CETME Magazines, cheap...

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

Woo-Hoo!!

I have been looking for a pile of H&K G3 magazines for my CETME's for awhile.

Logged on Cheaper than Dirt, they have several thousand of the Grade II (clean used) Aluminum 20 round magazines for ninety-seven cents apiece. My local gunsmith has them, for $9.99 each! Ha! I ordered sixty, I believe in lifetime supplies. Shipped here for eighty dollars and some change. 3-5 working days.

Now, to find a couple thousand rounds of once-fired military 308.

It is a good day, in the neighborhood...

Rich

[Storydude]

Expect Greater than 50% of them not to work in your CETME.

The G3 mags are not all created equal. I went through 20 to get 5 that didn't needs mods to lock in or drop free.

[MtGun44]

Last time I bought them they were $3.50 each, which is amazing. Mine are for G3s, so no
function issues. There must be LOTS of them out there for the prices to get this low.

Bill

[Storydude]

G3 mags were designed to be throwaway.

And, yes, there are billions of them.

I was getting them from ORF before they closed for under 75 cents each in bulk.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

My gunsmith is a whiz at making them fit and feed. I have been shooting two he worked on for six months. 100% reliability to date. He owes me two favors, so this is his chance to get square.

Rich

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

As of 4pm today, all sixty have been loaded, and rounds shot in each of the CETME's. Two needed a tickle with the Dremel by the Master. Nearly four hundred rounds total, half dozen failures to feed. Also cured by the Master. We are out shooting, finish up, and he hands me one out of his shop a guy wants to sell. One of the Indiana receivers. Shot well, so I bought another one for $350. Not target rifles, but no one I would need to shoot will ever complain about it. I have two 12BVSS's in 308W; a single shot and one of the tactical models with the Plaster/Choate stock. Both of them shoot in the 1/2" range at a hundred, and just under an inch at 300Y.

I am a rather happy camper.

Take care,

Rich

[Three44s]

Way back ......... well not so far but it seems like a very long time .......... in 1977 ....... we had a series of ruckuses around here ............

............ and what was to be a Ruger #1 (my next favored gun purchase) ........ instead became a new HK 91 by 1979 ....... and over time I added to it's nest of goodies. The only substantative thing I did not acquire for it was the .22 conversion. The rifle was on order for going on a YEAR!!!!

Heavy gun ........ heavy trigger ......... but if you pay attention, it shoots just over 3/4" at 125 yds. with plain jane American milsurp.

I have a lot of magazines .......... they sure cost more than 97 cents ......... but I'll have to look into it ...... can a feller have too many ????

Thanks for the heads up!!

Three 44s

[looseprojectile]

I bought a box full of G3 magazines for around eighty dollars several years ago. I think there were 108 in the box as that is the number would fit in the box.

Some were new and had a little rust on the foliowers, easy to clean up and some had dents, easy to beat out. Still have about half of them.
I think they were advertised as Scratch and dent mags.

CETMEs are fun to shoot and unload ammo out of but I shoot my 308/7.62X51 ammo in my Remington 700 PSS rifle these days.

About a month ago I gave a friend twenty magazines full of ammo for him to shoot in his CETME. That is two battle packs of Portugese good stuff.

If G3 magazines don't fit and work in the CETME there is something out of spec in the gun. I have owned about a dozen CETMES and always was able to get them to work with any magazine in them with no functioning problems.

Life is good

[spqrzilla]

Not true that the CETME in spec will work with G3 magazines.

First of all, most of the CETME's in this country use receivers that were made in the US to fit on CETME parts kits. There were several kinds of CETME receivers. Some of the receivers had G3 spec magazine wells, and some had CETME spec magazine wells. CETME magazine wells were designed for the curved CETME style magazine and sometimes would not fit G3 spec magazines without modifications on one or the other. They would interfere at the rear of the mag well and not seat.

I've had one of each spec receiver myself.

[Artful]

HK91 shoots well with me - trigger pull can ge lightened but beware not to go too far.

M16 and G3 were from days of NATO/SEATO thinking send 'em load mags not just ammo on stripper clips - so Massive number of mags for each weapon in armory was the standard. German's made some nice 308 ammo too - acted like old M16 ammo - would turn and tumble and break at the bullet cannelure- most deadly round.

[looseprojectile]

So I lied?
I did not say that my CETMES were in spec for either magazine.
Mine work with either magazine. Well! Make sure the magazine is not mucked up.
CETMEs magazines do not latch at the rear. The latch is on the side and can be adjusted. And most magwells or latches or both need to be adjusted so that they will function with both magazines.
Stainless cast or stamped, no different. I have not owned or worked on a cast aluminum one.
CETMEs that don't work with G3 mags were made that way by Century Arms International and therefore are out of spec. even if they do work with CETME magazines. And that's the truth!

Life is good

[spqrzilla]

Actually, looseprojectile, that's not what I said.

As I said, there are several different versions of the CETME receivers built in the US and used by Century and other builders.

My experience is that the original Spanish manufactured CETME receiver itself did not reliably accept G3 magazines either.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

Discussion is the lifeblood of this forum.

The only issues I have had with any of the G3 alloys is the release button. A gentle kiss with the dremel tool has taken care of all of them.
CDNN and JGS (iirc) have the rifles for about $500 the April 4th SGN says.

The next step up are Fals for a grand, AR-10s for about $1250. And the sky is the limit, and magazine cost...

Mine are both accurate enough to kill Elk out to 400 yds. An MBR and thirty 20rd magazines for less than $600? And the last four samples of 311365 went under two inches at 1800+/-fps out of the scoped one.

I am happy with that, now to get to work with boolets...

Rich

[goofyoldfart]

don't rightly remember when I picked up my CETME , but it had to be around 4-5 yrs ago. rifle and five mags==350.00. it's the Sporter style (just change the bayonet holder and it the MBR style). and it was brand new. Good shooter, it won't compare as a match rifle,,,, but then it wasn't meant to be and I can hit with it at 1.5--2.0 moa all day long at a 100M. that I consider to be good enough to work on any 4 or 2 legged critter out to about 300--350 meters. couple of years later picked up 25 mags at a dollar a piece. They are full and only had to work on three of them. they work well now. I are happy.:smile::smile::lovebooli. God Bless to all.

Goofyoldfart.:lovebooli

P.S. anyone know of a good optical mount for the CETME? I are gettin' older eyeballs. I hear tell that it's an occupational hazard of old age and I need visual assistance. :))

[spqrzilla]

goofyoldfart, there is an claw type mount made by H&K that is quite expensive and can be used on a CETME. And there is a cheap chinese knock off of it as well. They are hit and miss and not really too secure. You should find them if you google around.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

TAPCO had the cheaper ones. It's where I bought mine. I have been drooling over a CETME at a local gun shop with the cast-in Picatinny Rail on top. $700 is just too close to a new PT-91 for my blood though.

Rich