amstel78
November 13, 2001, 08:14
Here are a couple pictures of my new CETME. I picked it up yesterday from my friend who happens to be a dealer. I ordered it directly from Century through him at dealer cost.
First time impression of the CETME Modelo 'C' was good. The only negative thing which caught my attention was the recoil pad wasn't attached securly. The wood tapping screws that were utilized weren't of sufficient girth, causing the screws to pop out under handling. The hard wood Poplar furniture was of good quality with minor handling marks. The finish on the wood could have been better, but as usual the stain was applied quite liberally by Century's trained baboons. The finish on the receiver, trigger pack and rear receiver half was excellent. Contrary to what most think, the finish was a baked on enamel instead of the usual parkerizing. The bore was carbon fouled probably from factory test firing, but cleaned up well with a few swabs of a bore brush and patch.
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/010/xN/b4/SN/Hp38314.jpg
DISASSEMBLY:
Disassembling the rifle was next. I always like breaking down all of my new rifles prior to use for cleaning and to gain a first hand understanding of how all of the components come together. This is where it got ugly. Similar to its replacement the H&K G3 (which is a copy of the Modelo 'C'), the CETME breaks down by first removing the two push pins that hold the butt-stock in place. One pin was pretty easy to remove, only requiring some thumb pressure. The other pin needed a drift and mallet to unlodge. That pin appeared to have just been mashed in by the fine folks over at CIA. Once the stock pins were removed, the butt-stock needed to be pulled off the receiver. This is where I encountered most of my difficulty.
The stock would not come free no matter how hard I yanked, whacked with my palm or mallet, or tugged. It seemed to have been frozen in place. Not wanting to give up and at the end of my rope I decided to try one last time, resorting to a method only used in time of emergency. I used a steel punch which I wrapped in leather to soften the blow, and used a mallet to tap at the edges of the rear receiver half that holds the stock in place. After almost 30 minutes, the stock finally broke loose. Due to this extreme method, some minor damage was caused including chipping the finish off near the stock housing lip, and some denting of the steel lip.
The next piece to come off the receiver was the trigger pack. This came out relatively easy compared to the stock. This only required a firm tap to the pistol grip to dislodge, and a swift pull and it was out. All that remained was the receiver assembly with the bolt carrier and bolt still in it. Removal of the bolt carrier assembly was easy, only needing a pull on the cocking handle.
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/007/3s/Ml/Ki/Ih30614.jpg
After all the pieces were in order, I did a thorough cleaning. There was quite alot of metal shavings in the receiver, which I suspect was due to the fact the receiver was brand new. I also inspected the chamber, oiled the trigger mechanism, and oiled the bolt carrier. The bolt face was unmarred along with the steel recoil buffer in the stock housing, confirming my belief that these parts were indeed new.
REASSEMBLY:
Because of the method which I used to remove the butt, (a method which I sure as hell don't recommend unless you're desperate like I was) the enamel finish had been chipped off leaving bare shiny metal in some areas, plus some dents caused by the metal punch contacting the surface. As a perfectionist I wasn't going to be satisfied with a gun that looked ate-up unless fixed the err of my ways. With that said, I dremmeled down the rough areas left by the punch, leaving a somewhat smooth but not perfect edge. I then used some steel wool to sand of any remaining burrs or rough spots. After that, I applied some black automotive touch-up paint in several layers to even out the surface. Once the paint had dried, I took the steel wool and buffed it out, leaving a fairly even matte (or should I say dull) finish that matched the rest of the weapon.
While letting the paint on the buttstock dry, the next piece to clean up and reattach was the trigger pack. The baboons over at Century really made me proud, as after closer inspection showed, the trigger pack was basically hammered in to fit. The fit between the trigger pack and receiver is a VERY VERY tight fit. The steel lip surrounding the receiver pack was bent out slightly and the rear tang which is used to lock down the rear end of the trigger frame was warped. Even though putting the trigger pack back in place was a hellish task I succeeded. I eventually had to sand down the two guide protrusions on the receiver itself closest to the mag well to make the fitting a little easier. After sanding, the fit was still tight but not impossible only needing a firm whack from my rubber mallet to seat properly.
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/015/dM/St/bz/Ih83104.jpg
By this time, the paint had dried on the areas that needed refinnishing on the stock housing. That was easy to put back on. I wiggled it on to the receiver part way until it stopped, then let gravity do the rest. I just pounded down on the stock with the rifle until everything was snug. The last thing remaing was to reinsert the two push pins. This would prove to be my last challenge as the holes didn't align squarely. I had to remove the buttstock (this time it was easier by just using a mallet to smack the stock from side to side), and grind down a part of the trigger frame which circumvented the front pin hole. Once that was completed, the pins just needed to be oiled a bit and tapped in lightly with my mallet.
All in all for under $410, I'm pretty happy with the rifle. At first I wanted to throw it out the window as SKSseven can attest too. Actually at one point, I was ready to send it back to Century. Despite its shortfalls and minor smithing, I have a rifle which I think will operate well. The last test will be at the range. Along with usual operations check, the sights are the most important part. If the sights are worthless or FUBAR, then the weapon is useless. Some have said that sometimes Century dosen't attach the sights properly, thus being the stem of my concern with that. Worse come to worse, I'll send it back and exchange it for another one.
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/015/C3/9s/6t/Il39029.jpg
Anyway, that's been my amateur review of my CETME. Hope ya'll enjoyed reading it, while I got drunk writing it.
------------------
Mögen Sie nie durch die Flöhe von tausend Kamelen verflucht werden!
