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G-3 Rifle

2K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  CJ 
#1 ·
Looking at picking up a G-3 Variant, and I'm seeing the term 'CETME .308. What is the difference between a standard 308 and a CETME 308?

Given the option would you look towards the G-3 or the Fal?

Thanks
 
#2 · (Edited)
Looking at picking up a G-3 Variant, and I'm seeing the term 'CETME .308. What is the difference between a standard 308 and a CETME 308?

Thanks
The CETME is the original design. The HK91/G3 is actually a licensed copy of the CETME, however they have a higher value because they were designed with much more precision, and designed to meet BATF requirements. Unlike CETME's which had to meet those requirements after their design, and been imported by century, and other importers. Generally they are good rifles. They do have some common issues, but none of which are difficult to repair if they are present. Most all parts between the G3 and the CETME are interchangeable, with the exception of a few. They are accurate weapons, they are very reliable, and they are quite unique.

The bad things about G3 variant weapons are optics - CETME's do not use an exact mil-spec receiver, and therefore the standard HK claw mount has trouble attaching. Even on HK rifles the claw mount is pretty haphazard and can lose zero. It's just a crappy design in my opinion. It clamps to a stamped receiver, has the ability to slide forward and backward, and if you over tighten it to make it stay put, it squeezes the receiver and sticks the bolt. So, generally optics are difficult on these rifles. I ended up purchasing a picatinny blank and I'm going to tig weld it to my receiver to just end all the headache.

Another thing is their internally fluted barrel. Ingenious in it's design - it prevents the possibility of an extractor breaking, and a shell sticking. The gas from the discharge is forced back and around the spent shell blowing it out of the breech. So, in the event an extractor breaks, or some ammunition failure, you will definately get the spent case out of the weapon. With no extractor at all it will eject a round, or at worse cause a partial ejection which requires you to pull the cocking handle and drop the round out. The PROBLEM with this is it DESTROYS brass. The weapon was originally designed to fire steel cases - not brass. Which can be a bonus - it likes cheap ass ammo, but it ruins good brass ammo - you can't really reload it.

Only other issues are they are heavy. And .308 ammo isn't cheap - 10 dollars for 20 rounds of cheap barnaul/monarch.

Also, you CAN NOT use commercial .308 in a G3 variant, it is very dangerous and can kill you. You must use 7.62x51 NATO. Here's a photo I took of what can happen:



As you can see the top of that round has the flute marks I was talking about - that's what a spent shell looks like - it gets ruined. Now, if you notice... that's only 1/3 of a shell, the rest of it was ripped off. Since commercial .308 is must thinner cased, when the round discharges the more pliable case expands and actually sticks in the flutes, and given the power of the round, the extractor literally rips the back of the case off, leaving the front of the shell stuck in the barrel. The next round was cycled in with such force, it actually slid itself through the remaining case neck. Luckily I noticed it wasn't at full battery and didn't fire it, but that's an example.

The good parts are the magazines are cheap. And what I say cheap, they are the cheapest magazines available for any gun on the planet - I purchased brand new HK G3 aluminum magazines for .66 cents a piece. They are just about the cheapest .308 rifle you can find. They are also very inexpensive to build from scratch - just like an AR-15, but more skill required - welding and head space experience. And like I mentioned earlier, they are reliable - I purchased one of my CETME's for $150 dollars, because it was "broken" an was able to fix it with a grill press, tap, and a screw. That same CETME which jammed every time I fired it when I purchased it has to the best of my knowledge never jammed since. I can't remember it ever jamming on me, even after I fired several hundred rounds through it.
 
#5 · (Edited)
A FAL will cost you just about twice the price of a CETME. If it was me I'd build myself a custom G3 and end up with a much better gun for the same price. But since you're looking at a CETME, it's up to you. FAL's are very nice, but they are expensive. They also suck for mounting optics just like the CETME's. Also, yet another issue I personally have with the FAL is they are close to what it costs to build yourself an AR-10, which is a much better weapon in my opinion.

No, they won't work. Those are .308 commercial rounds. Think of it this way, it doesn't shoot .308, it shoots 7.62x51 NATO only. Remington does in fact make 7.62x51 rounds, but they are expensive, too expensive to even consider in my opinion. If you buy a CETME, you will be primarily shooting russian ammo like Wolf (which I don't believe makes 7.62x51 anymore), Barnaul, Monarch, Silver Bear, Brown Bear, - all of which are steel cased (and pretty much made in Russia by the same company). It is by far the cheapest you will find at $10 for 20 rounds. You can buy surplus 7.62x51 NATO but it is expensive. You do have options, but it isn't a bargain. Getting a .308 assault rifle is an expensive endeavor - the CETME is the cheapest route. They are extremely fun, unique, and rewarding but you still have to put ammo in it. If you are interested in buying one you're more than welcome to shoot my G3 to see what you think of it.
 
#8 ·
Thats like telling the guy you would rather buy a BMW than a Chevy.

CETMEs cost $500-$600 bucks, while a good m1A will certainly be at least 2-3 times that much.
 
#9 ·
ive always liked these rifles , but DAMN are they HEAVY
that's kept me far enough away to not own one.
 
#13 ·
Thanks CJ you have been a great help like always, I'm going to go the AR-10 dirction now with all this info. Now with that said how hard is it to build a AR-10? I have built 2 AR's (.223 & 6.8) and have read that parts are not as easy to find and as interchangable between manufactures on the AR-10 platform is this corect? I would honestly rather build then buy but if it's a huge issue I would buy one first.
 
#15 ·
It's pretty much the exact same thing as an AR-15. But, with an AR-10 you need to pick a particular manufacturer and use their part kit, and just make sure the upper fits the lower you built. Rock River is a good bet for a lower. I believe the Armalite lowers are the ones that give people trouble.
 
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