one at my buddy's place) aimed rounds are definitely not a problem.
Something else I should mention which could be the reason for my view is that my FAL's are set up well for prone and my CETME isn't. That's a fair push to support the CETME having less felt recoil. I have shot them both sitting, and both standing and didn't really notice any great difference between the two.
I am a firm believer of to each their own, especially when it comes to firearms and respect other opinions. That's why they make so many. Overall, I feel the CETME is a great shooter that IMO has proven reliable, and at the end of the day that is the most important thing.
PS> Sorry for the winded response. Its hard to convey the tone in which I am trying to speak within this post using text, but let me assure you it is not a negative tone at all, and in no way am I trying to act as if I know everything. It's just some of my experiences, and I totally respect other views.
Last edited by fr0sty; 11-23-2008 at 10:32 AM.
Reason: Fixed some terrible typos