[ November 13, 2001: Message edited by: EMDII ]
First time impression of the CETME Modelo 'C' was good. The only negative thing which caught my attention was the recoil pad wasn't attached securly. The wood tapping screws that were utilized weren't of sufficient girth, causing the screws to pop out under handling. The hard wood Poplar furniture was of good quality with minor handling marks. The finish on the wood could have been better, but as usual the stain was applied quite liberally by Century's trained baboons. The finish on the receiver, trigger pack and rear receiver half was excellent. Contrary to what most think, the finish was a baked on enamel instead of the usual parkerizing. The bore was carbon fouled probably from factory test firing, but cleaned up well with a few swabs of a bore brush and patch.
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/010/xN/b4/SN/Hp38314.jpg
DISASSEMBLY:
Disassembling the rifle was next. I always like breaking down all of my new rifles prior to use for cleaning and to gain a first hand understanding of how all of the components come together. This is where it got ugly. Similar to its replacement the H&K G3 (which is a copy of the Modelo 'C'), the CETME breaks down by first removing the two push pins that hold the butt-stock in place. One pin was pretty easy to remove, only requiring some thumb pressure. The other pin needed a drift and mallet to unlodge. That pin appeared to have just been mashed in by the fine folks over at CIA. Once the stock pins were removed, the butt-stock needed to be pulled off the receiver. This is where I encountered most of my difficulty.
The stock would not come free no matter how hard I yanked, whacked with my palm or mallet, or tugged. It seemed to have been frozen in place. Not wanting to give up and at the end of my rope I decided to try one last time, resorting to a method only used in time of emergency. I used a steel punch which I wrapped in leather to soften the blow, and used a mallet to tap at the edges of the rear receiver half that holds the stock in place. After almost 30 minutes, the stock finally broke loose. Due to this extreme method, some minor damage was caused including chipping the finish off near the stock housing lip, and some denting of the steel lip.
The next piece to come off the receiver was the trigger pack. This came out relatively easy compared to the stock. This only required a firm tap to the pistol grip to dislodge, and a swift pull and it was out. All that remained was the receiver assembly with the bolt carrier and bolt still in it. Removal of the bolt carrier assembly was easy, only needing a pull on the cocking handle.
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/007/3s/Ml/Ki/Ih30614.jpg
After all the pieces were in order, I did a thorough cleaning. There was quite alot of metal shavings in the receiver, which I suspect was due to the fact the receiver was brand new. I also inspected the chamber, oiled the trigger mechanism, and oiled the bolt carrier. The bolt face was unmarred along with the steel recoil buffer in the stock housing, confirming my belief that these parts were indeed new.
REASSEMBLY:
Because of the method which I used to remove the butt, (a method which I sure as hell don't recommend unless you're desperate like I was) the enamel finish had been chipped off leaving bare shiny metal in some areas, plus some dents caused by the metal punch contacting the surface. As a perfectionist I wasn't going to be satisfied with a gun that looked ate-up unless fixed the err of my ways. With that said, I dremmeled down the rough areas left by the punch, leaving a somewhat smooth but not perfect edge. I then used some steel wool to sand of any remaining burrs or rough spots. After that, I applied some black automotive touch-up paint in several layers to even out the surface. Once the paint had dried, I took the steel wool and buffed it out, leaving a fairly even matte (or should I say dull) finish that matched the rest of the weapon.
While letting the paint on the buttstock dry, the next piece to clean up and reattach was the trigger pack. The baboons over at Century really made me proud, as after closer inspection showed, the trigger pack was basically hammered in to fit. The fit between the trigger pack and receiver is a VERY VERY tight fit. The steel lip surrounding the receiver pack was bent out slightly and the rear tang which is used to lock down the rear end of the trigger frame was warped. Even though putting the trigger pack back in place was a hellish task I succeeded. I eventually had to sand down the two guide protrusions on the receiver itself closest to the mag well to make the fitting a little easier. After sanding, the fit was still tight but not impossible only needing a firm whack from my rubber mallet to seat properly.
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/015/dM/St/bz/Ih83104.jpg
By this time, the paint had dried on the areas that needed refinnishing on the stock housing. That was easy to put back on. I wiggled it on to the receiver part way until it stopped, then let gravity do the rest. I just pounded down on the stock with the rifle until everything was snug. The last thing remaing was to reinsert the two push pins. This would prove to be my last challenge as the holes didn't align squarely. I had to remove the buttstock (this time it was easier by just using a mallet to smack the stock from side to side), and grind down a part of the trigger frame which circumvented the front pin hole. Once that was completed, the pins just needed to be oiled a bit and tapped in lightly with my mallet.
All in all for under $410, I'm pretty happy with the rifle. At first I wanted to throw it out the window as SKSseven can attest too. Actually at one point, I was ready to send it back to Century. Despite its shortfalls and minor smithing, I have a rifle which I think will operate well. The last test will be at the range. Along with usual operations check, the sights are the most important part. If the sights are worthless or FUBAR, then the weapon is useless. Some have said that sometimes Century dosen't attach the sights properly, thus being the stem of my concern with that. Worse come to worse, I'll send it back and exchange it for another one.
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/015/C3/9s/6t/Il39029.jpg
Anyway, that's been my amateur review of my CETME. Hope ya'll enjoyed reading it, while I got drunk writing it.
------------------
Mögen Sie nie durch die Flöhe von tausend Kamelen verflucht werden!
[ November 13, 2001: Message edited by: EMDII ]